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There is a silent, deadly disease affecting nearly half of all adults in the US. However, one demographic is the most at risk, unknowingly having twice the risk, which puts them at risk of a second disease.
According to the American Heart Association (AHA), a disease that doesn’t always make its presence known through symptoms silently affects nearly half of all adults in the United States, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).
The condition is known as hypertension or high blood pressure. According to the Mayo Clinic, it occurs when the long-term force of blood creating pressure against your artery walls reaches a strength that may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease.
Hypertension is a silent condition because most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms. Someone can live with high blood pressure for many years without showing any symptoms – even when readings reach dangerously high levels. However, this long-term uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to serious health problems such as cardiovascular disease, heart attack, or stroke.
Many factors can cause high blood pressure, Family Doctor reports.
Some of the causes are:
· Family history, especially parents or other close relatives.
· Older age (likelihood of high blood pressure increases with age).
· Diets high in salt, fat and/or cholesterol.
· Chronic conditions such as diabetes, high cholesterol, kidney or hormone problems.
· Being overweight or obese.
· Lack of physical activity.
· Tobacco use or excessive consumption of alcohol.
· Some medications and birth control medications.
· Stress.
· Race (non-Hispanic black people have an increased risk).
A normal blood pressure reading is defined as 120/80.
The first, front, or top number measures systolic pressure. This is a measure of the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats and squeezes out blood. The second, back or the bottom number is the diastolic pressure. This measures the pressure in your arteries between beats when your heart is filling with blood.
Normal: 120 or less on the top and 80 or less on the bottom.
Pre-hypertension: 121-139 on top; and/or 81-89 on the bottom.
High blood pressure, stage 1: 140-159 on top; and/or 90-99 on the bottom.
High blood pressure, stage 2: 160 on top or higher; and/or 100 or higher on the bottom.
According to the Office of Minority Health from the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) black women are 60% more likely to have a high blood pressure than non-Hispanic white women. They are also more likely to have hypertension than black men.
Overall, according to recent evidence from the AHA, black women have twice the risk of developing hypertension by age 55.
