What are the causes?

What increases the risk?

• Smoking.
• Having type 2 diabetes mellitus, high cholesterol, or both.
• Not getting enough exercise or physical activity.
• Being overweight.
• Having too much fat, sugar, calories, or salt (sodium) in your diet.
• Drinking too much alcohol.
• Having long-term (chronic) kidney disease.
• Having a family history of high blood pressure.
• Age. Risk increases with age.
• Race. You may be at higher risk if you are African American.
• Gender. Men are at higher risk than women before age 45. After age 65, women are at higher risk than men.
• Having obstructive sleep apnea.
• Stress.

What are the signs or symptoms?

• High blood pressure may not cause symptoms. Very high blood pressure (hypertensive crisis) may cause:
  • Headache.
  • Feelings of worry or nervousness (anxiety).
  • Shortness of breath.
  • Nosebleed.
  • A feeling of being sick to your stomach (nausea).
  • Throwing up (vomiting).
  • Changes in how you see.
  • Very bad chest pain.
  • Seizures.

How is this treated?

• This condition is treated by making healthy lifestyle changes, such as:
  • Eating healthy foods.
  • Exercising more.
  • Drinking less alcohol.
• Your health care provider may prescribe medicine if lifestyle changes are not enough to get your blood pressure under control, and if:
  • Your top number is above 130.
  • Your bottom number is above 80.
• Your personal target blood pressure may vary.

Follow these instructions at home:

Eating and drinking

• If told, follow the DASH eating plan. To follow this plan:
  • Fill one half of your plate at each meal with fruits and vegetables.
  • Fill one fourth of your plate at each meal with whole grains. Whole grains include whole-wheat pasta, brown rice, and whole-grain bread.
  • Eat or drink low-fat dairy products, such as skim milk or low-fat yogurt.
  • Fill one fourth of your plate at each meal with low-fat (lean) proteins. Low-fat proteins include fish, chicken without skin, eggs, beans, and tofu.
  • Avoid fatty meat, cured and processed meat, or chicken with skin.
  • Avoid pre-made or processed food.
• Eat less than 1,500 mg of salt each day.
• Do not drink alcohol if:
  • Your doctor tells you not to drink.
  • You are pregnant, may be pregnant, or are planning to become pregnant.
• If you drink alcohol:
  • Limit how much you use to:
    • 0–1 drink a day for women.
    • 0–2 drinks a day for men.
  • Be aware of how much alcohol is in your drink. In the U.S., one drink equals one 12 oz bottle of beer (355 mL), one 5 oz glass of wine (148 mL), or one 1½ oz glass of hard liquor (44 mL).

Lifestyle

• Work with your doctor to stay at a healthy weight or to lose weight. Ask your doctor what the best weight is for you.
• Get at least 30 minutes of exercise most days of the week. This may include walking, swimming, or biking.
• Get at least 30 minutes of exercise that strengthens your muscles (resistance exercise) at least 3 days a week. This may include lifting weights or doing Pilates.
• Do not use any products that contain nicotine or tobacco, such as cigarettes, e-cigarettes, and chewing tobacco. If you need help quitting, ask your doctor.
• Check your blood pressure at home as told by your doctor.
• Keep all follow-up visits as told by your doctor. This is important.

Medicines

• Take over-the-counter and prescription medicines only as told by your doctor. Follow directions carefully.
• Do not skip doses of blood pressure medicine. The medicine does not work as well if you skip doses. Skipping doses also puts you at risk for problems.
• Ask your doctor about side effects or reactions to medicines that you should watch for.

Contact a doctor if you:

• Think you are having a reaction to the medicine you are taking.
• Have headaches that keep coming back (recurring).
• Feel dizzy.
• Have swelling in your ankles.
• Have trouble with your vision.

Get help right away if you:

• Get a very bad headache.
• Start to feel mixed up (confused).
• Feel weak or numb.
• Feel faint.
• Have very bad pain in your:
  • Chest.
  • Belly (abdomen).
• Throw up more than once.
• Have trouble breathing.

Summary

• Hypertension is another name for high blood pressure.
• High blood pressure forces your heart to work harder to pump blood.
• For most people, a normal blood pressure is less than 120/80.
• Making healthy choices can help lower blood pressure. If your blood pressure does not get lower with healthy choices, you may need to take medicine.