High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

Also called hypertension; happens when the body's smaller arteries (known as the arterioles) narrow, causing the blood to put too much pressure on the vessel walls. The heart must then work harder to maintain this higher pressure. Although the body can tolerate increased blood pressure for months and even years, eventually the heart enlarges and becomes damaged. Injury to blood vessels in the kidneys, the brain, and the eyes can also occur. High blood pressure adds to the heart's workload, and it can lead to blood vessel damage, which in turn can result in coronary artery disease, kidney failure, or stroke. High blood pressure is a consistently elevated pressure of 140 systolic or higher, and/or 90 diastolic or higher.

Symptoms: High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. The only way to tell if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure taken.