High blood pressure can occur in people of all ages

Blood pressure is a fairly common term to most people. Those who don’t have high blood pressure – also called hypertension – may not give it much thought, but the reality is that you can have high blood pressure without even knowing it.

High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” for a reason. It frequently has no noticeable symptoms. If left untreated, it can lead to a variety of health problems, including stroke and heart disease, two leading causes of death.

It can happen to anyone, even young adults. As many as one in five people ages 24 to 32 have high blood pressure and don’t know it, according to a report from the National Institute of Health. They don’t know because about half of them are not seeing a doctor regularly because they feel fine and have no other health issues.

It’s wise for everyone to understand high blood pressure to help you prevent this condition from damaging your health, or the health of someone you love.

What exactly is blood pressure?

As blood is pumped through the body by the heartbeat, it pushes against the sides of your blood vessels. Blood pressure is the force exerted by the blood on the walls of the arteries and veins as it travels through the body.

Blood pressure is recorded as two numbers: systolic (pressure during a heartbeat) over the diastolic (pressure between heartbeats). This pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). A measurement of 120/80 is expressed as “120 over 80.”

▪  Normal blood pressure: systolic <120 and diastolic <80

▪  Pre-hypertension: systolic between 120 to 139 mmHg or diastolic between 80 to 89 mmHg

▪  Stage 1 hypertension: systolic between 140 to 159 mmHg or diastolic between 90 to 99 mmHg

▪  Stage 2 hypertension: systolic ≥160 mmHg or diastolic ≥100 mmHg

Why care what your blood pressure is?

For a variety of reasons, your blood may begin to push too hard against the blood vessels, increasing the blood pressure. When the pressure stays elevated over time, it causes the heart to pump harder and work overtime, and can potentially lead to serious health problems, such as hardening of the arteries, stroke, brain hemorrhage, or kidney and other organ malfunction.

You may not recognize the damage that hypertension is doing to your body until you are suddenly stricken with a major health crisis.

Symptoms

Hypertension does not typically cause symptoms. When blood pressure is very high, it can cause:

▪  Headaches

▪  Dizziness

▪  Racing heartbeat

▪  Fatigue

▪  Ringing in the ears

When to see you doctor

Machines in grocery stores and drugstores won’t give you the same accuracy as you’ll get a doctor’s office, but they are a good indicator that there is a problem. If your blood pressure is higher than 120/80 mmHg on more than one occasion, schedule an appointment with your primary care physician right away.

The best defense is a good offense. Regular examinations with your primary care physician can catch high blood pressure before it becomes stage 1 or stage 2.

Treatment

People with prehypertension may be able to bring their blood pressure under control through lifestyle changes, including weight loss, diet and exercise. A consult with a physician is still highly recommended.

Those with both stage 1 and stage 2 – numbers above 140/90 – will need to make lifestyle changes and may require one or more medications.

A high blood pressure reading with signs or symptoms of organ damage is called hypertension emergency – a serious health problem. This generally requires emergency treatment, including admission to a hospital for medication and monitoring.

Prevention

The American Heart Association recommends that even people with healthy numbers take preventive measures to help keep their blood pressure in the normal range and reduce the chance of developing hypertension.

▪  Have regular physical exams.

▪  Lose excess weight.

▪  Exercise regularly.

▪  Don’t smoke.

▪  Limit sodium and alcohol intake.

▪  Eat a heart-healthy diet consisting of fresh vegetable and fruits, whole grains and lean meats.

This story was originally published February 28, 2015 at 3:14 PM with the headline "High blood pressure can occur in people of all ages."