Did you know that 50 million Americans (1 in 4 adults) have high blood pressure and 70%of these are unaware that they have it! Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a major risk factor for blood vessel disease of the heart, brain, and kidneys leading to heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. In fact, studies have shown that even what we once considered normal blood pressures increase the risk of death from heart disease and stroke, as compared to blood pressures of less than 120/80 mmHg.If you think of the heart as a common water pump, then the higher the pressure it has to pump against, the quicker it will wear out; similarly the higher the pressure in a hose, the quicker it will deteriorate and break.Last year, the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute released new clinical guidelines for the prevention detection, and treatment of high blood pressure. They included a new category named "prehypertension", a BP level of 120-139/80-90 mmHg. This affects about 22% of American adults or 45 million people. Normal BP is now classified as less than 120/80 and the new abnormal categories are:"Prehypertension"120-139/80-89Stage 1 Hypertension 140-159/90-99Stage 2 Hypertensionequal to or greater than 160/100The Allen County Health Department can assist you in checking your blood pressure and recommending activities that can help you reduce your blood pressure. Call us for a screening appointment 270-237-4423.
