What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Think of it like water in a garden hose. If the water pressure is too high, it can cause the hose to burst, especially in weak areas. Similarly, if blood pressure is too high, it may burst a blood vessel in the brain causing a stroke, or burst a blood vessel leading to the heart, which could result in death. High blood pressure can also damage blood vessel walls and promotes the build-up of fatty plaque, which narrows the blood vessels, a condition known as atherosclerosis. Strokes and heart attacks occur when a piece of this plaque breaks and a blood clot forms blocking blood flow to the brain or the heart.
Understanding the readings
Unlike the pressure of water in a garden hose, the pressure of blood in your blood vessels rises and falls with every beat of your heart. That's why blood pressure is always given as two numbers. The higher number represents the pressure when your heart beats, pushing blood out. This is called systolic blood pressure. The second, or lower number, represents the lowest pressure, when the heart relaxes between beats and fills with blood. This is diastolic blood pressure. A healthy reading is 120/80 or lower.
The silent disease
The only way to know if you actually have high blood pressure is to have it measured. Often the first symptom is a stroke or heart attack. You should ask your healthcare provider for your blood pressure measurement and what it means for you. In general, unless you have heart disease or another serious illness, the lower the number the better. Get your blood pressure checked at least once every two years by a healthcare professional.
If you've been diagnosed with high-normal blood pressure, which is defined as a blood pressure reading of 130/85 to 139/89, you'll need to see your healthcare provider at least once a year. The 2007 Canadian blood pressure guidelines warn that approximately one million Canadians with high-normal blood pressure will develop full-blown high blood pressure over the next four years - putting them at a higher risk for heart attack and stroke - unless they are diagnosed and treated. High-normal blood pressure is a signal that a patient is headed toward a life-long dependence on medications. Luckily, at the high-normal stage, lifestyle changes can bring blood pressure down to a safe range.
Lifestyle changes include increasing physical activity, making healthier food choices, being smoke-free, achieving and maintaining a healthy weight, reducing salt and alcohol consumption and managing stress.
Go to the Foundation's Web site to take the Heart&Stroke Risk Assessment, a free, confidential, Web-based tool, to learn what your heart and stroke risks are and to receive a personalized action plan for healthy living.
The cold hard stats
Among the five million Canadians who have high blood pressure...
16% have it under control
23% have been treated, but don't have it under control
42% don't know they have it
Last reviewed April 2007.
Disclaimer
Your use of the information on this site is subject to the Heart and Stroke Foundation Terms and Conditions of Use. By using this Web Site, you agree to be bound by the implied terms and condition in each of these statements.
