What is Hypertension?

When the force of your blood going through your blood vessels is too great, it’s called high blood pressure. Hypertension, or chronic high blood pressure, can be dangerous because it forces the heart to work too hard, and it can damage blood vessels. Blood pressure is created by the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as it circulates and the force of the arteries as they resist the blood flow. This can lead to serious health problems like heart attack and stroke. Nearly 40 percent of the people who are being treated for high blood pressure do not have it under control.

-Novartis BPSuccessZone

Resources

American Heart Association (AHA)

How Can I Lower Cholesterol?
What Do My Cholesterol Levels Mean?
What is High Blood Cholesterol?
What is Hyperlipidemia?

My Pyramid – Steps to a Healthier You

One size doesn’t fit all. MyPyramid offers personalized eating plans and interactive tools to help you plan/assess your food choices based on the Dietary Guidelines for Americans.

MerckSource

Comprehensive health information including health news updates and health resources.

BP Success Zone – High Blood Pressure Treatment Program

More than just tips and tools – it’s your source for inspiration, education, and encouragement.

My Heart Now: A Guide to Heart Health

Learn all you can about the risk factors for heart disease.

High blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease, stroke, congestive heart failure, & kidney disease. Almost one fifth (21.3%) of the people with high blood pressure don’t know that they have it. High blood pressure was listed as a primary or contributing cause of death for 319,000 Americans in 2005.

Source: CDC