High blood pressure, which is also called HBP and Hypertension, is a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and many other health problems.

[uc]HBP[/uc] is called the silent killer because it often has no symptoms and can cause serious diseases if it goes untreated for a long time. About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has high blood pressure. You can have it for years without knowing it. But, during this time it can damage the heart and the rest of your body. This is why knowing your blood pressure numbers is important, even when you’re feeling fine.

Blood pressure is like the pressure inside a tire. It’s simply the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. If that pressure gets to high, it will damage body organs, and you can actually have a blowout or an aneurysm. An aneurysm is a blood-filled dilation (balloon-like bulge) of a blood vessel or artery. The bulge in a blood vessel can burst and lead to death at any time, and the larger an aneurysm becomes, the more likely it is to burst.

Each time your heartbeats, it pumps out blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is highest when your heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When your heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure.

Your blood pressure reading uses these two numbers, the systolic and diastolic pressures. Usually they are written one above or before the other. A reading of 120/80 or lower is normal blood pressure, 140/90 or higher is high blood pressure.

If your blood pressure is normal, you can work with your health care team to keep it that way. If your blood pressure is too high, you need treatment to prevent damage to your body’s organs.

People who have high blood pressure can take steps to control it and reduce their risks for heart failure and other related health problems. Key steps include following a healthy lifestyle, having ongoing medical care, and following the treatment plan that your doctor prescribes.

Blood pressure tends to rise with age. Following a healthy lifestyle helps some people delay or prevent this rise in blood pressure. Yes, you can control high blood pressure through healthy living habits and taking medicines if needed. But, the real key is to always know and watch your blood pressure numbers and if they begin to climb - get to you doctor immediately.

It’s an extremely annoying constant cough and you can’t figure out why you have it. All of a sudden it just shows up one day and it won’t go away. This constant cough disturbs your sleep and interferes with your meals. The usual cough remedies don’t work. Anti-bacterial prescriptions have no effect, and neither do over-the-counter medicines. You don’t get relief from home cough remedies either.

Most maddening of all…you go to a doctor and your he or she can’t see any signs of a throat infection or inflammation.

This cough has many of the characterics of a so-called “smokers cough,” but even even people who have never smoked can get it.

What is it?

Well, if you have a cough that fits the description above, and you also have high blood pressure, you may be experiencing a little-known side effect of your blood pressure medication.

The so called ACE inhibitors, or common blood pressure drugs, may cause a constant cough. Sometimes people who are taking ACE inhibitors say their throat even feels slightly raw and sensitive to touch.

Blood pressure medications have long been known to cause a number of other side effects like hair loss and loss of taste.

Common blood pressure medications include prescription medicines like captopril (Capoten), enalapril (Vasotec), lisinopril (Zestril or Prinivil)

Anyone suffering from constant cough should investigate other blood pressure medications. But doctors are also quick to point out that anyone taking blood pressure medicine shouldn’t stop abruptly. The constant cough may be annoying, but it is probably not nearly as much of a threat to long term health as high blood pressure.

Click on blood pressure medication for additional information. You’ll find more than a dozen articles on topics related to blood pressure. Click on persistent cough for articles on constant cough.

These websites also offer resources and products available that will help you understand the relationship between blood pressure and constant cough better.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a serious and increasing problem that now affects over 72 million adult Americans. It almost seems fantastic but that means that 1 out of 3 adults in the USA are suffering from high blood pressure. With approximately 60 million Americans over the age of 55 this also means that Americans have a 90 percent chance of developing hypertension at some time in life. Also, if you happen to be an African American then you have a greater chance of developing hypertension than any other ethnic group and are also likely to suffer from hypertension at an earlier age and to a greater degree.

However that is not the end of the story as there are now about 20 million Americans suffering from diabetes and an incredible 142 million Americans who are either overweight or obese and individuals in both of these categories are at an increased risk of developing hypertension.

So just why should we worry about developing hypertension?

High blood pressure is a very serious condition that can easily lead to other life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, which is the chief cause of death in the USA today, and stroke, which is at present the third highest cause of death. Indeed hypertension is a contributory factor in two thirds of all heart attacks in the United States and in over three quarters of all strokes.

High blood pressure is also the chief reason for visits to the doctor and even a slight drop in the number of visits of around 10 percent could save something like $450 million dollars every year. In total it is estimated that the cost of treating hypertension and its associated complications costs the US economy around $100 billion every year.

Okay, so what is the solution to this problem?

First and foremost, the solution lies in educating people about the problem of hypertension and how to avoid developing it. The vast majority of of people suffering nowadays effectively cause the condition themselves because of their lifestyle. Poor eating habits, a lack of exercise, excessive drinking and smoking are all causes of high blood pressure and are all entirely within our own control.

Second, we must get people into the habit of checking their own blood pressure on a regular basis as unfortunately it is a condition with few if any symptoms to warn us of its presence. Today there are several excellent and quite inexpensive blood pressure monitors (including a number of Omron blood pressure monitors which have a world-wide reputation for excellence) that are fast and simple to use and can literally save your life.

Having a high blood pressure is kind of scary. There are so many conditions and diseases you are at a higher risk of developing with a high blood pressure, and they’re all serious. Looking into some blood pressure remedies is a good idea even if you only have a moderately high blood pressure.

Fortunately, there are a lot of effective blood pressure remedies out there, so you don’t have to look far. There are a lot of things you can do with very little physical effort, such as:

1. Cutting down your sodium intake

2. Quitting smoking

3. Reducing alcohol and caffeine intake

Smoking is especially horrible for blood pressure, and if you can stop smoking it could be the best blood pressure remedy you’ll ever try. Moderate to heavy drinking can also lead to an overall higher blood pressure, and caffeine and other stimulants are definite culprits as well.
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