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What is Hypertension?
High
blood pressure, or hypertension, is the force of blood pushing against
blood vessel walls. High blood pressure
means the pressure in your arteries is higher than it should be.
How Can I Tell if I
Have Hypertension?
Hypertension
is called the “silent killer" because it often has no warning signs or
symptoms. In fact, 1 in 3 adults have
high blood pressure and don’t even know it.
The only way to know whether you have high blood pressure is to have it checked
by a medical professional.
That’s why Love Your Heart Day on February 14 is so
important. In 2016, 50% of the 10,000 people reporting blood pressure screening
results during the event in San Diego County were identified as having elevated
blood pressure (includes pre-hypertension and hypertensive levels)
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101 individuals were identified as having urgent or emergent hypertension
You can take steps to prevent
or control high blood pressure, including:
- Lose weight if you are overweight
- Eat healthy meals low in fat, cholesterol, salt
and added sugars
- Limit alcohol to no more than one drink per day
- Be more physically active
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