BLOOD PRESSURE FACTS

• High blood pressure is a major risk factor for coronary heart disease, stroke, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease and renal failure.

• High blood pressure is more likely to develop among people who are overweight or physically inactive, or have high dietary salt intakes.

• Hypertension is the most frequently managed problem in general practice in Australia, accounting for 8.6% of encounters and 7.9% of prescriptions in general practice.

• The AusDiab Study found that in 1999-2000 the prevalence of high blood pressure in the Australian population was 28.6 per 100 people with 15.2 per 100 untreated and 13.4 per 100 treated for this condition.3 This means that there is nearly one untreated and possibly undiagnosed person with hypertension, for every person on treatment.

• Of those with untreated hypertension, 78.3% had mild, 17.4% had moderate and 4.3% had severe elevations in blood pressure.

• The following factors were significantly associated with those people with untreated hypertension: male, younger age, not diabetic or obese, normal lipid levels, current smoker, excessive alcohol intake, insufficient physical activity.

• At least one modifiable risk factor was present in 71.7% of participants with untreated hypertension. A high burden of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular risk was found in those with untreated hypertension. This shows that there is still enormous scope for reducing cardiovascular disease rates in Australia by better treating and preventing hypertension.

• 53.5% of those with untreated hypertension have a high absolute risk of cardiovascular disease or already have cardiovascular disease. This represents 8.1% of the population or about 1 million Australians who could benefit from drug treatment of hypertension.

• For those on treatment a high proportion still have elevated blood pressure levels. 30.7% had blood pressure levels in the normal range, 35.7% had mild and 17.7% had moderate and 6.9% had severe elevations in blood pressure.

• High blood pressure causes the third greatest burden of disease in Australia – over 5% of the total burden of disease and injury, second only to tobacco smoking and physical inactivity.

• In general, the lowering of blood pressure with medication offers a cost-effective means of preventing first onset cardiovascular disease among the adult Australian population. Cost-effectiveness is greater if treatment is targeted to those with higher absolute (pre-treatment) risk.

What Is High Blood Pressure

Blood pressure (strictly speaking: vascular pressure) refers to the force exerted by circulating blood on the walls of blood vessels, and constitutes one of the principal vital signs and blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of the arteries. Most adults have either high blood pressure (hypertension) or prehypertensive blood pressure levels. Blood pressure is continually changing depending on activity, temperature, diet, emotional state, posture, physical state, and medication use.

For a young, healthy adult, normal blood pressure is about 110/70, but generally, the lower your blood pressure is, the better. If you have a reading of 140/90 or more, you have high blood pressure, also known as hypertension. Low blood pressure is also known as hypotension. If you have low blood pressure, to a certain degree you have some protection against factors that increase blood pressure, such as eating too much salt, not eating enough fruit and vegetables, or being overweight.

High blood pressure in adults is defined as a consistently elevated blood pressure of 140 mm Hg systolic and 90 mm Hg diastolic or higher. Uncontrolled high blood pressure is indirectly responsible for many deaths and disability resulting from heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. According to research studies, the risk of dying of a heart attack is directly linked to blood pressure, especially systolic hypertension. The higher your blood pressure, the higher your risk, even with blood pressure in the normal range.

However, the progress of heart disease caused by high blood pressure can be slowed down. High blood pressure has become the second most common reason for medical office visits in the United States.