By Barbara Pierce
Nearly half of all Americans have high blood pressure according to statistics from the American Heart Association, said physician Cynthia Jones, chief medical officer of Mosaic Health, Utica, and president of the Board of Directors of the American Heart Association of Greater Utica.
Jones shared with us the things we need to know about high blood pressure:
1 — What happens if we ignore our high blood pressure?

A: Ignoring high blood pressure puts you at great risk for heart attack, stroke, vision loss, heart failure, kidney disease or kidney failure and sexual dysfunction. High blood pressure is often the first domino in a chain or domino effect leading to devastating consequences.
It causes your heart to work harder. This can block or damage the arteries in the body and cause them to narrow and stiffen. It causes plaque to build up, creating bigger risk for heart attack and stroke. HBP can cause blood vessels in the brain to burst or clog more easily, causing a stroke.
HBP can strain or damage the blood vessels in the eyes, causing vision problems or loss of vision.
By damaging the arteries in your kidneys, HBP stops your kidneys from filtering blood the right way which can result in kidney disease.
A low sex drive in women or erectile dysfunction in men is another consequence of HBP.
HPB also reduces blood flow to the brain, creating a risk for neurodegenerative diseases including Alzheimer’s and vascular dementia.
A simple blood pressure check is the first step to preventing this domino effect of consequences.
2 — What are the causes of high blood pressure?
A: As you get older, you’re more likely to have high blood pressure. As we age, our blood vessels gradually lose some of their elastic quality. This can cause increased blood pressure. Certain racial groups, like Black, Hispanic and Asian adults, have higher rates of high blood pressure.
There is a significant genetic factor to high blood pressure — a family history of hypertension increases your risk of developing it. Knowing your family history can help you know if you are at risk of high blood pressure, stroke or cardiac incidents. You can’t change genetics, but you can eat a healthy diet and get regular exercise to reduce your risk of high blood pressure.
3 — What are the symptoms of high blood pressure? How do we know if we have it?
A: For most people, high blood pressure has no signs or symptoms. That’s why it’s often called “the silent killer.” That’s why it’s crucial to monitor your blood pressure, with your health care provider or on your own.
4 — What is a healthy blood pressure reading?
A: A healthy blood pressure reading is 120/80 or below.
Two numbers are recorded when measuring blood pressure: The top number is the systolic pressure. This is the pressure inside the artery when the heart contracts and pumps blood through the body. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure.
While systolic pressure is responsible for heart attacks or stroke, it’s important to closely monitor your diastolic pressure as well and take action when appropriate.
Call 911 if your blood pressure is higher than 180/120; or if you have chest pains, shortness of breath, change in vision or any of the FAST symptoms: face drooping, arm weakness, slurred speech.
5 — What is the best way to reduce my blood pressure if it’s high?
A: For most people, medication is the only way to control blood pressure. Take medication as your healthcare provider prescribes. Blood pressure is one of the most treatable conditions.
The goal of your healthcare provider will be to get your blood pressure down to the goal with minimal or no side effects. The medication that achieves this for you depends on you, whether your systolic or diastolic readings are high, how much they are high and other medical conditions. This may take some trial and error. Often it takes a combination of medications rather than the highest dose of just one.
Maintaining a normal blood pressure is critical to good health. Since HBP often has no noticeable symptoms, regular checks are the only way to identify and manage the issue.
If you have HBP, you’ll want to monitor it at home, a simple process if you have a blood pressure monitor.
Check if! Challenge
Beginning Feb. 1 through May 31, the American Heart Association is offering the free “Check It! Challenge” program, designed to help participants lower their blood pressure. For information and to register, visit www.heart.org/checkitny.
The American Heart Association, with support from local corporations, makes it possible for many outpatient offices of Bassett Health and Mosaic Health to provide self-monitoring blood pressure cuffs to established patients at risk of high blood pressure. Some public libraries in the Mohawk Valley have self-monitoring blood pressure cuffs available to loan.