High blood pressure, or hypertension, is an extremely serious and growing problem which now affects more than 72 million adult Americans. It almost seems unbelievable but that means that 1 in 3 adults in the USA are suffering from hypertension. With approximately 60 million Americans now over the age of 55 this also means that Americans have a 90 percent chance of suffering from hypertension at some time in life. Also, if you happen to be an African American then you have a greater chance of developing hypertension than other ethnic groups and are also likely to experience hypertension at an earlier age and to a greater degree.

However that is not the end of the story because there are now about 20 million Americans who suffer from diabetes and an incredible 142 million Americans who are overweight or obese and people in both of these groups are at greater risk of suffering from hypertension.

But why should we worry about hypertension?

Hypertension is a serious condition which can easily lead to other life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, which is the number one cause of death in the USA today, and stroke, which is currently the number three cause of death. Indeed hypertension is a factor in two thirds of all heart attacks in the United States and in 3 out of 4 strokes.

Hypertension is also the principle reason for visits to the physician and even a quite small drop in the number of visits of around 10 percent could save something like $450 million dollars a year. Altogether it is estimated that the cost of treating hypertension and its complications costs the US economy around $100 billion a year.

Okay, so just what is the answer to this problem?

First, the answer lies in educating individuals about the problem of hypertension and how to avoid developing it in the first place. The majority of of people suffering today effectively cause the condition themselves as a result of their lifestyle. Bad eating habits, insufficient exercise, too much drinking and smoking are all causes of high blood pressure and are all totally within our own control.

Second, we must get people into the habit of checking their own blood pressure regularly because unfortunately it is a condition with very few if any symptoms to warn us of its presence. Nowadays there are a number of excellent and reasonably inexpensive home blood pressure monitors (including a range of Omron blood pressure monitors which have a world-wide reputation for excellence) which are quick and easy to use and can quite literally save your life.

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General Health