The Lowdown on High Blood Pressure

• High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is a condition in which blood is exerting to much pressure on the walls of the blood vessels.
• Hypertension is not the same as nervous tension. Calm, quiet people can have high blood -- just as nervous people can.
• If you have high blood pressure, you probably have no symptoms whatsoever. You cannot tell what your blood pressure is by how you feel. The only way to find out is to have it measured.
• Remember, although high blood pressure cannot be cured, it can be controlled very well by following treatment.
• The condition can be inherited. If someone in your immediate family has high blood pressure, you are more likely to develop it than is someone with no family history of high blood pressure.
• High blood pressure affects blacks much more than whites. And in blacks it seems to be more severe. Between ages 25 and 64, two and a half times as many blacks as whites die from stroke, a major complication of uncontrolled high blood pressure.
• A so-called "mild" case of high blood pressure should not be ignored. If you have "mild" high blood pressure, you run twice the risk of getting heart disease as someone with normal blood pressure.

• Get your blood pressure checked at least once a year -- more often if it is elevated.
• Watch your weight. If you are overweight, you are more susceptible to high blood pressure and heart disease.
• Watch your salt intake. Too much salt (sodium) can raise blood pressure in some people.
• If you have high blood pressure your doctor regularly, take your medicine and follow your diet as prescribed, and stick with it!
• If you'd like to learn more about high pressure, contact your Red Cross chapter.