How is blood pressure measured?īlood pressure is traditionally measured using an inflatable cuff around your arm. And once you know you have high blood pressure, you can work with your health care provider to control it. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be easily detected. Even without symptoms, damage to your heart can still occur. You can have high blood pressure for years without experiencing any symptoms. High blood pressure is one of the most dangerous health conditions because of how sneaky it can be. There's even a type of dementia - vascular dementia - caused by high blood pressure. High blood pressure also can affect your ability to think, remember and learn. Left untreated, it can lead to kidney failure or vision loss. High blood pressure can cause significant damage to your eyes, kidneys, brain and blood vessels. High blood pressure is harmful because it makes the heart work harder and less efficiently. High blood pressure occurs when your blood pressure, the force of your blood against the walls of your blood vessels, is consistently too high. What is blood pressure?īlood pressure is a measure of how hard your blood pushes against your arteries as it moves through your body.

Here is information about one of the most dangerous and sneakiest health conditions: blood pressure. Knowing your risk is critical to preventing heart disease and for taking steps to improve your overall heart health. Knowing and understanding key heart numbers - blood pressure, cholesterol and heart rate, along with your family history - allow you and your health care team to determine your risk for developing heart and cardiovascular disease.

Blood pressure chart women