Here’s something you may already know — high blood pressure is a leading risk factor for heart disease. As documented by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), approximately 54% of strokes and 47% of coronary heart diseases worldwide are attributable to high blood pressure.1
It’s frequently called “the silent killer” because it often comes with no outward symptoms.2
It is estimated that 46.7% US adults (or 120 million) have high blood pressure. Of that group, 38% are unaware that they have it.3
How Do I Know if I’m At Risk of Having it?
The risk of developing high blood pressure increases with age. Blood vessels gradually lose their elasticity over time, which can contribute to high blood pressure. The condition is estimated to affect 65% of those over the age of 60.4
Genetics also play a very large role in understanding and predicting some health conditions such as high blood pressure, which tends to run in families.
- Men are more likely than women to be diagnosed with high blood pressure, until age 64. However, after that age, women are more likely to have high blood pressure.5
- High blood pressure is more common in Black American adults, than in non-Hispanic white adults (48%), Asian adults (46%), or Hispanic adults (39%).6
The only way to know if you have hypertension (or high blood pressure) is to check it regularly. Anyone over age 18 should have their blood pressure checked and measured annually. For those who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure as a condition, it should be checked more frequently.
What Exactly is Blood Pressure a Measure of?
Blood pressure is the pressure of your blood on the walls of your arteries. Your heart is the pump that pushes your blood out to the rest of the body.7
A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers: a systolic and a diastolic pressure.
When your heart beats, it initially contracts to push the blood out from the heart into the arteries. The pressure rises. That is measured as the systolic blood pressure.
Between contractions, the heart muscle relaxes and rests. The pressure decreases. That is measured as the diastolic blood pressure.
The systolic pressure always appears as the top number when read. It’s the beat. The diastolic pressure appears as the bottom number. It’s the resting pressure between beats.
Systolic blood pressure (top number) is typically what is given more attention as a potential risk factor for cardiovascular disease, in people over the age of 50.8
Which Numbers Should I Be Aware of?
In 2017, the American Heart Association published new guidelines around acceptable levels for blood pressure. More importantly, the threshold was lowered regarding what were levels for systolic and diastolic that were considered as being hypertensive.9
The intention behind the shift? The desire to make a direct positive change, at an earlier stage of diagnosis where prevention and treatments could result in lower national healthcare costs, fewer cases of cardiovascular disease and a greater number of positive patient outcomes.10
| Blood Pressure Category | Systolic mmHg (upper number) | Diastolic mmHg (lower number) | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Normal | less than 120 | and | less than 80 |
| Elevated | 120–129 | and | less than 80 |
| Hypertension Stage 1 | 130–139 | or | 80–89 |
| Hypertension Stage 2 | 140 or higher | or | 90 or higher |
Normal Blood Pressure
Systolic (upper number)
less than 120 mmHg
and
Diastolic (lower number)
less than 80 mmHg
Elevated Blood Pressure
Systolic (upper number)
120–129 mmHg
and
Diastolic (lower number)
less than 80 mmHg
Hypertension Stage 1
Systolic (upper number)
130–139 mmHg
or
Diastolic (lower number)
80–89 mmHg
Hypertension Stage 2
Systolic (upper number)
140 mmHg or higher
or
Diastolic (lower number)
90 mmHg or higher
What if a Blood Pressure Reading Says It is Too High?
A person’s blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day as a normal cycle of events.11 However, when blood pressure is high — and stays high — you may have a condition known as high blood pressure, also referred to as hypertension.
If left untreated, high blood pressure may lead to blood vessel damage, which can increase the risk of having a heart attack or stroke.
High blood pressure can be controlled to a degree through lifestyle changes: Finding ways to lower stress, maintaining a healthy weight, eating a more organic diet with lower sodium, staying physically active, limiting alcohol intake, and not smoking.
In some cases, however, in addition to external daily changes in routine, a doctor may need to prescribe medicines to help reduce blood pressure to lower the risk of heart attack or stroke.
If you’re concerned about your blood pressure we recommend meeting with one of our cardiologists at Cooper and Inspira Cardiac Care to learn more about your specifics and their relationship to your overall cardiac health. This is what we live for.
References
- NIH National Library of Medicine, October 30, 2015: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5059018/[↩]
- Science Daily, More than Half of US Adults Don’t Know Heart Disease is Leading Cause of Death. January 24, 2024: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240124132843.htm[↩]
- Science Daily, More than Half of US Adults Don’t Know Heart Disease is Leading Cause of Death. January 24, 2024: https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2024/01/240124132843.htm[↩]
- NIH National Library of Medicine, October 30, 2015: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5059018/[↩]
- Everydayhealth.com, What is High Blood Pressure? February 11, 2024: https://www.everydayhealth.com/high-blood-pressure/guide/[↩]
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Preventing Chronic Disease. Finding Optimal Locations for Implementing Innovative Hypertension Management Approaches Among African American Populations, February 2024: https://www.cdc.gov/pcd/issues/2024/pdf/23_0329.pdf[↩]
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Facts About Hypertension. July 6, 2023: https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm[↩]
- American Heart Association, Understanding Blood Pressure Readings. May 30, 2023: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings[↩]
- American Heart Association, High Blood Pressure Redefined for the First Time in 14 years: 130 is the new high. Nov 13, 2017: https://newsroom.heart.org/news/high-blood-pressure-redefined-for-first-time-in-14-years-130-is-the-new-high[↩]
- American Heart Association Journals. Implementation of the 2017 ACC /AHA Guidelines. December 17, 2018: https://www.ahajournals.org/doi/10.1161/HYPERTENSIONAHA.118.11712[↩]
- American Heart Association, Understanding Blood Pressure Readings. May 30, 2023: https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure/understanding-blood-pressure-readings[↩]
