High Blood Pressure

High Blood Pressure or essential hypertension is a condition in which the pressure in the arteries is elevated. There is a normal range but can become elevated as we age. Risk factors for increased blood pressure include family history, race, obesity, cigarette smoking, alcohol, lack of physical activity, high salt in the diet, and stress in 95% of cases. There may be no symptoms initially but as the pressure goes up you may experience headaches and just not feel well. This condition is diagnosed with a blood pressure cuff and must be elevated on three separate occasions. Normal is when it is below 120/80 mmHg. The best therapy is to control the risk factors. If it continues to be elevated despite efforts to reverse the problem, medication is needed. Over the long term this leads to a higher risk of heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. There are other more rare conditions that can lead to a very high blood pressure in 5% of the population but needs additional work up and testing. Your physician will determine if you need additional testing. Medications are usually added only after a trial of lifestyle modification fails. Reducing the above risk factors such as exercising, eating a healthy diet not high in salt, quit smoking etc can help reduce the high blood pressure.