Blood pressure is the force of the blood pressing against the walls of the arteries. Every time the heart beats, it pumps blood through the arterial blood vessels. Your blood pressure is at its highest when the heart beats, pushing blood into the arteries. This is known as systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure declines. This is known as diastolic pressure.
Blood pressure is always presented as two numbers, the systolic and diastolic pressures. The systolic pressure is the top number, and the diastolic pressure is the bottom number, for instance 120/80. If your blood pressure is 120/80, you say it is 120 over 80.
Risk factors are behaviors or conditions that can increase your chances of developing a disease. For instance, high blood pressure is a risk factor for these conditions:
a. heart disease
b. stroke
c. dementia
d. congestive heart failure
e. kidney disease
d. blindness
Yet, high blood pressure is not the only risk factor. For instance, there are other risk factors for heart disease and stroke. Most can be altered, though some can't. The more risk factors you have, the greater your probabilities of developing disease. So it is important to take steps to avoid or control these risk factors.
The following heart disease and stroke risk factors can be curbed through changes in life style and some changes in diet:
a. high blood pressure/hypertension
b. atypical cholesterol
c. use of tobacco
d. diabetes
e. obesity
f. being inactive
Women that take oral contraceptives feel a small but detectable increase in both systolic and diastolic blood pressure, commonly in the normal range.
The following heart disease and stroke risk factors are out of your control:
a. Age - 55 years and older for men, and 65 years or older for women.
b. Family history of heart disease or family history of stroke. For instance, a mother or sister who has had heart disease before age 65, or a father or brother prior to age 55.
c. Your race. High blood pressure appears more often among African Americans than whites. It also starts at an earlier age and is normally more severe. In addition, African Americans have a higher death rate from stroke and kidney disease than whites.
There is good news, treatment can check high blood pressure. Furthermore, lifestyle changes can prevent and control high blood pressure. The changes include:
a. losing weight, losing just 10 lbs can help
b. more physical activity, walking 30 minutes per day
c. following a healthy eating plan, that re-emphasizes fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy foods
choosing and preparing foods with less salt and sodium
e. if you drink alcoholic beverages, drinking in moderation
If lifestyle changes alone don't work in keeping your blood pressure controlled, there are now many blood pressure medications that can be taken.
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