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High Blood Pressure: Questions and Answers
What is High Blood Pressure?
Your blood pushes against your blood vessels as your heart beats. Sometimes this push is too great. Then high blood pressure results.
High blood pressure can cause a stroke... or heart attack... or kidney disease.
Who can get high blood pressure?
High blood pressure is a common problem. Anybody can have it. Young and old, men and women, relaxed people and tense people... anybody. If you are over 40, you have a bigger chance of having high blood pressure.
How can you tell if you have it?
You can't tell by yourself if you have it. You can feel good, or feel bad. But the way you feel does not tell you. There is only one way to find out. Have a doctor or nurse check your blood pressure.
Can you control high blood pressure?
High blood pressure usually cannot be cured. But you can control it. You can bring your blood pressure down to normal. How? By following your doctor or nurse's instructions and treatment-every day.
Then you can lead a normal, active, healthy life.
If you have high blood pressure, see a doctor The doctor can help you control your blood pressure. You may be given pills to take every day. The doctor may ask you to do other things. Like stop smoking, losing weight, exercising and using less salt.
Be sure you know just what the doctor asks you to do. Ask questions to be sure. Millions of people control their blood pressure. You can, too.
[Reprinted from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, 1996].