(The Daily Journal) — It is often called the silent killer. Many times, there are no symptoms.
A person can walk around for years with high blood pressure, unaware of the damage being done to their own bodies as the heart works harder and harder to pump blood throughout the body.
Unchecked, high blood pressure can lead to heart attack or stroke. But with proper care and management, it can be detected and controlled easily.
Taming high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is the topic of this month’s Healthline, hosted by South Jersey Healthcare and The Daily Journal.
Blood pressure, Baptist explained, is the force the heart needs to pump blood through the circulatory system.
The pressure — or how hard the heart is working — is determined by the amount of blood the heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in the arteries. The harder the heart works, the higher the pressure.
There are several common causes of high blood pressure, Baptist said, including advancing age, obesity and a diet high in sodium. If people in your immediate family suffer from high blood pressure, there is a greater chance you will as well, Baptist said.
Stress can also play a factor in high blood pressure, and smoking can worsen the situation for someone who is already at risk, he said.
But it is important to remember that high blood pressure isn’t something that typically presents itself to a patient, Baptist said.
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