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May Is National High Blood Pressure Education Month

Heart Disease Number One Cause of Death in Watauga County

Story by Faith Haywood, R.N., Chrysanthi Mitchell, R.N. and Sam Calhoun

The leading cause of death in all counties in the Southern Appalachians is heart disease. According to a 2003 Appalachian District Health Department opinion survey, 46 percent of Watauga County residents stated that they or members of their household have high blood pressure, a leading cause of heart disease.

In an effort to help inform the public about the dangers of high blood pressure, the National Institutes of Health (NIH) has developed the campaign Mission Possible, declaring May as National High Blood Pressure Education Month. Mission Possible provides activity materials to community leaders, businesses, religious congregations, civic groups and individuals, offering diverse and creative suggestions for educating the local community. A simple example is Take the Stairs Day. For more information, click to hp2010.nhlbihin.net/mission/.

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. When that force stays too high, it becomes a life-threatening condition—high blood pressure, also called hypertension. In simple terms, high blood pressure makes the heart work too hard, hardens the walls of arteries and leads to heart disease and other organ damage. It can cause the brain to hemorrhage and severely damage the kidneys. High blood pressure is a factor in 67 percent of heart attacks and 77 percent of strokes. Because high blood pressure affects circulation, the condition creates a higher risk for Alzheimer’s disease. African Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure than any other racial or ethnic group and tend to develop it earlier and more severely than others.

High blood pressure is called “The Silent Killer” because people can have it for years without knowing it. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80. Prehypertension is 120 to 139 over 80 to 89. A reading of 140/90 or higher is considered high blood pressure. The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked regularly.

More than 65 million Americans, over age 18, have high blood pressure. If you are an American over age 55, you have a 90 percent likelihood of developing high blood pressure in your lifetime. But high blood pressure is not a part of healthy aging. Age is the risk factor that cannot be controlled, but obesity, smoking, physical inactivity, high salt intake, low potassium intake (from not eating enough fruits and vegetables), excessive alcohol intake and controlling blood sugar if diabetic are controllable risk factors.

High blood pressure can be controlled. Better yet, it can be prevented. The best preventive measure is to establish healthy habits. Even simple and often modest lifestyle changes can help prevent and control high blood pressure, as well as improve overall health and quality of life.

Simple Steps to Curb High Blood Pressure

-Lose weight, if overweight, and maintain a healthy weight.

-A healthy diet.

-If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

-Incorporate physical activity in your day.

-Quit smoking.

-Control your blood sugar if you have diabetes.

-Take medication as directed.