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High Blood Pressure and Cardiovascular Disease

High blood pressure (BP), cigarette smoking, diabetes mellitus, and lipid abnormalities are major modifiable risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD). Among these, high BP is associated with the strongest evidence for causation and has a high prevalence of exposure. However, there is considerable evidence that a biologically normal level of BP in humans is considerably lower than what has been traditionally employed in clinical practice and research, leading to an underrepresentation of the role that BP plays as a risk factor for CVD.

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Articles of Interest

Here’s What You Should Know About the Link Between High Blood Pressure and Heart Failure

We’ve all been there: The nurse places a blood pressure cuff around your upper arm, squeezes that little bulb that makes the cuff inflate, and voilà—you get a reading. A normal blood pressure measurement is less than 120/80 mmHg; it’s considered elevated when it’s greater than 130/81. Doctors make a big fuss about this number because high blood pressure, or hypertension, can set the stage for various forms of heart disease, including heart failure.

High Blood Pressure Is a ‘Silent Killer’ That Affects One in Three People, WHO Says

Per the report, one in three adults worldwide lives with hypertension, but nearly half are unaware they have it. High blood pressure is responsible for more than ten million deaths each year. “The bottom line here is that the world’s most deadly condition is also the most neglected,” Tom Frieden, former director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and the president and CEO of health nonprofit Resolve to Save Lives, tells Teddy Amenabar of the Washington Post. “This neglect results in millions of people dying preventable deaths and having preventable heart attacks and strokes every year.”

High blood pressure? Treat the risk, not the number

Researchers combined data from 48 randomized trials of blood pressure drugs involving nearly 345,000 participants. Over four years, reducing blood pressure by just five millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) reduced the overall risk of cardiovascular problems by 10% — problems like clogged coronary arteries, weakened heart muscle (heart failure), chest pain, and stroke. The risk declined regardless of how high the pressure was, or whether participants already had heart problems or stroke.

Hypertensive heart disease: risk factors, complications and mechanisms

Hypertensive heart disease constitutes functional and structural dysfunction and pathogenesis occurring primarily in the left ventricle, the left atrium and the coronary arteries due to chronic uncontrolled hypertension. Hypertensive heart disease is underreported and the mechanisms underlying its correlates and complications are not well elaborated.

More Americans meet criteria for high blood pressure under new guidelines

Nearly half of all Americans have high blood pressure – a condition called hypertension. Hypertension is the No. 1 risk factor for heart disease and stroke. In addition, hypertension increases risk of dementia and cognitive decline. Heart disease, stroke and dementia are the first-, fourth- and sixth-leading causes of death in the U.S. Unfortunately, only 1 in 4 people with a history of high blood pressure have this condition under control.

The increasing awareness of high blood pressure danger: Five things to know

If there’s one overarching idea that hasn’t changed as hypertension guidelines are revised, it’s that high blood pressure is bad news. Researchers have known for a while that hypertension raises the risk of stroke and heart disease. More recent studies, however, showed that even small changes can have significant impacts.

The silent killer increases your risk of stroke and dementia. Here's how to control it

By age 40, more than half of Americans have high blood pressure, but many are unaware of it. Hypertension has long been known as the silent killer. When it's left untreated it can be deadly. And it's considered a silent threat since most people have no symptoms. You can't feel the pressure in your blood vessels increasing.

Under Pressure – Hypertension and the Heart

Hypertension, more commonly known as high blood pressure, is a leading modifiable risk factor for cardiovascular and kidney diseases. About 1 in 2 adults in the US with hypertension may be uncontrolled despite taking 2 or more antihypertensives. If left uncontrolled, hypertension can lead to an increased risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD), heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and death. Reducing blood pressure is critical to drive down the risks of these cardiovascular conditions