(KNSI) — High blood pressure – often called hypertension – is also known as a silent killer.
May is High Blood Pressure Education Month, and specialist Dr. Lawrence Fine explains it’s a silent killer because “high blood pressure often does not have any symptoms with it so you don’t really know that your blood pressure is high and it goes up gradually as you get older so you really don’t know that you have high blood pressure unless you check it regularly.”
Experts define a high blood pressure reading as consistently exceeding 140 over 90.
Dr. Fine says that becoming familiar with your blood pressure and learning to self-monitor could prevent or delay other serious health concerns like heart attack and heart failure. “When you have a blood pressure monitor, if you have any questions about it you can take your monitor to your doctor and when you’re at your doctor’s a good thing to do is they’re going to measure your blood pressure and then you measure your blood pressure with your device.”
The World Health Organization says hypertension is often genetic, but some ways to keep blood pressure in check include drinking less alcohol, eating a low salt diet, and maintaining a healthy weight.
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