Facts about High Blood Pressure, Stroke, and Prevention Tips

According to recent estimates, nearly one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure, but because there are no symptoms, nearly one-third of these people don't know they have it. In fact, many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney failure. This is why high blood pressure is often called the "silent killer." The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked.

If you're an adult and your blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg or above, you have hypertension and are at higher risk for heart disease, stroke and other medical problems. High blood pressure has no symptoms, so if you haven't had it checked in a while, make an appointment now. One in three adult Americans has high blood pressure, and nearly one-third of them don't know they have it.

Factors that contribute to high blood pressure

Medical science doesn't understand why most cases of high blood pressure occur, so it's hard to say how to prevent it. However, we do know of several factors that may contribute to high blood pressure and raise your risk for heart attack and stroke.

Controllable risk factors

• Obesity — People with a body mass index (BMI) of 30.0 or higher are more likely to develop high blood pressure.
• Eating too much salt — A high sodium intake increases blood pressure in some people.
• Drinking too much alcohol — Heavy and regular use of alcohol can increase blood pressure dramatically.
• Lack of physical activity — An inactive lifestyle makes it easier to become overweight and increases the chance of high blood pressure.
• Stress — This is often mentioned as a risk factor, but stress levels are hard to measure, and responses to stress vary from person to person.

Uncontrollable risk factors

• Race — African Americans develop high blood pressure more often than Caucasian individuals, and it tends to occur earlier and be more severe.
• Heredity — If your parents or other close blood relatives have high blood pressure, you're more likely to develop it.
• Age — In general, the older you get, the greater your chance of developing high blood pressure. It occurs most often in people over age 35. Men seem to develop it most often between age 35 and 55. Women are more likely to develop it after menopause.

High blood pressure is the single most important risk factor for stroke. About 700,000 Americans will have a new or recurrent stroke this year — and over 158,000 of them will die. Stroke is the No. 3 cause of death among Americans. It’s also a leading cause of serious, long-term disability. Many people mistakenly think of stroke as an "old person’s disease." But thousands of strokes occur in people under age 65.

The good news is, you can protect against stroke. To do this:

• Know your risk factors.
• Reduce your risk factors, including high blood pressure.
• Learn the warning signs of stroke.
• Know what to do if you notice warning signs.
  

What is a stroke?

Stroke is a type of cardiovascular disease. It affects the arteries leading to and within the brain. A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain is either blocked by a clot or bursts. When that happens, part of the brain can’t get the blood (and oxygen) it needs, so it starts to die.
Clots that block an artery cause ischemic strokes. This is the most common type of stroke. Ischemic strokes account for about 88 percent of all strokes.

Ruptured blood vessels cause hemorrhagic strokes.

When part of the brain dies from lack of blood flow, the part of the body it controls is affected. Strokes can cause paralysis, affect language and vision, and cause other problems.

What is a TIA?

A TIA (transient ischemic attack) is a "warning stroke." A TIA can occur days, weeks or months before a major stroke. TIAs are very strong predictors of stroke risk — they signal about 10 percent of strokes. Compared with people who haven’t had a TIA, people who’ve had a TIA are nine times more likely to have a stroke.

TIAs occur when a blood clot temporarily clogs an artery, and part of the brain doesn’t get the blood it needs. The warning signs are the same as for stroke. Like stroke, TIA symptoms occur rapidly, but they last a relatively short time. More than 75 percent of TIAs last less than five minutes. The average is about a minute. Unlike stroke, when a TIA ends, the blood clot resolves itself and the symptoms disappear, leaving no permanent effects.

High blood pressure is a lifelong disease. It can usually be controlled but not cured. Once you begin to manage it and start a treatment program, maintaining a lower blood pressure is easier. By controlling your high blood pressure, you'll lower your risk of diseases like stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney disease. You can do it!

The first thing to do is to have your blood pressure checked. If you have high blood pressure, you can do a lot to reduce it. Work with your doctor to determine the best treatment for you.

• It may include reducing the fat (particularly saturated fat) in your diet, eating less salt, and changing your lifestyle by losing weight and getting regular physical activity.
• Quitting smoking is also important to reduce your overall risk for heart attack and stroke.
• Your doctor may recommend reducing how much alcohol you drink.
• Many medicines also can help reduce and control high blood pressure. Your doctor will decide whether you need medicine in addition to dietary and lifestyle changes.