Nevada County Picayune and Gurdon Times Newspaper Archive

LIVING WELL

High blood pressure is one of the leading causes of stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure, kidney failure and premature death. Yet, Americans are becoming too complacent about it.

Specifically, fewer Americans with high blood pressure are aware they have it, fewer are being treated, and fewer still about one-fourth of the 50 million people with the condition have it under control.

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, has no signs or symptoms. You cannot tell you have high blood pressure without having your blood pressure measured with a blood pressure cuff and pressure gauge, called a sphygmomanometer.

Pressure is expressed in terms of millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers. The first number, known as systolic pressure, measures the pressure when your heart pumps while the second number (diastolic pressure) measures pressure between beats. The optimal reading is below 120/80 mm Hg.

You're said to have high blood pressure when you consistently have either a systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg or higher or a diastolic pressure of 90 mm Hg or higher, or both.

Most high blood pressure has no known cause. This is called primary or essential hypertension. About five percent of high blood pressure can be linked to underlying diseases, such as kidney disorders or conditions that cause narrowing of the arteries. This is called secondary hypertension.

Risk factors for primary hypertension include:

~ Race It occurs more frequently in blacks and often at an earlier age. Also, it may be more severe.

~ Family history You're at in-creased risk for developing high blood pressure if your parents or other close relatives had it.

~ Age Hypertension is detected most often in persons age 35 and older, incidence increases with age.

~ Lifestyle Lack of exercise, obes-ity, alcohol use and a high-sodium or low potassium diet may increase your risk.

Lifestyle changes are recom-mended for everyone with hypertension. These include eating healthfully (more fruits and vegetables and reducing fat in your diet); reducing sodium to 2,400 milligrams per day; maintaining a healthful weight; exercising 30 to 40 minutes most days of the week; limit alcohol; and stop smoking.

Disturbed by the loss of ground over the last 25 years, the National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute has issued a new set of physicians' guidelines. These guidelines are intended not just for treating high blood pressure, but also for preventing it.

Unlike previous recommend-ations, the new guidelines encourage doctors to use lifestyle changes more aggressively in treating high blood pressure. These new guidelines give diet and exercise for a year to work before putting them on medication unless the hypertension is severe (at or above 160/100) or the patient has other risk factors for heart disease.

Improving habits may allow some persons already on medications to reduce their dosage or eliminate a drug.

The Cooperative Extension Ser-vice and HeartWatch will sponsor a weight reduction and exercise program for people with high blood pressure, heart disease or diabetes. Classes will start in June.

Call 887-2818 for more information.