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What is Hypertension

As many as 50 million adult Americans have hypertension. It is one of the most prevalent diseases in our society. An abnormal blood pressure is considered a reading of 140/90 millimeters of Mercury (a normal reading is 120/80 mm Hg or below). Unchecked hypertension can lead to strokes and heart failure. It is called a silent killer because many people don't recognize any symptoms until a major event occurs. High blood pressure is more common in blacks and persons with a lower socioeconomic background. There are many risk factors for high blood pressure - such as age, race, heredity, and sex, but the most interesting statistic about this disease is that most of the risk factors - obesity, stress levels, sodium intake, physical inactivity, use of certain drugs - are all controllable.

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