Definition

Hypertension is high blood pressure. Often when you think of hypertension, you think of an overworked, over weight businessman. But the truth is that hypertension affects people of all ages, races, sizes, and shapes. Approximately 60 million people have high blood pressure in the United States.

Blood pressure is vital to life. Pressure, exerted by the heart, pushes blood through the large arteries into smaller ones and then to tiny capillaries where fluids are exchanged between the blood and the cells. When the pressure is right, the cells receive a constant supply of nutrients and oxygen. Wastes from the cells are carried away during this process.

Blood pressure is expressed by two numbers and is measured in milliliters of mercury. The first number, the higher number called systolic pressure, is the pressure exerted during the forceful contraction of the heart. The second number, the lower number called diastolic pressure, is the pressure during the heart's relaxation phase. 120/80 is considered normal blood pressure. 140/90 is considered high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is caused when arterioles throughout the body stay constricted, driving up the pressure in the larger blood vessels. Approximately 90% of people with high blood pressure have "essential hypertension" which means that it has no identifiable cause. In the other 10%, kidney disease, diabetes, or another underlying disorder causes hypertension. Hypertension is known as the "silent killer" because it does not produce any symptoms until severe damage is already done. It is the number one cause of strokes and can cause heart failure, hardening of the arteries, and kidney damage. Fortunately blood pressure can be controlled by lifestyle factors and, in severe cases, prescribed drugs.

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