Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by our blood on the walls of our arteries during circulation. Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80. This means the maximum pressure (Systolic blood pressure)exerted by a column of blood on the walls of our arteries is 120 mm of mercury and when the heart is relaxed this pressure comes down to 80 mm of mercury(diastolic blood pressure).
When the blood pressure becomes more than 140 systolic and 90 diastolic, we call it high blood pressure or hypertension. Most people develop some hypertension as they grow older due to their blood vessels becoming rigid. At times even younger people develop high blood pressure when there is some medical issue with their kidneys or adrenal gland.
High blood pressure over time increases the work load of the heart and can cause heart damage. It also increases a person’s risk of heart attacks, strokes, paralysis and kidney disease.
High blood pressure is also called as the silent killer as for a long time the person may not show any symptoms and there would be damage to the main organs happening silently. Almost 20% people suffering from high blood pressure do not know that they have this problem. High blood pressure is one of the main reasons of heart attacks and strokes happening all over the world.
The reason why blood pressure becomes high in some people remains largely unknown. Old age, kidney and adrenal gland diseases may result in high blood pressure in some.
When the blood pressure reading lies between 120 and 139 for the upper systolic one, and / or the diastolic reading lies between 80 and 89, it is labelled as pre-hypertension. Even when your blood pressure is in the pre-hypertension range, your heart is at a higher risk of damage as compared to someone who has a normal blood pressure. Doctors usually advise to keep the blood pressure readings as close to 120 and 80 mm of mercury as possible.
When a person is on treatment for high blood pressure, the aim should be to keep the readings at or below 120 and 80 mm of mercury.