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  |  General Health  |  Diseases and conditions  |  How to keep your blood pressure down
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How to keep your blood pressure down

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Symptoms and complications
Elevated blood pressure levels increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes. Consistent high blood pressure also increases the risk of congestive heart failure and can lead to other problems, such as:
  • Atherosclerosis: Plaque collects on the walls of hypertension-damaged blood vessels, which can eventually lead to blockages in blood vessels such as leg arteries. Although this plaque builds up for many reasons as you age, high blood pressure accelerates the process.
  • Eye damage: High pressure in blood vessels can cause tiny haemorrhages in the retina, the light-sensitive membrane in the back of the eye on which images are formed.
  • Heart enlargement or failure: Hypertension increases the heart's workload. The heart chamber dilates over time and it may eventually be unable to pump blood properly, causing fluid to back up into the lungs.
  • Kidney damage and failure: Hypertension causes arteries going to the kidneys to become constricted, making them less efficient at filtering waste from your body. About 25 per cent of people now on dialysis began with mild, untreated hypertension. Early treatment of hypertension can help prevent kidney damage.
High blood pressure: diagnosis
Your doctor should check your blood pressure at least once every five years. A high blood pressure diagnosis should be based on the average of two abnormal readings per visit, taken at two different visits after an initial screening. It?s usual to leave a month between each set of readings, so the diagnosis is reached after 6 readings taken over a 2-month period. If the readings are very high, the gap between readings is reduced so that treatment is not delayed.


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Created: 07/03/2002  Updated: 10/10/2007

This iVillage Health service area is designed for educational purposes only. You should not rely on this information as a substitute for personal medical attention, diagnosis or hands-on treatment. If you are concerned about your health or that of a child, please consult your family's health provider immediately and do not wait for a response from our professionals. For the full Disclaimer, click here.
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