It rarely has symptoms. “So unless you check it, you don’t know,” he said.
It could be wreaking invisible havoc, for example, by aging the circulatory system, Townsend said. “You may be 60 years old, but if you’ve had untreated high blood pressure for a while, your blood vessels may be 80.”
High blood pressure affects 121.5 million U.S. adults, American Heart Association statistics show. It is defined as a systolic pressure (the top number) of 130 or higher or a diastolic pressure (the bottom number) of 80 or higher that stays high over time.
People who are Black; have a family history of high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke or kidney disease; and women who had blood pressure issues during pregnancy should pay extra attention, Nesbitt said.
The good news, Townsend said, is if you spot high blood pressure before it does damage, “you’re in the primary prevention game. And that’s where you want to be. Because we have great evidence to show that managing your blood pressure will keep your heart, brain and kidneys working a whole lot longer.”
Managing it protects your brain.
If high blood pressure damages your brain’s blood vessels, bad things can happen. A stroke is one. But the risk goes beyond strokes.
