Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure （你的向导来降低血压）.pdf

Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES National Institutes of Health National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Your Guide to Lowering Blood Pressure What Are High Blood Pressure and Prehypertension? Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. Blood pressure rises and falls throughout the day. When blood pressure stays elevated over time, it’s called high blood pressure. The medical term for high blood pressure is hypertension. High blood pressure is danger- ous because it makes the heart work too hard and contributes to atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries). It increases the risk of heart disease (see box 1) and stroke, which are the first- and third-leading causes of death among Americans. High blood pressure also can result in other conditions, such as congestive heart failure, kidney disease, and blindness. box 1 Risk Factors for Heart Disease Risk factors are conditions or behaviors that increase your chances of developing a disease. When you have more than one risk factor for heart disease, your risk of developing heart disease greatly multiplies. So if you have high blood pressure, you need to take action. Fortunately, you can control most heart disease risk factors. Risk factors you can control: Risk factors beyond your control: • High blood pressure • Age (55 or older for men; 65 or older for women) • Abnormal cholesterol • Family history of early heart disease (having a father or •Tobacco use brother diagnosed with heart disease before ag