Although blood pressure is an essential factor in the normal functioning of the circulatory system, high blood pressure can be dangerous. While blood pressure levels may rise and fall throughout the day due to various factors, high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is diagnosed when pressure is consistently high over a period of weeks. 1
Hypertension can be dangerous because it places strain on the heart and blood vessels, which can lead to damage. If left untreated, high blood pressure can escalate causing more serious conditions, such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, heart failure, kidney disease, or blindness.5
High blood pressure is common in the UK, affecting around 40% of the population. 2 This prevalence is not limited to the UK only: in the US, one in three adults has high blood pressure, translating to around 73.6 million people. 3 Worldwide, the disease affects about 1 in 4 people living in both developed and developing nations. Presently, approximately 1 billion people worldwide have high blood pressure, and this number is expected to increase to around 1.56 billion people by 2025. 7
The cause of high blood pressure is rarely the result of one factor, and is believed to be strongly linked to lifestyle and genetic history. If someone in your family suffers from high blood pressure, or if you lead an unhealthy lifestyle, you are at an increased risk of developing the condition. The likelihood of getting high blood pressure is also believed to increase with age, and more commonly occurs in certain ethnic groups including people of Afro-Caribbean and South Asian (India, Pakistan, and Bangladeshi) origins. 2
Because there are often no obvious symptoms of high blood pressure, most people are unaware they have the condition. Typically, the only way to confirm that you have high blood pressure is to have it checked using a blood pressure monitor. Because uncontrolled high blood pressure goes largely unnoticed but can potentially be fatal, the disease is often dubbed the ‘silent killer’. 1, 5
Although there are rare exceptions, there is currently no cure for high blood pressure. While treatment is usually successful in lowering blood pressure to normal levels, if it’s stopped the condition will usually begin to worsen again. 4 For this reason, treatment is long term and permanent, and usually involves taking medication and making healthy lifestyle choices. You will also need to monitor your condition regularly to ensure it doesn’t escalate to abnormal levels even while you’re undergoing treatment.
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Last Updated 17/06/2009 15:34:30
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