High Blood Pressure In Women

Many people mistakenly believe that high blood pressure is more common among men. The truth is nearly half of all adults with high blood pressure are women. Having high blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease. High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, but it raises the risk of stroke, heart failure, and kidney failure. It is a “silent killer”.  No one knows exactly what causes most cases of high blood pressure. It usually can’t be cured, but it can be managed. Not treating high blood pressure is dangerous.

Groups at risk for high blood pressure include:

· African Americans

· People over age 35

· Overweight people

· Inactive people

· People who eat too much salt

· People who drink too much alcohol

· People with diabetes, gout, or kidney disease

· Pregnant women

· Women who take birth control pills and who are overweight, have had high blood pressure during pregnancy, have a history of high blood pressure, or have mild kidney disease

*Submitted by Lisa Bohrer, RN, BC, Community Health and Wellness Manager for The PharmaCare Network.