What is hypertension?

Hypertension results when the heart and arteries are straining to move blood through your body

What you should know:
•Hypertension is a serious condition
•The disease can go undetected
•Various factors may cause hypertension

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Transcript
Hi, I'm Melvin Smith and I'm a CVS pharmacist. Hypertension is a very serious condition that affects many Americans. More commonly known as high blood pressure, it's a condition where the heart and arteries are straining too hard to move blood through your body. Hypertension is a major contributor to heart disease, kidney damage, stroke, and even blindness.
For the most part hypertension can't be linked to one specific cause, but doctors have found that some aspects of a person's life, such as age, family history, and even pregnancy, can make developing hypertension more likely. Lifestyle choices also affect your blood pressure. Things like not getting enough exercise, being overweight, having a high-fat diet, and too much alcohol or salt can all increase your risk of hypertension. One trigger that is often overlooked is stress. High stress levels will often cause temporary high blood pressure.
High blood pressure develops gradually, making it easy to miss a lot of the symptoms. There are many people that have hypertension without even realizing it. That's why it's important to get your blood pressure checked regularly, even if you feel perfectly healthy. If you've always had normal blood pressure, you should get it checked every two years. But if your last reading was borderline high or if your age, lifestyle, or family puts you at a higher risk for the condition, you should have your blood pressure checked at least once a year.
I hope this helps you understand a little more about hypertension. Although it's a serious condition, there are many things you can do to control it. If you have any questions about hypertension, talk to your CVS pharmacist. We're here to help.

Source: CVS Caremark Health Resources

Category:

Education

Tags:

• Hypertension
• arteries
• blood
• salt
• stress
• blood pressure
• regular checks
• normal blood pressure
• cvs
• cvs pharmacy
• pharmacy
• pharmacist