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Plus, high blood pressure affects more than just your health there are financial implications, too. "It's also a risk factor for stroke, kidney disease and several eye conditions." "Uncontrolled high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart disease in middle age, which is the leading cause of death in the U.S.," says Dr. How does blood pressure affect my health?Įven if you're only in your 20s or 30s, long-term studies show that having elevated blood pressure significantly increases your risk of developing serious health conditions later in life. Narrowing and hardening your arteries.Over time, this causes heart muscle to thicken, making it harder for the heart to fill with and pump blood. Having elevated or high blood pressure damages your heart and arteries by: Only normal blood pressure is considered healthy. High blood pressure, stage 2: 140/90 mmHg or higher.High blood pressure, stage 1: Between 130-139/80-90 mmHg.Elevated blood pressure: Between 120-129/80 mmHg.Normal blood pressure: Lower than 120/80 mmHg.This is why blood pressure is measured and segmented based on how it affects our health. "Your arteries are built to withstand some pressure, but there's a limit to what they can handle," says Dr. What your blood pressure numbers meanīlood pressure is the force that blood applies to the walls of arteries as it's pumped throughout the body. Plus, during the COVID-19 pandemic, having high blood pressure may increase your risk of getting seriously ill with COVID-19. "It's why we call high blood pressure the silent killer."
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Nasir, Chief of Cardiovascular Prevention and Wellness at Houston Methodist. "While it might not feel like it, high blood pressure quietly damages your body over time - increasing your risk of developing serious medical conditions," says Dr. High blood pressure doesn't cause obvious symptoms, but that doesn't mean it should be ignored. In fact, almost half of adults over the age of 20 have elevated or high blood pressure - even if they appear healthy. You're young, you're healthy - so does it actually matter that your doctor is concerned about your blood pressure?Įven if you're a young adult, you aren't too young to be affected by high blood pressure.
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