Conditions: High Blood Pressure
Alternative names:
Hypertension
What is high blood pressure?
What are the signs of high blood pressure?
What causes high blood pressure?
How does my doctor tell if I have high blood pressure?
How is high blood pressure treated?
What is high blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the force in your arteries when your heart beats, and when it rests. The top number of your blood pressure reading (systolic blood pressure) measures the pressure made when your heart beats, and the bottom number (diastolic blood pressure) measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests.
High blood pressure means a top reading that's consistently over 140, or a bottom number that's consistently over 90. Either or both of these numbers may be too high. "Ideal" blood pressure is when the top number is below 130 and the bottom number is below 70.
High blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney failure.
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What are the signs of high blood pressure?
Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms.
Patients with dangerously high blood pressure may:
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Have a headache |
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Feel tired |
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Feel confused |
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Feel lightheaded or dizzy |
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Have a pounding in the head or chest |
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Have sharp chest pains, like angina |
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Feel a "buzzing" in the ears |
If you have any of the above symptoms, you should see a doctor right away.
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What causes high blood pressure?
The exact cause of elevated blood pressure in most people is not known, but is thought to result from a combination of arterial narrowing and fluid retention.
High blood pressure may be an inherited condition, or related to a number of other factors:
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Being overweight |
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Smoking, which damages your blood vessels |
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Eating a diet high in saturated fat, and/or salt (sodium) |
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Drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol (one to two drinks per day for men, one a day for women) |
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Age. Blood vessels become less flexible as you grow older. |
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Ethnicity. African Americans develop high blood pressure more frequently than Caucasians. |
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Gender. Men suffer from high blood pressure more often than women. |
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Having a high level of stress |
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Using oral contraceptives (birth control pills), especially if the user smokes |
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Being physically inactive |
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Having diabetes |
In five to ten percent of cases, high blood pressure is caused by another illness, such as a tumor or kidney disorder.
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How does my doctor tell if I have high blood pressure?
A blood pressure test is part of any general medical check-up. If your test shows that you might have high blood pressure, your doctor will want to take a number of readings, on different days. Your doctor also may use some of the following tests:
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A sphygmomanometer (blood pressure machine), for routine tests |
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An ophthalmoscope, to look at the blood vessels in your eyes. If these vessels have thickened, narrowed, or burst, you may have high blood pressure. |
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A chest X-ray |
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An electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) measures the electrical activity of your heart. It helps your doctor see how well your heart beats, and can tell if your heart muscle has been thickened as a result of long-standing high blood pressure. A technician puts small metal disks—electrodes—on your skin to read the pattern of electrical impulses from your heart. The test only takes a few minutes. |
Your doctor may diagnose pre-hypertension if your blood pressure readings are close, but not at, the level of high blood pressure. He or she will recommend lifestyle changes to bring your blood pressure down to normal range.
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How is high blood pressure treated?
High blood pressure is a lifelong disease that can't be cured. But there are many ways to control your high blood pressure, and lower your risk of stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney disease.
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Lifestyle |
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Lose weight if you are overweight. In some cases, this may be the only treatment needed. |
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Start a program of regular exercise |
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Adjust your diet to reduce fat and sodium, and increase fruits, vegetables, and fiber |
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Quit smoking if you smoke |
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Drink only a moderate amount of alcohol (one to two drinks per day for men, one a day for women), if you drink. If necessary, consider not drinking alcohol at all. |
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Learn to manage stress |
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Medications |
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Diuretics help rid your body of water and sodium |
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ACE inhibitors block an enzyme that raises your blood pressure |
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Beta blockers slow and relax your heart, thereby reducing blood pressure |
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Calcium channel blockers, angiotensin II inhibitors, and other vasodilators relax and widen your arteries |
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