What is high blood pressure (hypertension)?

High blood pressure or hypertension is when the pressure in your arteries is higher than it should be. If you have high blood pressure, you are more at risk of having a heart attack or stroke. You are also more at risk of getting kidney disease and even of eventually dying from the complications of high blood pressure.

How do I know if I have high blood pressure?

Blood pressure is always given as two numbers, like “140/90,” or “140/90mm Hg”. Your blood pressure is high if the first number which is known as the systolic pressure is more than 140 or the second number is more than 90. These numbers are for those who do not have diabetes or heart problems or kidney problems. Those of you who are unfortunate to have one of those diagnoses should have your blood pressures even lower than that above.

What if I have heart or kidney problems or diabetes?

If you have heart or kidney problems or diabetes, your blood pressure needs to be lower than 130/80mm Hg. That, of course, is the goal. It is not always easy to attain that goal in some patients, however. The closer, however, one can get to or below those numbers, the further the decrease in risk there is from the complications of your disease.

What can I do to help lower my blood pressure?

Here are some day-to-day changes that you can make to help lower your blood pressure:

• Make sure you understand your physician’s instructions concerning medications that he or she is giving you for your blood pressure. If you feel that you cannot tolerate the medication, cannot afford the medication, or don’t understand the directions, make sure you discuss these issues with your physician. Obviously, if you’re not taking the medications that your physician believes that you are taking, your blood pressure will not be controlled to the level that he feels is indicated. Give your physician a call if you cannot take the dose and the frequency of the medications that he has prescribed.
• Do not smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products. Smoking and tobacco raise your blood pressure and put you more at risk for heart disease and stoke. Your doctor can help you quit.
• Drink less alcohol or stop drinking alcohol. Men should have no more than two alcoholic drinks per day and women should have no more than one alcoholic drink per day. It should go without saying that many men and women should not be drinking any alcohol at all, depending upon their health history as well as other medications that you might be taking. Please discuss this issue with your physician.
• Lose weight. Losing 10 pounds can help lower your blood pressure. Some patients can see an improvement in blood pressure even with less of a weight loss. Talk to your doctor about weight-loss programs that might be right for you. The simplest program, of course, is decreasing your overall calorie intake and increasing the amount of calories that you may burn off through exercise. The simplest exercise program is that of walking.
• Get more exercise. You should exercise for 30 minutes per day, 4-5 days per week. This can include simple activities like walking the dog, walking in the park, or gardening. When you go to the store, park at the far end of the parking lot and walk. Take the stairs instead of the elevator as long as you don’t have other medical problems that would make this a risk. Get up to change the channel on the TV instead of using the remote control.
• Cut down on salt. Most Americans eat two or three times more salt than they should. You should have no more than 2.4 grams (about ½ tsp. of salt every day). Unfortunately, in the United States with our prepared foods today, we normally get more than this even without adding any at the table or at the stove. There are many of you who should not even be taking close to this amount of salt or sodium because of other medical problems. Please discuss this issue with your physician.
• Eat healthy foods. You should eat four or five serving of fruits and four or five servings of vegetables each day. Most of us, unfortunately, do not eat this amount of fruits or vegetables. Make sure you get plenty of potassium, magnesium, and calcium in your diet. Again, if you have other medical problems, such as kidney disease, there may be a reason not to take in a lot of potassium.

All of the above suggestions, by the way, are just for patients with high blood pressure and no other additional diseases or conditions. If you have other conditions, you need to discuss these suggestions with your physician to make sure that they are right for you.

Where can I get more information on lifestyle changes?

Dr. Peterson is a doctor of Family and Community Medicine at the Walter L. Aument Family Health Center, 317 S. Chestnut St., Quarryville.

• High Blood Pressure/Hypertension
• Cardiovascular Diseases
• Lancaster General Heart Center