High Blood Pressure

There are about 65 million hypertensive adults in this country or about a third of US adults (age 18 and older). The rising trend in hypertension has important consequences for the public health of this nation.  High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease and the chief risk factor for stroke and heart failure, and also can lead to kidney damage. Anyone can develop high blood pressure, also called hypertension. African Americans are at higher risk for this serious disease than any other race or ethnic group. High blood pressure tends to be more common, happens at an earlier age, and is more severe for many African Americans. Once high blood pressure develops, it usually lasts a lifetime. The good news is that it can be treated and controlled.

Blood Pressure Facts

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against your blood vessels. Each time the heart beats (about 60-70 times a minute at rest), it pumps out blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is at its greatest when your heart contracts and is pumping blood. This is systolic blood pressure. When your heart rests between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is called diastolic blood pressure. Blood pressure is always given as these two numbers: the systolic and diastolic pressures. Both are important. When the two measurements are written down, the systolic pressure is the first or top number, and the diastolic pressure is the second or bottom number (for example, 120/80). If your blood pressure is 120/80, you say that it is "120 over 80."

Blood pressure changes during the day. It is lowest as you sleep and rises when you get up. It also can rise when you are excited, nervous, or active. Still, for most of your waking hours, your blood pressure stays pretty much the same when you are sitting or standing still. That level should be lower than 120/80. When the level stays high, 140/90 or higher, you have high blood pressure. With high blood pressure, the heart works harder, your arteries take a beating, and your chances of a stroke, heart attack, and kidney problems are greater.

Doctors classify blood pressures under 140/90 as either "normal," or "prehypertension."

• "Normal" blood pressures are lower than 120/80.
• "Prehypertension" is blood pressure between 120 and 139 for the top number, or between 80 and 89 for the bottom number. For example, blood pressure readings of 138/82, 128/89, or 130/86 are all in the "prehypertension" range. If your blood pressure is in the prehypertension range, it is more likely that you will end up with high blood pressure unless you take action to prevent it.

Back to top

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” because most people feel healthy and don’t even know that they have it. If left untreated, high blood pressure can cause:

• The heart to get larger, which may lead to heart failure.
• Small bulges (aneurysms) to form in blood vessels. Common locations are the main artery from the heart (aorta), arteries in the brain, legs, and intestines, and the artery leading to the spleen.
• Blood vessels in the kidney to narrow, which may cause kidney failure.
• Arteries throughout the body to "harden" faster, especially those in the heart, brain, kidneys, and legs. This can cause a heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, or amputation of part of the leg.
• Blood vessels in the eyes to burst or bleed, which may cause vision changes and can result in blindness.
• Death

If you are being treated for high blood pressure, you still have high blood pressure even if you have repeated readings in the normal range.

There are two levels of high blood pressure: Stage 1 and Stage 2 (see the chart below).

Categories for Blood Pressure Levels in Adults*
(In mmHg, millimeters of mercury)

* For adults 18 and older who:

• Are not on medicine for high blood pressure
• Are not having a short-term serious illness
• Do not have other conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease

Note: When systolic and diastolic blood pressures fall into different categories, the higher category should be used to classify blood pressure level. For example, 160/80 would be stage 2 high blood pressure. There is an exception to the above definition of high blood pressure. A blood pressure of 130/80 or higher is considered high blood pressure in persons with diabetes and chronic kidney disease.

Over half of all Americans age 60 and older have high blood pressure. This is not a part of healthy aging! There are things you can do to help keep your blood pressure normal, such as eating a healthy diet and getting more exercise.

Your chances of getting high blood pressure are also higher if you:

• Are overweight
• Are a man over the age of 45
• Are a woman over the age of 55
• Have a family history of high blood pressure
• Have "prehypertension" (120-139/80-89)

Other things that can raise blood pressure include:

• Eating too much salt
• Drinking too much alcohol
• Not eating enough potassium
• Not exercising
• Taking certain medicines
• Stress that is long-lasting

Have your blood pressure checked at least once a year. It is easy, quick, and painless. If you have high blood pressure, it should be checked more often.

Back to top

Sodium Facts

Almost all foods have some sodium. Sodium occurs naturally in food. We also get sodium from the salt shaker. Salt is a chemical, made up of 40% sodium. About 10% of our sodium comes from the salt shaker. The rest of the sodium in our meal plan comes from convenience foods and fast foods.

1/4 tsp salt = 575 milligrams (mg) sodium

1/2 tsp salt = 1150 milligrams (mg) sodium

1 tsp salt = 2300 grams (g) sodium

Sodium levels are delicately balanced in the body. Sodium is an essential nutrient involved in the functioning of our muscles, nerves, blood pressure, and blood volume. Although sodium is essential to your health, most individuals eat too much. It is suggested that a “safe and adequate” amount of sodium for adults is no more than 3,000 milligrams per day.

Many of those who have high blood pressure can help control it by reducing the amount of sodium they eat. And a low sodium meal plan can help some people keep healthy blood pressure from becoming high.

Back to top

Preventing High Blood Pressure

If your blood pressure is not high now, take steps to prevent it from becoming high:

• Keeping a healthy weight
  • Following a healthy eating plan that emphasizes fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods. Also see the DASH diet. Or check out these wonderful recipes that are sure to help keep you healthy!
  • Choose foods lower in fat and calories
  • Eat smaller portions
  • Try not to gain extra weight
  • Lose weight if you are overweight
  • Being physically active
• Choosing and preparing foods with less salt and sodium
  • Read the food label. There are many words that indicate a food may be high in sodium or have ingredients that contain sodium.
    • Salt
    • Sodium
    • Monosodium glutamate [MSG]
    • Baking powder
    • Baking soda
    • Di-sodium phosphate
    • Sodium benzoate
    • Sodium hydroxide
    • Sodium nitrite
    • Sodium propionate
    • Sodium sulfite
  • Choose foods with less salt and sodium

    • Choose reduced-sodium products whenever available such as reduced sodium soups, soy sauce, canned tuna, spaghetti, and barbecue sauces
    • Limit salty snack foods such as potato or corn chips, salted pretzels, salted popcorn, salted nuts
    • Watch canned or frozen vegetables—many have added sodium
  • Prepare lower sodium meals from scratch instead of using convenience foods that are high in sodium and fat

    • Processed foods have more sodium—buy fresh, natural foods more often
  • Use spices, herbs, and salt-free seasoning blends instead of salt
  • Use only small amounts of cured or smoked meats for flavor
  • Use less salt when cooking
  • Limit the times you eat at fast food restaurants as their foods are usually high in sodium
• Be active every day
  • Walk a little further each day
  • Dance, skip, jump, run...take every opportunity to move your body
  • Use the stairs instead of the elevator
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
  • Add more vegetables to stews
  • Serve fruit as a dessert more often
  • Eat more fruits and vegetables as snacks
• Drinking alcohol in moderation if you drink.

Back to top

Medication

Sometimes blood pressure stays too high even when a person makes these kinds of healthy changes. In that case, it is necessary to add medicine to help lower blood pressure. Medicines will control your blood pressure but they cannot cure it. You will need to take high blood pressure medicine for a long time.

Blood pressure medicines work in different ways to lower blood pressure. Often, two or more drugs work better than one. Some drugs lower blood pressure by removing extra fluid and salt from your body. Others affect blood pressure by slowing down the heartbeat, or by relaxing and widening blood vessels.

Below are the types of medicines used to treat high blood pressure:

Foods High in Sodium

• Cured meats: ham, bacon, sausage, hot dogs, scrapple, luncheon meats [bologna, salami]
• Fish, canned in oil or brined
• Canned shellfish
• Salted nuts, seeds, and snack mixes
• Pizza, lasagna
• Frozen dinners
• Dehydrated soups
• Cheeses
• Buttermilk
• Instant cocoa mixes
• Bouillon cubes
• Olives, pickles, pickle relish
• Meat tenderizers
• Seasoning salts

Back to top