Facts on High Blood Pressure
Children
Your child should have blood pressure measurements regularly, starting at around 3 years of age. High blood pressure in children needs medical attention. It may be a sign of underlying disease and, if not treated, may lead to serious illness.
Check with your child's health care provider about blood pressure measurements.
Adults
Among people with high blood pressure, 31.6% don't even know they have it.
High blood pressure is easily detectable and usually controllable with lifestyle modifications such as increasing physical activity or reducing dietary salt intake, with or without medications.
The Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure recommends that adults have their blood pressure checked at least every 2 years.
High blood pressure (hypertension) killed 42,997 Americans in 1999 and contributed to the deaths of another 227,000. Because the consequences associated with high blood pressure are so serious, early detection, treatment and control are important.
High blood pressure increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, both leading causes of death in the United States. About 1 in 4 American adults have high blood pressure. High blood pressure affects about 1 in 3 African Americans, 1 in 5 Hispanics and Native Americans, and 1 in 6 Asians/Pacific Islanders.
What do blood pressure numbers indicate? Blood pressure is often written as two numbers. The top (systolic) number represents the pressure while the heart is beating. The bottom (diastolic) number represents the pressure when the heart is resting between beats.
High blood pressure for adults is defined as a systolic pressure of 140 mmHg or higher, or a diastolic pressure of 90 mmHg or higher.
Optimal adult blood pressure is 120/80 or lower.
Read what Kenneth Phillips Jr., M.D., a cardiologist with Advanced Healthcare, says about high blood pressure and other risk factors for heart disease.
