Brief description

Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure may lack symptoms for more than one year in many cases. But the absence of these signs doesn't mean that the disease is not present. This affection should be taken very seriously, because its consequences may even result in a heart attack or in a stroke.

The quantity of blood pumped by the heart and the degree of resistance of the arteries to the blood flow are factors that determine blood pressure. High blood pressure is proportional with the amount of blood pumped by the heart and the narrowness of the arteries.

Almost everyone is at certain point attacked by this condition, which, in most of the cases doesn't announce its presence by signs or symptoms. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute states that for persons which haven't developed hypertension before 55 years of age are at increased risk (90%) to develop it eventually. Hypertension is an easy to identify type of disease and after the diagnosis, the cooperation of the patient with his/her doctor will keep it under control.

At least once in two years is absolutely necessary to visit the doctor for a reading of the blood pressure. Based on the result of this reading, the doctor will decide the required frequency of the reading, in case of prehypertension, hypertension or another class of cardiovascular problems.