The Coastal Health District of Georgia serves the counties of Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long & McIntosh
The Coastal Health District of Georgia serves the counties of Bryan, Camden, Chatham, Effingham, Glynn, Liberty, Long & McIntosh
High blood pressure can lead to serious heart complications – that’s the bad news.
But the good news is this: simple changes in your lifestyle can have a big impact on your heart health. The Coastal Health District can help.
Our Chronic Disease Prevention Programs can give you the knowledge, skills, and resources to take control of your blood pressure. Click the links below to learn more about these free heart health programs:
As your heart pumps blood through your body, that blood applies pressure to the walls of your blood vessels. High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is when the force of that blood pushing through your veins is consistently too high.
This happens when there is a large buildup of plaque in your blood vessels. Too much plaque increases the pressure on the vessel wall and narrows your arteries. Plaque build-up creates a lot more work for your heart and your arteries and can lead to serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.
One major problem is that many people have high blood pressure and don’t know it.
Health experts estimate that 18% of the population has undiagnosed hypertension. That’s because high blood pressure develops over several years and often with silent symptoms.
There is good news though: high blood pressure is easy to diagnose with a simple blood pressure test, and can be treated.
Your risk of developing high blood pressure is higher if you eat an unhealthy diet high in trans-fat and sodium, you don’t exercise, and you have an unhealthy living environment.
Age is another factor, with a higher risk for adults 40 to 65 years of age.
Minority populations also experience an increased rate of hypertension diagnosis. More than 40% of African Americans are at risk of high blood pressure, and more than 25% of the Hispanic population is at risk.
There are things you can do to lower your high blood pressure:Blood pressure is measured using 2 numbers. The first number, called systolic blood pressure, represents the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart beats. The second number, called diastolic blood pressure, represents the pressure in your blood vessels when your heart rests between beats. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg).
The chart below shows normal, at-risk, and high blood pressure levels.
| Normal | systolic: less than 120 mmHg diastolic: less than 80mmHg |
| At-Risk (prehypertension) | systolic: 120–139 mmHg diastolic: 80–89 mmHg |
| High | systolic: 140 mmHg or higher diastolic: 90 mmHg or higher |
Resources:
