Tackling The Problem Of Hypertension In The Us Today

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Tackling The Problem Of Hypertension In The Us Today

Wednesday, February 27th, 2008 Subscribe To Our Feed

High blood pressure (hypertension) is a very serious and growing problem that now affects more than 72 million American adults. It really does seem fantastic but that means that 1 out of 3 adults in the USA are suffering from high blood pressure. With almost 60 million Americans now over 55 years of age this also means that there is a 9 out of 10 chance of suffering from hypertension at some time in life. Additionally, if you are an African American then you are far more likely to develop hypertension than any other ethnic group and are lokely to experience hypertension at an earlier age and more severely.

However that is not the end of the story as there are now around 20 million Americans who suffer from diabetes and an unbelievable 142 million Americans who are overweight or obese and people in both of these groups are at an increased risk of suffering from hypertension.

So just why should we be so concerned about suffering from hypertension?

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

Hypertension is also the leading reason for visits to the doctor and even a quite small reduction in the number of sufferers of about ten percent would save about $450 million dollars a year. In total it is estimated that the cost of treating hypertension and its associated complications costs the American economy approximately $100 billion a year.

So just what is the answer to the problem?

To start, the answer lies in educating individuals about the problem of hypertension and how to avoid developing it in the first place. The vast majority of of people suffering today effectively cause the problem themselves as a result of their lifestyle. A poor choice of diet, a lack of exercise, excessive drinking and tobacco are all causes of high blood pressure and are all entirely within our own control.

The second thing we must do is to get people used to checking their own blood pressure regularly as it is unfortunately a condition with very few if any symptoms to warn us of its approach. Nowadays there are a number of excellent and relatively inexpensive blood pressure monitors (including a number of Omron blood pressure monitors with a world-wide reputation for excellence) that are fast and simple to use and can quite literally save your life.

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