Whenever you visit a doctor’s office, one of the initial procedures they perform is to put a cuff around your arm and measure your blood pressure as part of their routine check-up.
It is not an exaggeration to state that this fast, simple, and painless method of assessing cardiovascular health can potentially save your life, as high blood pressure (hypertension) often presents no noticeable symptoms. This is why it is known as the silent killer.
At James Kim Cardiology, Dr. Kim and our team fully understand the significance of this type of primary health screening, and we would like to take a moment to emphasize its importance here.
Understanding Hypertension
Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, occurs when the blood in your arteries exerts too much pressure on the walls of these blood vessels. Over time, this condition increases your risk of serious and life-threatening cardiovascular complications, such as heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
When we measure your blood pressure, we gather two numbers:
- Systolic pressure: The pressure of the blood during a heartbeat
- Diastolic pressure: The pressure of the blood between heartbeats
Blood pressure readings between 120-139 over 80-89 are considered pre-hypertensive, while readings of 140/90 or higher indicate hypertension.
Nearly half of adults in the United States have hypertension, and many are unaware of it since there are typically no outward signs.
The Importance of Regular Hypertension Screening
Most people with high blood pressure don’t experience any noticeable symptoms. The only way to accurately assess your cardiovascular health is by measuring your blood pressure.
To highlight the importance of regular hypertension screening, the CDC provides two crucial statistics:
- Hypertension was the primary contributing cause of death for over 500,000 people in the US in 2019.
- Annually, 200,000 deaths from heart disease and stroke in the US are preventable.
A quick and painless screening can help us detect high blood pressure, allowing us to take necessary steps to lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of serious health complications.
Managing Hypertension
While having hypertension is concerning, there’s good news: it’s a condition we can manage effectively.
If we find that you have high blood pressure, we take swift action to lower it, which may include:
- Dietary changes
- Exercise
- Losing weight
- Quitting smoking
- Medications
Most of these steps are actions you can take yourself, with our guidance. Lifestyle changes like eating healthier foods and exercising more are crucial for lowering your blood pressure and reducing your risks for heart attack and stroke.
The bottom line is that the 30 seconds it takes to measure your blood pressure could potentially save your life. To get started, simply contact one of our offices in Chula Vista or National City, California.
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Hypertension Management, Stress and Heart Health
