Question:  I am 46 years old and was just told by my doctor that I have high blood pressure.  I was prescribed several new medications.  I wanted to know if this is curable, or will I have high blood pressure the rest of my life.  I also want to know if there is something else I can do to reduce my blood pressure.  What causes high blood pressure?

Answer:  Receiving a new diagnosis can be overwhelming. The first step to managing the symptoms and disease process is understanding what causes high blood pressure.  Another name you may hear your doctor refer to when speaking of high blood pressure is hypertension.  Hypertension or high blood pressure refers to the pressure in your arteries which is consistenlty above the normal range.  It is written as two numbers.  The top, or systolic number is the pressure when the heart beats.  The bottom, or diastolic number is the pressure when the heart is at rest.  High blood pressure is a consistently elevated pressure of 140 systolic or higher and or 90 diastolic or higher.  No one really knows what causes most cases of high blood pressure.  It usually can’t be cured, but it can be controlled.  Not treating high blood pressure is extremely dangerous.  High blood pressure usually doesn’t have any signs, that is why it is so dangerous.  Make sure you get your pressure checked by your primary care physician at least once every 3 to 6 months to make sure it is within normal limits.  If you have any further questions regarding your blood pressure medications, I would love to hear from you again.

Although there is no definite cause of high blood pressure the following groups are at higher risk:

1.  People with a family history

2.  African Americans

3.  Overweight people

4.  People who use too much salt

5.  People who use too much alcohol

6.  Pregnant women

7.  People over 35