Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is chronically elevated. It is the main risk factor for stroke & an established risk factor for heart disease.
Lowering blood pressure can have beneficial
effects for cardiovascular disease risk.
Blood pressure |
Systolic |
Diastolic |
Optimal |
< 120 mmHg |
<80 mmHg |
Normal |
< 130 mmHg |
<85 mmHg |
High normal |
130-139 mmHg |
85-89 mmHg |
Grade I |
140-159 mmHg |
90-99 mmHg |
Grade II |
160-179 mmHg |
100-109 mmHg |
Grade III |
>180 |
>110 mmHg |
Classification of Blood Pressure levels according to WHO/ISH (1999,
2003) and the ESH-ESC (2003, 2007).
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is defined as a systolic blood pressure higher than 140 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure higher than 90 mmHg.
Many people have high blood pressure but often don't know it. The majority of people will develop high blood pressure (hypertension) during their lifetime. Diet and lifestyle modifications are an indispensable part of the management of blood pressure and can favorably influence the overall risk of cardiovascular disease.
Blood pressure is determined by the strength of the pumping heart muscle and the size and flexibility of the blood vessels. The pressure build up in the arteries after each heartbeat is called systolic blood pressure. The pressure during the relaxation phase between heartbeats is called diastolic blood pressure.
High blood pressure in the arteries means that the heart is having to work harder than it should to pump the blood around the body.
High blood pressure is very often a silent condition that shows no symptoms. Unfortunately, it can also be dangerous. There is no clear way of knowing you have high blood pressure, apart from having it measured. The damage that is caused by raised blood pressure occurs over time. People with high blood pressure usually only get symptoms when the strain on their arteries leads to more serious problems such as angina, heart attack or stroke.
Many factors to do with your lifestyle may contribute to high blood pressure. These include smoking, obesity (being very overweight), drinking a lot of alcohol – especially if you binge drink, lack of exercise and an unhealthy diet. If someone else in your family has high blood pressure, you also have a higher risk of developing it.
Hypertension is the main risk factor for stroke and is one of the established risk factors for heart disease.
A stroke is a condition where a blood clot or ruptured artery or blood vessel interrupts blood flow to an area of the brain. A lack of oxygen and nutrients flowing to the brain leads to the brain cells being damaged or dying.
High blood pressure puts a strain on blood vessels all over the body, including vital arteries to the brain, and the heart has to work much harder to keep the blood circulation going. This strain can cause vessels to become clogged up or to weaken, and this in turn can lead to narrow blood vessels and blood clots.
A person may become numb, weak or paralysed on one side of the body. They may slur their speech and find it difficult to find words or understand speech. Some people lose their sight or have blurred vision, and others become confused or unsteady.
High blood pressure is a well known and independent risk
factor for coronary heart disease, heart and kidney failure and stroke.
The World Health Report estimates that around 11% of all disease burden
in developed countries is caused by raised blood pressure and that 62%
of stroke and 49% of heart disease is attributable to sub-optimal blood
pressure levels. Small reductions in blood pressure can have beneficial
effects for cardiovascular disease risk. Research studies indicate that
a reduction in systolic blood pressure of 3-5 mmHg is associated with
a decrease in the risk for stroke of approximately 15% and coronary heart
disease of approximately 10%.
About
30-40% of adults have hypertension.- In the UK 34% of men and 30% of women have hypertension.
- In fact, about two thirds of the adult population have
a blood pressure higher than it should be, which is less than 120 mmHg
systolic and less than 80 mmHg for diastolic.
- Unmanaged, high blood pressure directly increases the
risk of cardiovascular disease, heart attack, heart failure and stroke.
- 1 in 3 American adults have high blood pressure. In Western
Europe the statistic is even higher whilst in Spain the rate is 40%
on average. In China and India it is the leading health concern.
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