How To Tackle The Problem Of Hypertension In The Us Today

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a very serious and increasing problem that now affects over 72 million adult Americans. It really does seem fantastic but that means that 1 out of 3 adults in America suffer from high blood pressure. With nearly 60 million Americans now over the age of 55 this also means that Americans have a 90 percent chance of suffering from high blood pressure at some time in life. In addition, if you are an African American then you have far more chance of developing high blood pressure than other ethnic groups and are lokely to suffer from high blood pressure earlier in life and more severely.

However that is far from the end of the story as there are now around 20 million Americans suffering from diabetes and an incredible 142 million Americans who are overweight or obese and individuals in both of these groups are at an increased risk of suffering from high blood pressure.

But why should we worry about high blood pressure?

Hypertension is an extremely serious condition that can very easily lead to other life-threatening conditions like heart disease, which is the chief cause of death in America today, and stroke, which is at present the number three cause of death. In fact high blood pressure is a factor in 2 out of 3 heart attacks in the United States and in over three quarters of all strokes.

Hypertension is also the main reason for visits to the doctor and even a modest reduction in the number of sufferers of say ten percent could save somewhere in the region of $450 million dollars every year. Altogether it is estimated that the cost of treating high blood pressure and its associated complications costs the American economy approximately $100 billion a year.

So just what is the solution to the problem?

First, the solution lies in educating individuals about the problem of high blood pressure and about how to avoid developing it in the first place. The majority of of people suffering nowadays effectively cause the problem themselves as a result of their lifestyle. Bad diet, insufficient exercise, excessive drinking and smoking are all causes of high blood pressure and are all entirely within our own control.

Second, we must get people into the habit of checking their blood pressure on a regular basis as unfortunately it is a condition with few if any symptoms to warn us of its presence. Nowadays there are a number of excellent and quite inexpensive blood pressure monitors (including a range of Omron blood pressure monitors which have a world-wide reputation for excellence) that are fast and easy to use and can literally save your life.