World Hypertension Day is May 17
A new video from the American Heart Association shows that the best way to prevent out-of-control blood pressure from triggering a domino effect of catastrophic health events is to get it under control. Uncontrolled blood pressure is a major risk factor for stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney disease.
About 80 million adults, roughly one-third of the U.S. adult population, have it. Most people with high blood pressure do not have any symptoms and can go for years without a diagnosis. In fact, 1 out of 5 people with high blood pressure don’t even know they have it. The video depicts a line of dominoes that trigger the fall of the heart and brain, indicating how the condition damages those vital organs.
A blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher is considered high.
“So many people involved in the treatment of hypertension have seen its disastrous effects,” said Dr. Patrick McNulty, president of the Greater Utica American Heart Association advisory board. “And with 1 in 3 Americans affected by high blood pressure, many people know someone who has it, or has had a heart attack or stroke because of it.”
High blood pressure is when blood pumps through your blood vessels with too much force. When that pressure rises, it can damage blood vessels and “topple” your health. Blood vessels can be damaged by tears in the muscular wall, or by weakening. Tears can lead to clots, which then lead to heart attacks or strokes. Weakening can cause the vessel to burst, as in an aneurysm or brain bleed.
“About half of the people who have high blood pressure don’t have it under control,” McNulty said. “The American Heart Association wants to send the message that high blood pressure is very serious. We have to be active, and even aggressive, in managing and treating high blood pressure because lives are at stake.”