 |
| |
|
|
|
 |
Hight Blood Pressure Doesn't Hurt...but it Can Shorten Your Life
When you have high blood pressure,
there may be no symptoms.
There will, however, be consequences....
...like an increase in your risk of heart attack, stroke,
kidney failure, eye damage and congestive heart failure.
That’s why it’s important
to get regular blood pressure checks.
If your pressure is too high,
diet, exercise and medication can help control it.
|
|
|
| |
Dangerous Myths About High Blood Pressure
1. COMMON SIGNS INCLUDE NERVOUSNESS,
SWEATING AND TROUBLE SLEEPING.
Wrong. High blood pressure has no symptoms. The
only way to know if you have it is to check your blood
pressure.
2. STRESS GIVES EVERYONE HIGH BLOOD
PRESSURE. IT’S JUST A FACT OF LIFE
I DON’T NEED TO WORRY ABOUT.
Stress can increase your risk so
check your blood pressure often.
People with uncontrolled
hypertension have a much
greater risk of heart disease,
heart failure and stroke.
3. WHEN I VISIT THE DOCTOR, MY BLOOD
PRESSURE IS HIGH BECAUSE I’M
NERVOUS. I’M SURE IT’S OK AT HOME.
Some people have higher blood pressure in a
doctor’s office due to nervousness. Things that can
affect blood pressure include physical exertion,
strong emotion and stress. Home monitoring is one
way to help your doctor measure your true pressure.
Never ignore several readings indicating that you
may have high blood pressure.
4. WOMEN NEEDN’T WORRY. IT’S A MAN’S
PROBLEM.
False. Some things may put women at even greater
risk for hypertension: using birth control pills, being
pregnant, overweight, postmenopausal or African-
American, or having a family history of high blood
pressure.
5. I FEEL FINE, SO I CAN STOP TAKING MY
BLOOD PRESSURE MEDICINE.
Absolutely not. Hypertension is a lifelong disease
that can be controlled but not cured. Take medication
exactly as prescribed. Cutting back or quitting is
dangerous.
6. I CAN TAKE ANY OVER-THE-COUNTER
COLD OR FLU MEDICINE.
Wrong. Certain cold, cough and flu medicine with
decongestants can be dangerous for people with
high blood pressure. They can increase blood
pressure and interfere with blood pressure drugs.
7. I DON’T NEED TO CHECK MY BLOOD
PRESSURE UNTIL MIDDLE AGE.
Wrong. Start checking pressure early. Children as
young as age 6 can have
high blood pressure.
Heavier, more sexually
mature teens tend to have
higher pressure; those with
high blood pressure and
extra pounds can have thicker arteries by age 30. |
|
|
| |
New High Blood Pressure Guidelines:
START EARLIER,
TREAT MORE AGGRESSIVELY
Millions of Americans who think they’re healthy are actually prehypertensive
and should take action to prevent full-blown high blood pressure.
New guidelines call for tighter control at all levels.
1. Control blood pressure before it’s high.
Lose weight if you need to. Get regular physical activity.
Limit salt and alcohol intake.
2. People over age 50...
...whose top number is 140 or more
should be treated regardless of their bottom number.
3.Two (or more) drugs are better...
... for most people with pressure 140/90 or higher.
For most of them, one drug should be a diuretic.
4. Doctors should treat it more aggressively.
Nearly a third of people with high blood pressure don’t know it.
Two-thirds of diagnosed patients don’t have it under control —
often because doctors hesitate to prescribe a second or third medication.
Most of us will have
high blood pressure if we live long enough.
Heart disease risk begins rising once blood pressure creeps above 115/75.
Risk doubles for each 20-point rise in the top number or 10-point rise in the bottom number.
People who are prehypertensive — even if they’re a skinny 20-something with 120/80 readings —
should make wiser lifestyle choices to stave off the blood-pressure creep that comes with age. |
|
|
| |
High Blood Pressure
A Special Message for Women
High blood pressure (hypertension) has no symptoms.
In most cases, we don’t know what causes it...
...but women should know when they may be particularly at risk.
If you’re on “the Pill”...
Birth control pills are linked to hypertension in some women. It’s more apt to occur if you’re
overweight, had hypertension during pregnancy, or have a predisposing condition such as kidney
disease or a family history of hypertension. The pill can be especially dangerous for women who
smoke. Ask your doctor to check your blood pressure before prescribing it and then again every
six months or so.
If you’re pregnant...
Hypertension can develop rapidly in the last three months of pregnancy. Untreated, it’s
dangerous to both mother and baby. If it doesn’t disappear after delivery, it should be
controlled with long-term treatment. Pregnancy can make existing hypertension more
severe. Careful treatment helps ensure a normal pregnancy and baby.
If you’re overweight...
Being overweight or gaining a lot of weight increases risk of hypertension.
If you’re African American...
Black women, even very young ones, are much more susceptible than white
women, and it’s often more serious in them.
After menopause...
As women age, their risk becomes greater than men’s. You may have had normal
blood pressure all your life, but after menopause your risk increases considerably.
If high blood pressure runs in your family...
If your parents or other close relatives have had hypertension, chances are you have it or will develop it.
If you have it, your children are likely develop it. Kids and adults should have regular blood pressure checks.
The cure for high blood pressure...
There’s no cure, at least not yet. But it is controllable.
Your may need to lose weight, get more exercise, limit salt and alcohol intake, and take
medication every day, maybe for life. Don’t take life-or-death chances with a disease you can control. |
|
Information provided by the American Heart Association. For more information on blood pressure control,
call 1-800-AHA-USA1 or logon to americanheart.org/hbp. |
|
|
|
|
 |
|
