Seventy two million people over the age of 20 have high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. Of those people, 30 percent dont know they have it and 65 percent dont have it under control. And yet, according to Daniel Jones, M.D, and President-elect of the American Heart Association, high blood pressure is easily detected and usually controllable.
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of death around the world and hypertension is the most common, reversible risk factor for CVD for most of the world, Dr Jones wrote in an editorial for Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart Association.
Blood pressure is the force of blood being pumped by the heart into the blood vessels. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, means the heart is working harder to pump the blood, contributing to the hardening of the arteries and the risk of heart failure.
While the exact cause of high blood pressure is unknown, there are a number of risks for developing it. These include smoking, not getting enough exercise, being overweight, too much salt or alcohol, high levels of stress and a family history of hypertension. While more men are affected by high blood pressure than women, black women over age 65 have the highest incidence of it of any demographic.
