Battling High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure increases your risk for heart attack, stroke and other dangerous conditions. Now, the latest statistics show the hypertension-related death rate rose more than 23 percent from 2000 through 2013 when adjusted for age. (National Institutes of Health, n.d.). According to the report from the National Center for Health Statistics, the rate for all other causes of death combined decreased 21% during the same time period. (National Institutes of Health, n.d.).

Other findings - the hypertension-related death rate was lower for women than men between the ages of 45 and 84, but higher at 85 and older. (National Institutes of Health, n.d.). High blood pressure was listed as the underlying cause of death in one out of six hypertension-related deaths. The other top contributing causes of death with any mention of hypertension were heart disease, stroke, cancer and diabetes. (National Institutes of Health, n.d.).  Therefore, about 70 million American adults have high blood pressure, but only about half have the condition under control.

This article was chosen based off my personal struggles with hypertension. This is a silence killer and because minorities, particularly Black Americans are at a greater risk of having hypertension-related death. This article show the significance difference between women and men as it related to hypertension. Therefore it is important for me to stay education make any changes to my overall health and keep my blood pressure under control with a proper diet and exercise.

Reference:

National Institutes of Health. (n.d.). Battling High Blood Pressure: MedlinePlus Health News Video. Retrieved March 26, 2015, from http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/videos/news/High_Blood_032615.html