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May 2006
NHM Health Focus: High Blood Pressure Education
May is National
High Blood Pressure Education Month. This year's theme, "Mission
Possible: Prevent and Control High Blood Pressure", calls attention
to this very serious, but often undiagnosed condition. High blood pressure,
also known as hypertension, is a condition that increasingly affects
young as well as older people.
Who does high blood pressure (hypertension) impact?
- "More than 65 million American adults — 1 in 3 —
have high blood pressure."
- "Nearly 60 million Americans are over age 55 which means they have
a 90 percent likelihood of developing high blood pressure in their
lifetimes."
- "African Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure
than any other racial or ethnic group and tend to develop it earlier
and more severely than others."
- "18 million Americans have diabetes which increases their chances
of developing high blood pressure. "
- "122 million American adults are overweight or obese which increases
their chances of developing high blood pressure."
– National
Heart Blood Lung Institute
What is the damage caused by high blood pressure?
- High blood pressure can cause the heart to work too hard. It also
makes the walls of the arteries hard increasing the risk for heart
disease and stroke.
- High blood pressure can cause weakened blood vessels to break and
bleed in the brain causing a stroke. A blood clot blocking one of
the narrowed arteries can also cause a stroke.
- High blood pressure is the number one risk factor for congestive
heart failure (CHF). CHF is a serious condition in which the heart
is unable to pump enough blood to supply the body's needs.
- High blood pressure can cause blood vessels in the eye to burst
or bleed. Vision may become blurred or otherwise impaired and can
result in blindness.
- High blood pressure causes blood vessels in the kidneys to narrow
and thickens the walls of blood vessels making them less efficient
and causing waste to build up in the blood.
– National
Heart Blood Lung Institute
"No matter what category your blood pressure falls under, adopting
healthy lifestyle habits can help keep it under control. Once your blood
pressure rises above 115/75 millimeters of mercury, your risk of cardiovascular
complications starts increasing." Mayo
Clinic
Access Excellence @ the National Health Museum has these resources
related to the heart, blood and circulation:
Activities Exchange: Classic Collection - The
Heart and the Circulatory System (includes background info and
classroom activities)
Activities Exchange: Fellows Collection – Travel
Brochure of the Body Systems
Activities Exchange: Fellows Collection – Heart
Engineering Activity
Health Headquarters: Question of the Week – The
Heart
Health Headquarters: Question of the Week – Heart
Disease
What's News: Newsmaker Interview – State
of the Heart, the Future of Cardiology
What's News: Newsmaker Interview – State
of the Art in Artificial Hearts
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