Sister to Sister

• Printer-friendly version
• Login or register to post comments
• Email this page

Experts Talk About: Blood Pressure Basics

Dr. Roccella: Let me begin by asking some general questions.  Henry, why is hypertension, or high blood pressure, so important?  Can you explain what it is and how it impacts a woman's health, especially her heart health?

Dr. Black: Thanks for that question, Ed.  Hypertension is what we call a risk factor.  In my view it is not a disease, although some of my colleagues would disagree.  It is a characteristic that we have -- like our height or our weight -- which is a problem because as blood pressure rises from levels that are definitely within the normal range, the likelihood of arterial damage and of major target organ damage in the kidney, in the brain, in the heart, and in the blood vessels goes up as well.

This is particularly a problem for older women and, in fact, it is the most ubiquitous risk factor for heart failure and also other consequences. We worry about elevated readings because we now have evidence that lowering blood pressure is beneficial, and preventing the cardiovascular epidemic requires that we intervene before the target organ damage occurs.

Dr. Roccella: Nancy, what's this "target organ damage" Henry just mentioned?

Ms. Houston Miller: I think the most important thing for women to realize is that high blood pressure causes major health problems, and "target organ damage" means it causes damage to more than one organ.  So high blood pressure can certainly cause damage to the heart and may cause a stroke, but it can also cause conditions like kidney failure. Unfortunately, one in three women in this country today have high blood pressure and, as Dr. Black has just said, that number increases with age. Since women live longer than men, they may live longer with diseases that can be very, very difficult for them in terms of overall quality of life.

« Previous | Next »

Click these links to read more from Sister to Sister’s Expert Roundtable on High Blood Pressure:

Introduction
Blood Pressure Basics
Symptoms & Screening
Treatment Benefits
Treatment Options
Drug Side Effects
Drug Interactions
Medication Costs
Prehypertension
Aging's Impact
High-Risk Groups
Future Goals