High Blood Pressure

If you have high blood pressure (also known as hypertension), you’re not alone. An estimated one in three adults are living with high blood pressure in the United States, and one in five of them don’t even know it.

Though it’s highly common, high blood pressure is a serious health condition if left untreated. High blood pressure increases your risk for kidney disease, diabetes, stroke and heart disease. Our team of board-certified nephrologists are here to help you lower and manage your high blood pressure.

High blood pressure occurs when the force of blood flowing against the walls of the arteries is too high. It is diagnosed by a simple blood pressure reading.

• Normal blood pressure is 120 over 80 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) or lower.
• High blood pressure is 140 over 90 mmHg or higher.

Risk factors

There are various risk factors that may put you at risk for high blood pressure, including:

• Age: As you age, your blood pressure rises.
• Race/Ethnicity: African American adults are more at risk than white or Hispanic adults.
• Being overweight
• Gender: Men ages 55 and younger are more likely to develop high blood pressure than women, while women ages 55 and older are more likely to develop high blood pressure than men.
• Unhealthy lifestyle habits: Smoking, diets that are high in salt and a lack of physical activity all contribute to high blood pressure.
• Family history of high blood pressure

Treatment/prevention

High blood pressure is known as the "silent killer" because it has no warning signs or symptoms, which is why seeing your doctor for regular check-ups is important.

Because each person’s condition is unique, we work closely with you to develop a treatment plan, which may include lifestyle changes, medication or some combination of treatments. You can control your blood pressure by eating healthy, exercising and maintaining a healthy weight.