High Blood Pressure(Blood Pressure, High; Essential Hypertension; Idiopathic Hypertension; Primary Hypertension)by Editorial Staff And Contributors DefinitionHigh blood pressure is abnormally high blood pressure with no known cause. Blood pressure measurements are read as two numbers:
High blood pressure is defined as systolic pressure greater than 140 mmHg and/or diastolic pressure greater than 90 mmHg. You are considered prehypertensive if your systolic blood pressure is between 120-139 mmHg, or your diastolic pressure is between 80- 89 mmHg. Your doctor will recommend monitoring and lifestyle changes. High blood pressure puts stress on the heart, lungs, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels. Over time, this condition can damage these organs and tissues. Organs Impacted by High Blood Pressure Copyright © Nucleus Medical Media, Inc. Risk FactorsThese factors increase your chance of developing high blood pressure. Tell your doctor if you have any of these risk factors:
SymptomsHigh blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms. But, the condition can still damage your organs and tissues. Occasionally, if blood pressure reaches extreme levels, you may have the following:
DiagnosisHigh blood pressure is often diagnosed during a doctor's visit. Blood pressure is measured using an arm cuff and a special device. If your reading is high, you will come back for repeat checks. If you have three visits with readings over 140/90 mmHG, you will be diagnosed with high blood pressure. Your doctor will order tests to make sure your high blood pressure is not caused by another condition. You will also be tested to see if the high blood pressure has caused any problems. Tests include:
TreatmentLifestyle Changes
MedicationsThese include:
Note: Untreated high blood pressure can lead to:
If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, follow your doctor's instructions. PreventionTo help reduce your risk of getting high blood pressure, take the following steps:
RESOURCES:American Heart Association National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute CANADIAN RESOURCESCanadian Cardiovascular Society Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada REFERENCES:Chobanian AV. Clinical practice. Isolated systolic hypertension in the elderly. N Engl J Med. 2007;357:789-796. Chobanian AV, Bakris GL, Black HR, et al. The seventh report of the Joint National Committee on prevention, detection, evaluation, and treatment of high blood pressure. The JNC 7 report. JAMA. 2003;289:2560-2572. Conn HF, Rakel RE. Conn's Current Therapy 2001. 53rd ed. Philadelphia, PA: WB Saunders Company; 2001. High blood pressure. American Heart Association website. Available at: http://www.americanheart.org. Accessed July 6, 2008. Hypertension diagnosis and treatment (guideline). Institute for Clinical Systems Improvement website. Available at: http://www.icsi.or.... Published 2010. Accessed May 10, 2012. Hypertension: making the diagnosis. EBSCO DynaMed website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/dynamed . Updated April 30, 2012. Accessed May 10, 2012. Schroeder K. The DASH diet. EBSCO Health Library website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/healthLibrary. Updated May 2008. Accessed July 6, 2008. Smith N. How to measure blood pressure (in a clinical setting). EBSCO PERC website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/healthLibrary. Updated October 2007. Accessed July 6, 2008. Smoots E. Do you have prehypertension? EBSCO Health Library website. Available at: http://www.ebscohost.com/healthLibrary. Updated March 2008. Accessed July 6, 2008. What is high blood pressure? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute website. Available at: http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/dci/Diseases/Hbp/HBP_WhatIs.html. Updated April 2008. Accessed July 6, 2008. 9/2/2009 DynaMed Systematic Literature Surveillance https://dynamed.ebscohost.com/about/about-us: Forman J, Stampfer M, Curhan G. Diet and lifestyle risk factors associated with incident hypertension in women. JAMA. 2009;302(4):401-411. Last reviewed September 2012 by Michael J. Fucci, DO |
