What Is the Prevention of Hypertension?

Hypertension is another word for high blood pressure. Hypertension occurs when the smallest blood-carrying vessels in the body (arterioles) shrink, or constrict. This shrinking forces the heart to work harder to get blood to flow throughout the body. If allowed to develop--and if left untreated--high blood pressure can damage vital organs, including the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes. There are steps people can take to prevent, or stop, hypertension from developing.

Significance

• High blood pressure is an epidemic. It affects 1 in 3 Americans. People age 65 or older have a 90 percent chance of developing the disease. African-Americans are at higher risk for developing hypertension than any other racial or ethnic group.

Prevention/Solution

• Anyone can develop high blood pressure, but the US Department of Health and Human Services states, "Hypertension can almost always be prevented" by following a healthy living routine.

Diet

• Obesity is directly linked to the development of high blood pressure, so maintaining a healthy weight by eating healthy foods is crucial to preventing hypertension. A healthy diet is one that relies heavily on fruits, vegetables and grains and has a low concentration of animal fat. Diets high in salt have been shown negatively impact blood pressure, so daily salt intake should be limited to between 1,500 and 2,400 milligrams.

  While a small amount of alcohol--one to two drinks a day--can actually lower blood pressure, drinking more than that may actually raise blood pressure. Also, caffeine can temporarily increase blood pressure. So caffeinated drinks such as coffee and tea should be limited to one or two cups a day.

Exercise

• Another tactic in the fight against both obesity and high blood pressure is daily exercise. The activity doesn't have to be anything that rocks the joints, even walking 30 minutes a day will help keep blood pressure and weight in check.

Medication

• Keeping other illnesses under control is an important step in preventing high blood pressure. For instance, people with diabetes are at higher risk for developing hypertension, which means taking the required medications to control blood sugar will an also help guard against high blood pressure.

Tobacco

• Smoking damages the arteries and can cause blood pressure to remain high for as long as an hour after smoking. That means a chain smoker could have high blood pressure all day.

Considerations

• Hypertension is known as the silent killer because most people have no symptoms of the disease. A person may feel fine, but high blood pressure may be making them vulnerable to heart attack, stroke or kidney disease. The American Heart Association says a person's blood pressure is considered normal if it is below 120 over 80. The only way to know if your blood pressure is normal is to have it checked by a health-care practitioner.