High blood pressure - what to ask your doctor
What to ask your doctor about high blood pressure; Hypertension - what to ask your doctorWhen your heart pumps blood into your arteries, the pressure of the blood against the artery walls is called your blood pressure. Your blood pressure is given as two numbers: systolic over diastolic blood pressure. Your systolic blood pressure is the highest blood pressure during the course of your heart beat cycle. Your diastolic blood pressure is the lowest pressure.
When your blood pressure gets too high, it puts extra stress on your heart and blood vessels. If your blood pressure stays high all the time, you will be at a higher risk for heart attacks and other vascular (blood vessel) diseases, strokes, kidney disease, and other health problems.
Blood pressure gets too high
Blood pressure is a measurement of the force exerted against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood to your body. Hypertension is the ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleHeart attacks
Most heart attacks are caused by a blood clot that blocks one of the coronary arteries. The coronary arteries bring blood and oxygen to the heart. ...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleStrokes
A stroke occurs when blood flow to a part of the brain stops. A stroke is sometimes called a "brain attack. " If blood flow is cut off for longer th...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleKidney disease
Chronic kidney disease is the slow loss of kidney function over time. The main job of the kidneys is to remove wastes and excess water from the body...
Read Article Now Book Mark ArticleBelow are questions you may want to ask your health care provider to help you take care of your blood pressure.
Questions
How can I change the way I live to lower my blood pressure?
- What is a heart-healthy diet? Is it OK to ever eat something that is not heart healthy? What are some ways to eat healthy when I go to a restaurant?
Heart-healthy diet
A healthy diet is an important factor in reducing your risk for heart disease.
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Do I need to limit how much salt I use? Are there other spices that I can use to make my food taste good?
Limit how much salt I use
Too much sodium in your diet can be bad for you. If you have high blood pressure or heart failure, you may be asked to limit the amount of salt (whi...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - Is it OK to drink alcohol? How much is OK?
- What can I do to stop smoking? Is it OK to be around other people who are smoking?
Stop smoking
There are many ways to quit smoking. There are also resources to help you. Family members, friends, and co-workers may be supportive. But to be su...
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Should I check my blood pressure at home?
- What type of equipment should I buy? Where can I learn how to use it?
Equipment
Your health care provider may ask you to keep track of your blood pressure at home. To do this, you will need to get home blood pressure monitor. T...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article - How often do I need to check my blood pressure? Should I write it down and bring it to my next visit?
- If I cannot check my own blood pressure, where else can I have it checked?
- What should my blood pressure reading be? Should I rest before taking my blood pressure?
- When should I call my provider?
What is my cholesterol? Do I need to take medicines for it?
Is it OK to be sexually active? Is it safe to use sildenafil (Viagra), vardenafil (Levitra), or tadalafil (Cialis), or avanafil (Stendra) for erection problems?
What medicines am I taking to treat high blood pressure?
Medicines
Treating high blood pressure will help prevent problems such as heart disease, stroke, loss of eyesight, chronic kidney disease, and other blood vess...
Read Article Now Book Mark Article- Do they have any side effects? What should I do if I miss a dose?
- Is it ever safe to stop taking any of these medicines on my own?
How much activity can I do?
- Do I need to have a stress test before I exercise?
- Is it safe for me to exercise on my own?
- Should I exercise inside or outside?
- Which activities should I start with? Are there activities or exercises that are not safe for me?
- How long and how hard can I exercise?
- What are the warning signs that I should stop exercising?
References
Bakris GL, Sorrentino MJ. Systemic hypertension: mechanisms, diagnosis, and treatment. In: Libby P, Bonow RO, Mann DL, Tomaselli GF, Bhatt DL, Solomon SD, eds. Braunwald's Heart Disease: A Textbook of Cardiovascular Medicine.12th ed. Philadelphia, PA: Elsevier; 2022:chap 26.
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention website. High blood pressure. www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/index.htm. Updated March 14, 2023. Accessed March 22, 2023.
Whelton PK, Carey RM, Aronow WS, et al. 2017 ACC/AHA/AAPA/ABC/ACPM/AGS/APhA/ASH/ASPC/NMA/PCNA guideline for the prevention, detection, evaluation, and management of high blood pressure in adults: a report of the American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association Task Force on Clinical Practice Guidelines. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018; 71(19)e127-e248. PMID: 29146535 pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/29146535/.
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Review Date: 3/2/2023
Reviewed By: Jacob Berman, MD, MPH, Clinical Assistant Professor of Medicine, Division of General Internal Medicine, University of Washington School of Medicine, Seattle, WA. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.