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Blood Pressure

The Health Clinic conducts blood pressure screenings on both campuses, during the second week of each quarter. In addition, you may have your blood pressure monitored anytime during regular clinic hours. Watch for more details on flyers posted around campus.

High Blood Pressure Facts
Many people have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, congestive heart failure, kidney failure, etc.

The heart pumps blood into the arteries and through the circulatory system. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. It's measured in the arteries and is recorded as two numbers, such as 122/78.

Systolic pressure is the top, larger number. It's generated by the heart's contraction.

Diastolic pressure is the bottom, smaller number. It's the pressure in the arteries while the heart is filling and resting between beats.

High blood pressure in adults is a consistently elevated blood pressure of 140 mm Hg (millimeters of mercury) systolic and/or 90 mm Hg diastolic or higher.

High blood pressure means the heart is straining to pump blood. It's unhealthy because:

  • The heart can become enlarged (congestive heart failure).
  • The arteries can become scarred and less elastic. Hardened, narrowed arteries may be unable to carry the amount of blood the body's organs and tissues need.
  • Blood clots may form or lodge in a narrowed artery. Blood clots are one of several causes of heart attacks and strokes.
    - 1.5 million Americans suffer a heart attack every year, and about 490,000 of them die.
    - 500,000 Americans suffer a stroke every year, and more than 149,000 of them die.

As many as 50 million Americans aged six and above have high blood pressure.*
According to recent estimates, one in four U.S. adults has high blood pressure.*

Americans consume 5 - 18 times more sodium than they need. The prevalence of high blood pressure probably could be reduced if people reduced the salt used to cook and season food and ate less fast food and processed food. Many over-the-counter remedies, such as analgesics, also contain large amounts of sodium.

In about 5 - 10 percent of cases, high blood pressure is a symptom of an identified medical problem. In these cases, when the root cause is corrected, blood pressure usually returns to normal.

Uncontrollable Factors

Age
The older a person gets, the more likely he or she is to develop high blood pressure.

Race
African Americans have high blood pressure more often that Caucasians. It also tends to occur earlier and be more severe.

Heredity
A tendency toward high blood pressure seems to run in families.

Sex
In general, men are more likely to develop high blood pressure than women, but this varies by age and among ethnic groups.

Controllable Factors

Obesity
Obesity is an excessive amount of body fat. Obesity and blood pressure are clearly related. That's why all obese hypertensive adults should try to get within 15 percent of their desirable body weight for height and gender.

Sodium sensitivity
Reducing sodium (salt) consumption can lower blood pressure in some people.

Alcohol consumption
Drinking more than one ounce of alcohol a day may increase blood pressure in some people.

Oral contraceptives
Women who take oral contraceptives may develop high blood pressure.

Physical inactivity
A sedentary lifestyle contributes to obesity.

Common Treatments

  • Losing weight (in the case of overweight people)
  • Reducing intake of salt (sodium)
  • Exercise
  • Medication

Medication is usually prescribed in moderate-to-severe cases. A trial period is often required before the best medication or combination of medications is discovered. It's extremely important to follow instruction exactly whenever medication has been prescribed.

*Source: Preliminary estimates from Phase I of the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey III (NHANES III), 1988-91.

~American Heart Association, 1996

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Rhodes Hall
937/328-6042
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