High Blood Pressure
One Stop Family Clinic
Family Practice & Walk-In Clinic located in Murfreesboro, TN
Board Certified Nurse Practitioner Emily Robinette of One Stop Family Clinic, in Murfreesboro, Tennessee, diagnoses and manages high blood pressure for men and women across Rutherford County.
High Blood Pressure Q & A
What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure (HBP or hypertension) is when the force of the blood flowing through an individual’s arteries is consistently too high. Some 80 million Americans — that’s one in every three adults over the age of 20 — suffer from high blood pressure, many of whom are unaware that they have it.
How important is it to have my blood pressure checked?
The best way to know if you have high blood pressure it is to have your blood pressure checked by a medical professional. The reading will include two numbers:
- Systolic blood pressure (the top number) — indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls during heartbeats.
- Diastolic blood pressure (the bottom number) — indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls while the heart is resting between beats.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can be fatal and is, in fact, sometimes called "the silent killer" because with HBP, there are often no symptoms.
High blood pressure that is not controlled can cause a number of complications, including:
- Heart disease or a heart attack
- Stroke
- Kidney Damage
- Vision Loss
- Erectile Dysfunction
- Angina
- Peripheral artery disease
How is high blood pressure treated?
High blood pressure can be reversed with lifestyle changes, sometimes in conjunction with medication.
Whether medication is deemed necessary, lifestyle modifications are also essential. This includes following a low-salt, low-fat diet, limiting alcohol consumption, getting daily exercise, and maintaining a healthy weight. In addition to watching the scale, it’s important to also keep an eye on your waistline. Excessive weight around the waist, in particular, puts individuals at greater risk of high blood pressure. In general, men are at risk if their waist circumference is over 40 inches and for women with waist circumferences greater than 35 inches.