High Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure
(Hypertension)

Revising Medical Author: John P. Cunha, DO
Revising Medical Editor: Jay W. Marks, MD
Previous contributing medical author: Dwight Makoff, MD

• What is high blood pressure (hypertension)?
• How is the blood pressure measured?
• How is blood pressure defined?
  • Isolated systolic high blood pressure
  • White coat high blood pressure
  • Borderline high blood pressure
• What causes high blood pressure?
• What are the causes of secondary high blood pressure?
  • Renal (kidney) hypertension
  • Adrenal gland tumors
  • Coarctation of the aorta
  • The metabolic syndrome and obesity
• What do patients feel with high blood pressure?
• How is end-organ damage assessed in the patient with high blood pressure?
• How is high blood pressure treated?
• High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) At A Glance
• Related high blood pressure articles:
  High blood pressure - on WebMD
  High blood pressure - on eMedicineHealth
  
• Read what your doctor is reading:
  Hypertension - on Medscape

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure (hbp) or hypertension means high pressure (tension) in the arteries. Arteries are vessels that carry blood from the pumping heart to all the tissues and organs of the body. High blood pressure does not mean excessive emotional tension, although emotional tension and stress can temporarily increase blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80; blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is called "pre-hypertension", and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered high.

The top number, the systolic blood pressure, corresponds to the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts and pumps blood forward into the arteries. The bottom number, the diastolic pressure, represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes after the contraction. The diastolic pressure reflects the lowest pressure to which the arteries are exposed.

An elevation of the systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure increases the risk of developing heart (cardiac) disease, kidney (renal) disease, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis), eye damage, and stroke (brain damage). These complications of hypertension are often referred to as end-organ damage because damage to these organs is the end result of chronic (long duration) high blood pressure. For that reason, the diagnosis of high blood pressure is important so efforts can be made to normalize blood pressure and prevent complications.

It was previously thought that rises in diastolic blood pressure were a more important risk factor than systolic elevations, but it is now known that in people 50 years or older systolic hypertension represents a greater risk.

Affecting approximately one in four adults in the United States, hypertension is clearly a major public health problem.

Source: MedicineNet.com
http://www.medicinenet.com/high_blood_pressure/article.htm