High Blood Pressure (HBP)

For most people. your blood pressure shouldn’t be higher than 130/80 mmHg - George Thomas MD

High Blood Pressure (HBP)

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Why New Blood Pressure Guidelines Could Lead to Harm

When was the last time you were asked to sit without saying a word for five minutes before your blood pressure was measured? If your answer was "I never remember doing that," you're in good company.

Yet that is one of the many rules that medical professionals are supposed to follow when measuring your blood pressure.

Paul Whelton, a cardiovascular specialist at the Tulane University School of Public Health, says airplane pilots always run down a safety checklist before taking off. "We would be shocked if a pilot told us he was in a rush and just didn't have time to do it."

Yet he says clinicians aren't taking enough care to make an important measurement when it…

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 Odds Are, They're Taking Your Blood Pressure All Wrong

When was the last time you were asked to sit without saying a word for five minutes before your blood pressure was measured? If your answer was "I never remember doing that," you're in good company. Yet that is one of the many rules that medical professionals are supposed to follow when measuring your blood pressure.

 Why New Blood Pressure Guidelines Could Lead to Harm

The potential upside from this change is that because of “awareness,” more people might make lifestyle changes that lead to lower cardiovascular risk in the future. The potential downside is that more people may receive a diagnosis of high blood pressure, be overtreated with medication, and endure side effects or adverse outcomes. It’s not irrational to fear that these new guidelines might lead to more of the latter than the former.

7 Surprising Causes Of High Blood Pressure

Quick -– what causes high blood pressure? The first culprits that pop into your mind are likely to be: eating too much salt, being stressed out all the time, and alcohol abuse. And you would be right. But there are also less obvious causes of high blood pressure, a condition that affects about one in three, or 78 million, adults in the U.S.

Target: BP

Target: BP™ is a national initiative formed by the American Heart Association (AHA) and the American Medical Association (AMA) in response to the high prevalence of uncontrolled blood pressure (BP). Target: BP helps health care organizations and care teams, at no cost, improve BP control rates through an evidence-based quality improvement program and recognizes organizations committed to improving BP control.

High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia

The High Blood Pressure Research Council of Australia has been at the forefront of research into the causes, prevention and treatment of high blood pressure since its inception in 1979. Our research incorporates the full range from experimental molecular biology and genetics to human physiology and drug treatment of hypertension.

DASH diet

Developed by the National Institutes of Health in 1996, the DASH diet is an eating plan designed to help people lower their blood pressure and avoid medications.

HeartPoint

The heart pumps blood containing oxygen and other nutrients through the arteries to the rest of the body. Blood "pressure" is the force exerted on the arteries by the blood passing through them. It is determined by how much resistance there is in the arteries, and is not a measure of how "strong" the heart muscle is.

Texas Heart Institute

Hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, is known as "the silent killer." At least 72 million Americans have high blood pressure, and as many as 20 million of them do not even know they have the condition. If left untreated, high blood pressure greatly increases your risk for heart attack and stroke.

CDC

High blood pressure is sometimes called the silent killer because it usually has no noticeable warning signs or symptoms until other serious problems arise; therefore, many people do not know that they have it. All persons, including children, can develop high blood pressure.

MedicineNet

High blood pressure (hypertension) means high pressure or tension in the arteries. The arteries are the vessels that carry blood from the pumping heart to all of the tissues and organs of the body. Chronic high blood pressure is a "silent" condition. It can cause blood vessel changes in the back of the eye (retina), abnormal thickening of the heart muscle, kidney failure, and brain damage.

Merck Manual

To many people, the word hypertension suggests excessive tension, nervousness, or stress. In medical terms, hypertension refers to high blood pressure, regardless of the cause. Because it usually does not cause symptoms for many years''until a vital organ is damaged''it has been called "the silent killer." Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases the risk of problems such as stroke, aneurysm, heart failure, heart attack, and kidney damage.

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