Untreated Hypertension Can Lead to Stroke, Heart Attack

Editor's note: The following article is courtesy of Saint Peter's University Hospital.

By Margaret Drozd

One in three adults has high blood pressure, otherwise known as hypertension, and many don’t know they have it. High blood pressure often has no symptoms, a reason it is called the “silent killer.” High blood pressure can be identified easily enough though a simple screening. Ignoring high blood pressure is a recipe for a heart attack or stroke.

Blood pressure measures the force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The only way to find out if you have high or low blood pressure is to have it checked using a device called a sphygmomanometer, which measures blood pressure in the arm. The test is usually performed by a registered nurse and the results are available immediately.

High blood pressure has many contributing factors, including smoking, poor diet, lack of exercise, a heart condition, obesity, age, or diseases, including diabetes. However, the cause of most cases of primary hypertension is unknown.

High blood pressure is an important risk factor for the development and acceleration of many complications of diabetes. Those conditions include diabetic eye diseases and kidney disease. In fact, most people with diabetes will develop hypertension in their lives.

Diabetes increases the risk of hypertension and other cardiovascular diseases because diabetes can severely damage the arteries, leading to atherosclerosis – also known as hardening of the arteries. Atherosclerosis leads to high blood pressure and increased risk of blood vessel damage, stroke, heart failure, heart attack, and kidney failure.

There are many ways to battle high blood pressure. A low-fat diet rich in fruits and vegetables is a good start. Exercise (with a doctor’s OK) is another benefit. People can also lower their blood pressure through medications, if prescribed, and losing weight.

High blood pressure is an important risk factor for the development and acceleration of many complications of diabetes. Those conditions include diabetic eye diseases and kidney disease.

What is a normal blood pressure reading? Experts say the top of the range should go no higher than 130/80. The first number – the “systolic pressure” - is the pressure in your arteries when the heart beats and fills the arteries with blood. The second number is the “diastolic pressure” – the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest.

Having a normal blood pressure is as important in managing diabetes as having good control of blood sugar levels when it comes to fighting diabetes complications.

Margaret Drozd, MSN, RN, APRN-BC, is a family nurse practitioner and director of Community Mobile Health Services for Saint Peter’s Healthcare System

Individuals can receive a free hypertension screening between the hours of 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, March 23, at North Brunswick High School.

The screenings are part of “Diabetes: From Head to Toe,” the American Diabetes Association’s annual educational conference, which is held in partnership with Saint Peter’s Healthcare System. “Diabetes: From Head to Toe” is a component of the ADA’s “Por Tu Famila” (For Your Family) Program. Por Tu Famila is the Hispanic/Latino health-promotion and disease- prevention program of the ADA.

Go to www.diabetes.org/njconference for more information about “Diabetes: From Head to Toe” and how you can participate.