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Children With Suspected High-Blood Pressure Need 24-Hour Checks Bloomberg - 4 (Bloomberg) -- Children in a diagnostic gray zone for high blood pressure should wear 24-hour monitors to help determine if they have the disorder, ... Consumer Reports' Ratings of Blood Pressure Monitors and Blood ... MarketWatch Home Blood Pressure Kits: Quality Varies WebMD Hypertension is normal in south Louisiana, but it can be corrected Houma Courier all 12 news articles » Chatter Shmatter Injected Drug Approved for High Blood Pressure Forbes, NY - 4 (HealthDay News) -- The US Food and Drug Administration has approved Cleviprex (clevidipine butyrate), an injected drug to treat high blood pressure. ... FDA approves Medicines Co.'s blood-pressure drug CNNMoney.com Injected High Blood Pressure Drug Approved by FDA HULIQ (press release) UPDATE 1-Medicines Co gets FDA nod for blood pressure drug Reuters Chatter Shmatter - RTT News all 36 news articles »  MDCO Dividend.com Novartis gets expanded blood-pressure drug OK Forbes, NY - High blood pressure affects about 73 million adult Americans and one in four adults worldwide, the company said. Shares of Switzerland-based Novartis (nyse: ... Single-Pill Combinations Diovan HCT and Exforge Approved in US as ... MarketWatch US approves two Novartis blood pressure pills Reuters Novartis reveals blood pressure drug approvals Hays Pharma Market Intelligence Center - RTT News all 35 news articles »  NVS - AG Oneindia A Daily Dose Of Garlic Can Help Oneindia, India - Figures show that high blood pressure - also called hypertension - is responsible for up to 40 per cent of the 150000 strokes every year and tens of ... Barchester Healthcare High blood pressure 'is biggest stroke risk factor' Barchester Healthcare, UK - High blood pressure is the single biggest risk factor for strokes, an expert has said. Andrea Lane, a spokesperson for The Stroke Association, ... Picture project helps MetroHealth patients reduce blood pressure The Plain Dealer - cleveland.com, OH - 12 minutes ago High blood pressure or hypertension leads to heart disease, stroke and kidney disease; 25 percent of Americans have it; many of them are black, ... The You Docs: What your heart really wants Seattle Post Intelligencer - Overall, fruit lovers enjoy a smaller waist and waist-to-hip ratio, as well as lower blood pressure. Eat high-fiber cereals and you'll weigh less. ... Best Syndication Garlic and Potassium Affect High Blood Pressure ? Electrolyte May ... Best Syndication, CA - (Best Syndication News) There are numerous pills patients with high blood pressure can take, but garlic and potassium may lower blood pressure. ... TopNews Study: Garlic Can Help Cure High Blood Pressure TopNews, India - Aug 3, 2008 Blood pressure or hypertension is the most common disease. The number of people with high blood pressure is increasing due to various complications of ... eFluxMedia Growth Hormone Treatment For HIV Patients Improves Abdominal Fat ... Science Daily (press release) - Triglycerides and diastolic blood pressure (BP) levels improved with GH, while the change in systolic BP was not statistically different compared with ... Growth hormone may help some HIV patients Reuters Growth Hormone Reduces Fat In HIV Patients With Abdominal Obesity Medical News Today Mixed results for growth hormone in HIV patients The Associated Press MedPage Today - DG News all 279 news articles »

High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is a condition in which the pressure of the blood pumping through the arteries is abnormally high. This increases the risk of stroke, aneurysm, heart failure, heart attack and kidney damage. More than 50 million Americans have high blood pressure, and a third are entirely unaware of it.

A blood pressure reading consists of two numbers:

• Systolic pressure, which indicates the contraction of the heart muscle
• Diastolic pressure (the second number) measures the blood pressure when the heart relaxes between beats

A reading of 140/90 or higher qualifies as high blood pressure. An ideal blood pressure reading is 120/80. However, blood pressure varies throughout a lifetime. Children have much lower blood pressure than adults. As people grow older, their blood pressure rises. In general, readings are higher in the morning and lower while a person sleeps. Physical activity makes blood pressure go up, and rest causes it to go lower.

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A high blood pressure reading of more than 180/110 should be considered an urgency and seen by a doctor as soon as possible. In rare cases, blood pressure of 210/120 or more is seen. This should be considered an emergency and treated immediately. It can cause a variety of severe symptoms and result in death in three to six months if not treated.

Hypertension is often called the "silent killer" because symptoms of high blood pressure do not appear for years until a vital organ is threatened. Signs of long-untreated high blood pressure (such as headache, fatigue, nausea, vomiting, shortness of breath, restlessness and blurred vision) can be the result of damage to the brain, eyes, heart and kidneys.

For most, the causes of high blood pressure are not known. Researchers believe several factors together may create higher pressure in the arteries. In some cases, diseases cause blood pressure to increase. These include:

• Arteriosclerosis, which makes arteries stiff and unable to widen in response to rising blood pressure
• Cushing's syndrome, which involves an overactive thyroid gland or a tumor in an adrenal gland
• Kidney diseases or injury

• A smoker
• African American. An estimated 32% of African Americans (compared with 23% of Caucasians and 23% of Mexican Americans) have high blood pressure.
• Older. About 75% of women and almost 66% of men aged 75 or older have high blood pressure. (Only about 25% of people between the ages of 20 and 74 have high blood pressure.)
• Overweight. High blood pressure occurs twice as often in people who are obese as it does in people who are not.
• Sedentary
• Under stress

High blood pressure is often discovered during a routine visit to the doctor or when another illness strikes. Your blood pressure is measured after you have been sitting or lying down for about five minutes. Your blood pressure may be measured again after you have been standing for a few minutes.

Because blood pressure readings can vary widely, it may take several readings or readings done on different days to confirm a diagnosis of high blood pressure. In cases where there is doubt, a 24-hour blood pressure monitor worn on the hip and connected to a blood pressure cuff on the arm can be used.

After determining that you have high blood pressure your doctor will look for possible causes of the high blood pressure and any effects it may have on key organs, such as your heart, kidneys, brain and blood vessels. Your doctor may recommend:

• An electrocardiogram
• Blood tests
• A urine test to check for signs of kidney damage

It may be necessary to examine your retina, the light-sensitive membrane inside the back of the eye. This is the only place where your doctor can directly see the effects of high blood pressure on your blood vessels

If an underlying disease or condition has been identified as the cause, treatment of high blood pressure will focus on that condition. When it has been brought under control, your high blood pressure may go away.

Before using drugs to control high blood pressure, most doctors will suggest:

• Avoiding alcoholic drinks
• Cutting down on salt
• Exercising regularly
• Losing weight
• Making sure you get enough calcium, magnesium and potassium
• Quitting smoking

• Diuretics to rid the body of excess salt and water
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors to dilate the arteries and relieve pressure
• Andrenergic blockers to help the body avoid high blood pressure caused by stress
• Calcium-channel blockers, which cause blood vessels to widen using a different mechanism

Because drugs to lower high blood pressure work in different ways and have different effects, it may be necessary to work with your doctor over a period of time trying different drugs or combination of drugs to best manage your high blood pressure with the least side effects.