Overview
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, increases the risk of heart disease, and stroke. Risk factors include obesity, drinking too much alcohol, smoking and family history. It affects millions – even children and teens and will catch up with most people who live into older age. If you are African American, you are at higher risk.
Symptoms
One of the most dangerous aspects of hypertension is that you may not know that you have it. Your blood pressure can become dangerously high and threaten your organs and your life and you will never know unless you get checked regularly, especially if you are at risk and it’s for this reason that it’s often referred to as the “silent killer”.