Information about Hypertension:

Hypertension as it exists in the United States today can be described as follows:

• Nearly 1 in 3 adults has hypertension
• Only 1/3 of the diagnosed patients have hypertension under control
• There are no reliable symptoms that indicate elevated blood pressure
• Heart failure is the leading cause of death
• Elevated blood pressure (hypertension) is a major risk factor for stroke and heart attack
• 75 million Americans have hypertension
• 70% of the individuals with hypertension are untreated
• Estimated direct and indirect cost of hypertension in 2006 was $63 billion

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is the most common cardiovascular disease.  Hypertension is manifest as elevated pressure within the central and peripheral arteries of the body.  Mean arterial blood pressure is the product of systemic vascular resistance (the force the heart must overcome to pump blood into the peripheral circulation) and the amount of blood that the heart pumps each minute (cardiac output).  Elevations of blood pressure result from elevations of cardiac output, systemic resistance, or both.  Systolic blood pressure is further increased when arteries become stiffer, as with the "hardening" process called artherosclerosis.

As you might expect, higher blood pressure is not good for the body.  The pressure pushes hard against the artery walls, increasing the work of the heart to pump blood.  Over time, the damage to artery walls facilitates the accumulation of plaque containing cholesterol which can lead to strokes when the arteries in the brain are affected and heart attacks when the coronary arteries are involved.