High blood pressure is a silent killer. As the Centers for Disease Control says, “High blood pressure usually has no warning signs or symptoms, so many people don’t realize they have it.”
Here’s what else the CDC says about high blood pressure:
- Having high blood pressure puts you at risk for heart disease and stroke, the first and third leading causes of death in the United States.1
- High blood pressure was a primary or contributing cause of death for 326,000 Americans in 2006.2
- About one out of three U.S. adults—31.3%—has high blood pressure.3
- About one in four American adults has prehypertension—blood pressure measurements that are higher than normal, but not yet in the high blood pressure range.2 Having prehypertension raises your risk for high blood pressure.
- Blood pressure is written as two numbers. The first (systolic) number represents the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats. The second (diastolic) number represents the pressure in your vessels when your heart rests between beats.
Blood Pressure Levels
|
Normal |
systolic: less than 120 mmHg diastolic: less than 80mmHg |
|
At risk (prehypertension) |
systolic: 120–139 mmHg diastolic: 80–89 mmHg |
|
High |
systolic: 140 mmHg or higher diastolic: 90 mmHg or higher |
Medical information within this site is not intended for use in the diagnosis or treatment of any health condition. Please consult a licensed health care professional for the treatment or diagnosis of any medical condition.
