High blood pressure, which is also referred to as hypertension, is often called the 'silent killer' because it is a potentially fatal condition that develops gradually over a number of years often without displaying any signs or symptoms of the condition at all. Because of its lack of signs and symptoms, high blood pressure can often go undiagnosed and therefore untreated.



In the United States it was estimated that some 50 million adults were suffering from high blood pressure in the early 1990's and this figure has been rising ever since. By the start of the 21st century it was estimated that some 65 million people were suffering from high blood pressure and now that number has topped 72 million. This means that about one in three adults in the US now suffers from high blood pressure.

This is what some recent studies have revealed:

30% of high blood pressure sufferers are not aware of their condition and are consequently not receiving any treatment for it.

15% of high blood pressure sufferers are aware of their condition but are either not receiving treatment for it or are not following the recommended treatment.

25% of the people know that they have hypertension but do not presently have their blood pressure under control.

What this means is that only about 30% of those people with hypertension are presently receiving the correct treatment and have the condition under control.

Despite the fact that it is frequently said that it is impossible to tell if a person has high blood pressure there are a number of tell-tale signs which could indicate the possibility of hypertension and these include such things as dizziness, headaches, blurred vision and nausea.

High blood pressure is a major cause of death in the US today and it raises considerably the risk from a number of life threatening conditions such as heart failure, heart attack, cardiovascular disease and kidney failure.

Due to the nature of this condition it is sensible to keep an eye on things by checking your blood pressure at regular intervals and this can be done by visiting your doctor and asking for a blood pressure check. However, this is not always convenient and so a better option is to simply check your own pressure at home. There are a number of blood pressure monitors available today for use at home and these are both quick and simple to use and are also reasonably inexpensive.

Making use of your own blood pressure monitor at home allows you to keep an eye on the blood pressure of the whole family and will give you a great deal of peace of mind and ensure that you detect any developing problems early on so that they can be treated easily.