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High blood pressure is a significant cause of serious health problems like heart disease and stroke. Board-certified cardiologist and internal medicine specialist John Terzian, MD, FACC, and the team at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, in West Bridgewater, Massachusetts, excel in preventing and treating high blood pressure. The worrying aspect of having high blood pressure is that you won’t have any symptoms, but a simple, painless test can diagnose it quickly and easily. Make an appointment over the phone today or use the online booking form.
High Blood Pressure Q & A
What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure (hypertension) means blood pumps through arteries with greater force than is healthy. The pressure damages your arteries and poses a serious risk to your health.
Unfortunately, high blood pressure doesn’t cause any symptoms, so you won’t know you have it unless you have regular checks at Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC.
Knowing what your blood pressure measurement is could save your life because untreated high blood pressure can cause life-threatening conditions like stroke, heart attack, and kidney failure.
How is blood pressure measured?
Having a blood pressure measurement is a fast, straightforward process. Your provider wraps a blood pressure cuff around your upper arm and then inflates it. One reading records the pressure when your heart beats (systolic pressure), and another records the pressure between heartbeats (diastolic pressure).
The two numbers combined are your blood pressure reading. A healthy reading measures 120 or below systolic and 80 or below diastolic. A blood pressure reading between 121 and 139 systolic or 81 and 89 diastolic indicates raised blood pressure. You need to address raised blood pressure because it’s likely to lead to high blood pressure.
A reading over 140 systolic or over 90 diastolic means you have high blood pressure and your health is at risk if you don’t take action. If your blood pressure measures over 160 systolic or 100 diastolic, it’s dangerously high, meaning you’re at serious risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
How do I reduce high blood pressure?
High blood pressure can develop because of a chronic health problem like thyroid dysfunction. These cases are known as secondary hypertension, and treating the underlying disease should improve your blood pressure readings.
Primary hypertension occurs when there isn’t an underlying cause and is most often due to lifestyle. Common factors likely to increase your blood pressure include:
- Obesity
- Smoking
- Inactivity
- High-fat diet
- Excess salt intake
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Chronic stress
Changing your lifestyle is a very effective way of reducing high blood pressure. Dr. Terzian can advise you on the changes you need to make to lower your blood pressure to a healthier level.
Dr. Terzian might also recommend you take blood pressure medication if hypertension is putting you in danger.
You can avoid the deadly effects of high blood pressure by visiting Bridgewater Primary Care & Cardiology, LLC, for a blood pressure check. Call the office today, or book online.