Heart Health

What is Blood Pressure and High Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the force generated as your heart pumps blood and moves it through the blood vessels in your body. It is made up of two numbers called the systolic and diastolic blood pressure.

Systolic blood pressure represents the pressure while the heart is beating. A normal systolic blood pressure is 140 mm Hg or below. Diastolic blood pressure represents the pressure when the heart is resting between beats. A normal diastolic blood pressure is 90 mm Hg or below.

Blood pressure that stays persistently above this level is considered high and the person is said to have high blood pressure or hypertension.

What causes Hypertension?

In most patients, the cause for high blood pressure is not clear. However, we know that you are at risk of getting high blood pressure if you:

are overweight
eat too much salt
regularly consume large quantities of alcohol
do not have enough exercise
are constantly under stress
have a family history of high blood pressure
are 40 years or older
have certain medical problems such as kidney diseases

What are the symptoms of Hypertension?

People with high blood pressure usually do not feel unwell. Many people are found to have high blood pressure during routine medical examination. So if you have not had it checked in a while, make an appointment now.

What can Hypertension cause?

High blood pressure can be dangerous and can hurt your body in many ways. These include:

heart attack
heart failure
stroke
kidney failure

Self-Care

High blood pressure is a lifelong disease. It can be controlled but not cured. You can help your blood pressure control by:

eating sensibly
reducing your salt and fat intake
reducing your calorie and sugar intake
reducing your alcohol intake
exercising regularly and losing weight
quitting your smoking habit
keeping stress under control
taking your medicines regularly
keeping up with your doctor's appointment
monitoring your blood pressure regularly

Get answers to some of the commonly asked questions about High Blood Pressure and the medications which can help prevent complications.