What are the key facts of hypertension?

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a serious health problem that can lead to heart attack, stroke and other cardiovascular diseases. It’s often called the “silent killer” because it often has no symptoms, so you may not know you have it until it causes damage.

About one in three adults — more than 75 million people — has high blood pressure. If you have high blood pressure, it’s important to get treated so that you can prevent a heart attack, stroke or other complications from happening.

How common is hypertension?

High blood pressure affects more than 75 million people in the United States, including almost half of those age 65 and older. It becomes more common as you get older, but that doesn’t mean younger people can’t have it. About one in every three American adults has high blood pressure — also known as hypertension — but only half of them know it.

The main goal of treatment is to lower blood pressure to a safe level. Lowering high blood pressure reduces the risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. Treatment also lowers the risk of other serious health problems including eye disease, nerve damage and sexual dysfunction.

Treatment for hypertension depends on the severity of your condition and whether or not you have other health problems.

What is hypertension?

Hypertension is a condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is consistently high. It usually has no symptoms and isn’t painful, yet it can lead to serious health problems over time.

The first sign of hypertension may be when your doctor or nurse asks you to measure your blood pressure at home. This test will help them determine whether you have elevated blood pressure, which can be treated with lifestyle changes and medication.

If elevated blood pressure isn’t treated, it can lead to serious complications such as heart attack and stroke, as well as kidney failure and vision loss.

What are the risk factors for hypertension?

The risk factors for hypertension are:

Age. Hypertension is more common in older people. However, it can occur at any age.

Gender. Women are more likely to develop high blood pressure than men, but men are more likely to die from it.

Race or ethnicity. African-Americans and Hispanics are more likely than other groups to develop high blood pressure as they age. According to the American Heart Association (AHA), African Americans have roughly twice the risk of developing high blood pressure as white Americans do, while Hispanics have about 40% higher rates of high blood pressure than white people do.

Family history of hypertension or heart disease. If your parents or siblings have high blood pressure, you’re much more likely to develop it yourself — especially if you’re a man who has family members with early cardiovascular disease (CVD).

Obesity and obesity-related conditions such as type 2 diabetes and metabolic syndrome increase your risk for developing hypertension.

Poor diet and lack of exercise can also lead to high blood pressure over time, since they put extra stress on your heart and increase the amount of fluid in your body (known as volume overload).

What are common symptoms of hypertension?

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a condition in which the force of your blood against your artery walls is too high. It can damage arteries and cause them to narrow, leading to a heart attack, stroke or kidney failure.

The recommended treatment goal for adults with hypertension is a blood pressure reading of less than 140/90 mmHg. If you have chronic hypertension, aim for an even lower number.

If you’re having symptoms of high blood pressure but haven’t been diagnosed with hypertension, see your doctor. High blood pressure can be dangerous if left untreated.

Common symptoms of hypertension include:

• Headache
• Dizziness
• Fatigue (tiredness)
• Nausea and vomiting
• Blurred vision

What are the complications of uncontrolled hypertension?

Hypertension is a condition in which the blood pressure is elevated. Blood pressure is the force that blood places against the walls of the arteries as it circulates through the body. The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension.

What are the complications of uncontrolled hypertension?

Hypertension can lead to a variety of serious health problems if left untreated, including:

Stroke. High blood pressure increases your risk of having a stroke. A stroke occurs when an artery in your brain becomes blocked by a clot or ruptures, causing bleeding into the brain. A clot that forms over several days can break off and block smaller vessels — often resulting in a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or “mini-stroke.” A TIA usually lasts only a few minutes and causes no permanent damage unless another clot forms and blocks another artery. A TIA may cause temporary loss of function on one side of your body, such as weakness on one side of your face or arm, trouble speaking clearly or difficulty seeing out of one eye.

Heart attacks and heart failure. High blood pressure can damage the heart muscle itself, leading to heart failure, or it can cause narrowing (stenosis) of the coronary arteries that supply blood to your heart.

Why is hypertension an important issue in low- and middle-income countries?

Hypertension is an important issue in low- and middle-income countries because it is a risk factor for cardiovascular disease, which is the leading cause of death worldwide.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which includes heart attack and stroke. It also increases the risk of heart failure and kidney damage.

The World Health Organization (WHO) estimates that 24% of deaths from CVD occur in people with low or middle incomes, compared with 9% in high-income countries.

CVD is the leading cause of death worldwide. This includes about 17 million deaths each year from stroke and 7 million from coronary heart disease (CHD).

The causes of hypertension are complex, but high salt intake and obesity are known risk factors. Other factors include stress, lack of physical activity, diabetes mellitus and use of tobacco products such as cigarettes or betel quid (a leaf preparation chewed as a stimulant).

Tobacco use is common in many low- and middle-income countries, including India where tobacco consumption has been increasing since 2010 due to increased urbanisation and growing awareness about its harmful effects on health.

How can the burden of hypertension be reduced?

1. Controlling systolic blood pressure to less than 140 mmHg and diastolic blood pressure to less than 90 mmHg

2. Reducing dietary salt intake to less than 5 g/day

3. Losing weight if overweight or obese

4. Exercising regularly

5. Avoiding excessive alcohol consumption