High Blood Pressure
What Every Patient and Family Should Know
Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps. When this pressure remains consistently too high, it is called hypertension, or high blood pressure. It is recorded as two numbers in mmHg (millimeters of mercury):
- Systolic (top number) — Pressure in your arteries when your heart beats
- Diastolic (bottom number) — Pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats
| Category | Systolic | Diastolic |
|---|---|---|
| Normal | Less than 120 mmHg | Less than 80 mmHg |
| Elevated | 120–129 mmHg | Less than 80 mmHg |
| High BP – Stage 1 | 130–139 mmHg | 80–89 mmHg |
| High BP – Stage 2 | 140+ mmHg | 90+ mmHg |
| ⚠️ Hypertensive Crisis | Higher than 180 mmHg | Higher than 120 mmHg |
Staggering Fact:
Nearly half of all U.S. adults — approximately 120 million people — have hypertension. More than 75% of them do not have it under adequate control.
High blood pressure almost never causes noticeable symptoms. Most people live for years — sometimes decades — with dangerously elevated pressure without realizing it. There are rarely warning signs until serious, irreversible damage to the heart, brain, kidneys, or blood vessels has already occurred. This is precisely why routine blood pressure checks are one of the most important preventive health steps you can take.
- Age — Risk increases significantly after age 45 for men and 65 for women
- Family History — Hypertension strongly tends to run in families
- Overweight or Obesity — Places extra mechanical and metabolic strain on the heart and arteries
- Physical Inactivity — Sedentary lifestyle raises both resting heart rate and blood pressure
- High-Sodium Diet — Excess salt causes the body to retain fluid, raising pressure
- Alcohol & Tobacco Use — Both raise blood pressure and damage blood vessel walls
- Chronic Stress — Sustained stress hormones repeatedly spike blood pressure
- Race — African Americans develop hypertension earlier and more severely, with higher complication rates
- Heart attack — narrowed coronary arteries cut blood supply to heart muscle
- Stroke — high pressure can rupture or block arteries in the brain
- Heart failure — the overworked heart muscle gradually weakens and enlarges
- Chronic kidney disease or kidney failure
- Vision loss from damage to delicate blood vessels in the eyes
- Aortic aneurysm — weakened artery wall balloons outward and risks life-threatening rupture
- Reduce sodium intake — Target less than 2,300 mg/day; aim for 1,500 mg/day if you are high-risk.
- Follow the DASH Diet — Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension: rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy.
- Exercise regularly — 30 minutes of moderate aerobic activity on most days of the week.
- Limit alcohol — No more than 1 drink/day for women, 2 drinks/day for men.
- Quit smoking — Blood pressure starts improving within 20 minutes of your last cigarette.
- Manage stress — Meditation, yoga, deep breathing, and quality sleep all lower blood pressure measurably.
- Take medications faithfully — Never stop antihypertensives abruptly; always consult your provider or pharmacist first.
How Your Pharmacist Can Help
Pharmacist-led blood pressure programs have demonstrated a reduction in systolic blood pressure by an average of 7.3 mmHg — a clinically meaningful result. At Phrump Care, we offer free blood pressure screenings, medication counseling and refill reminders, guidance on choosing and using home blood pressure monitors, heart-healthy lifestyle counseling, and identification of common OTC medications (decongestants, NSAIDs) that can silently raise blood pressure.