High blood pressure: The "silent killer"

  • Published
  • By Maj. Maria T. Vida
  • 60th Medical Group
TRAVIS AIR FORCE BASE, Calif. --  High blood pressure is a very common ailment seen and treated at hospitals across the country. Currently, about 50 million people in the U.S. have been diagnosed with hypertension, yet 30 percent of people with this disorder are unaware they have high blood pressure. This lack of awareness mostly stems from the nonspecific nature of early warning signs associated with high blood pressure. 

Unfortunately, the first sign of high blood pressure is often cardiovascular events such as heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and blindness. 

The best way to determine whether or not a person has hypertension is to monitor or screen blood pressure regularly. This is done by taking blood pressure at different times throughout the day while performing various activities. 

"Blood pressure is simply a measure of the pressure within the vessels that carry blood away from the heart known as arteries," explained Dr. (Col.) Wilbert Charles, associate chief of the medical staff at David Grant USAF Medical Center. "It is the force applied against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. The size and flexibility of the arteries and the force applied by the heart when it beats determines the pressure." 

According to Dr. Charles, people should record their blood pressure values or keep a blood pressure diary for future review by their doctor. Many shopping centers and drug stores have blood pressure stations available free of charge. Others sell home blood pressure machines that are fairly precise but should be checked routinely for accuracy. 

"Blood pressure is represented by two numbers, such as 120/80. When the heart contracts or 'beats,' the pressure inside an artery increases," Dr. Charles explained. "This increase in pressure represents the systolic blood pressure or top number. When the heart relaxes, the pressure is lower. The lower pressure represents the diastolic blood pressure or bottom number." 

Together, the top number of the blood pressure and the bottom number of the blood pressure provide two measured values of pressure in the heart measured in millimeters of mercury or mmHg. When the blood pressure numbers are high, this can cause damage to the wall of the artery. Health-care workers use the terms hypertension and high blood pressure to refer to the same condition. Elevations in either the systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure have been shown to have harmful effects on the body. 

According to Dr. Charles, high blood pressure is the most common medical diagnosis, accounting for almost 36 million trips to the doctor's office annually. 

"Clinical results show that the benefits of early diagnosis and treatment of hypertension can decrease the risk for cardiovascular events in individuals aged 40 to 70 years by more than 50 percent," says Dr. Charles. 

Generally speaking, the classic 'threshold' values for a diagnosis of high blood pressure are a systolic blood pressure greater than 140 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure greater than 90 mmHg. 

However, Dr. Charles cautioned that categorizing all individuals as hypertensive based strictly upon the same "threshold" would be inappropriate. 

"Many people have other disease processes, which may place them at risk for an unwanted cardiovascular event at a much lower blood pressure than 140/90 mmHg," Dr. Charles said. "The timing, goals and methods of therapy may vary among individuals depending upon how high their blood pressure is and whether or not there are other disease conditions such as diabetes heart failure, previous heart attacks or strokes, chronic kidney disease or the existence of risk factors for a future heart attack." 

Hypertension-related deaths are on the rise, and more than 25,000 people will die from this "silent killer" this year. If diagnosed with hypertension, individuals can reduce life-threatening complications by getting regular check-ups with their health care provider, complying with medication regimens, adopting healthy eating regimens and exercise, seeking stress reduction training, and having their blood pressure monitored frequently. 

Be particularly aware of your blood pressure readings if you have a family history of hypertension or a pattern of high blood pressure measurements. If you suspect that you have high blood pressure, make an appointment with your health care provider at DGMC. Don't hesitate, call today - it could be one of the most important calls you will ever make.