High blood pressure adds to the workload of your heart and arteries, and if it occurs for a long period of time, your heart and arteries will not work as well as they should. It needs to be controlled because it can directly increase the risk of heart disease, which can lead to a heart attack and stroke, in addition to kidney failure.
Some things you can do to help control your high blood pressure include reducing the fat in your diet, eating less salt, losing weight through regular physical activity, quitting smoking and/or drinking and taking medication prescribed by your doctor.
The only way to know whether you have high blood pressure is to have it checked! High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs in an adult when the systolic pressure (top number) is greater than or equal to 140 and/or the diastolic pressure (bottom number) is greater than or equal to 90. A single high reading doesn’t necessarily mean that you have high blood pressure, but that you need to watch it closely. If you have multiple high readings, you should see your doctor.
Consult with your doctor if you feel that you have high blood pressure or may be at risk for the disease. For more general information about high blood pressure, visit the American Heart Association’s website at www.heart.org.
You can also learn more about how eating right and moving more can reduce your risk of high blood pressure. Remember to consult your doctor before beginning any program, especially if you are at high risk.
Blood Pressure Reading Categories
| Cataegory | Systolic (mm Hg) | Diastolic (mm Hg) | |
| Normal | less than 120 |
and | less than 80 |
| Prehypertension | 120 – 139 | or | 80 – 89 |
| High Stage 1 | 140 – 159 | or | 90 – 99 |
| High Stage 2 | 160 or higher |
or |
100 or higher |
Source: American Heart Association