High Blood Pressure -- The Number 1 Silent Killer

High blood pressure is the Number 1 silent killer disease. This silent killer is characterized by subtle symptoms that often go undetected.

High blood pressure (or hypertension) is a silent killer because it is deadly and has no early significant symptoms.

The American Heart Association estimates that up to one third of people living with high blood pressure are unaware of the fact that their blood pressure is high, and many people are unaware of the risks of high blood pressure.

Some of the statistics associated with high blood pressure and its impact include the following:

• 67 million American adults (31%) have high blood pressure—that’s 1 in every 3 American adults.
• 69% of people who have a first heart attack, 77% of people who have a first stroke, and 74% of people with chronic heart failure have high blood pressure. High blood pressure is also a major risk factor for kidney disease.
• More than 348,000 American deaths in 2009 included high blood pressure as a primary or contributing cause.
• High blood pressure costs the nation $47.5 billion annually in direct medical expenses and $3.5 billion each year in lost productivity.
• About half (47%) of people with high blood pressure have their condition under control.
• Almost 30% of American adults have pre-hypertension—blood pressure numbers that are higher than normal, but not yet in the high blood pressure range. Pre-hypertension raises your risk of developing high blood pressure.
• Reducing average population sodium intake from 3,300 mg to 2,300 mg per day may reduce cases of high blood pressure by 11 million and save 18 billion health care dollars annually.
• About 1 in 5 (20.4%) U.S. adults with high blood pressure don't know that they have it.
• About 7 in 10 U.S. adults (69.9%) with high blood pressure use medications to treat the condition.
• Team-based care that includes the patient, primary care provider, and other health care providers is a recommended strategy to reduce and control blood pressure

The chart below shows normal, at-risk, and high blood pressure levels.

Blood Pressure Levels
Normal	systolic: less than 120 mmHg diastolic: less than 80mmHg
At risk (prehypertension)	systolic: 120–139 mmHg diastolic: 80–89 mmHg
High	systolic: 140 mmHg or higher diastolic: 90 mmHg or higher

The danger from high blood pressure is the extra load on the heart, leading to complications such as hypertensive heart disease, a heart attack, a stroke and congestive heart failure. High blood pressure can also seriously damage the kidneys.

And it does all this silently, without any major symptoms, except when the high blood pressure gets extreme.

Always get your blood pressure checked to rule out hypertension as part of regular medical checkups. 

High blood pressure affects millions of people around the world. This condition goes unnoticed for years unless we have the insurance to receive annual physicals and blood tests from our primary care physician.

For the people who are able to afford insurance and get annual physical exams, they end up "controlling" their blood pressure by taking drugs that mask the real problem and give us the false sense of security that everything is fine. But, over a period of years, we find ourselves having to take more and more medication to 'control" our blood pressure. Until one day, you discover that you have problems with your kidneys, liver, or heart due to taking these medications for so many years.

What to Do
So, what if you have high blood pressure, but you don't know it? We recommend that you visit your primary care physician at least once a year for a complete medical exam. A complete medical exam will uncover a problem such as high blood pressure. At that point, your doctor may recommend one or more medications to help lower your blood pressure.

However, we don't believe that you should rely solely on medications because they don't help to get rid of the disease in your body that is causing your high blood pressure. As a result, you would be required to take high blood pressure meds for the rest of your life.

And since recent studies show that long-term use of these medications can lead to more health problems, we recommend that you make specific lifestyle changes that will return your blood pressure to normal. Those changes include transitioning to a plant-based diet such as the Death to Diabetes Diet avoiding the major "dead" processed foods, and a regular exercise regimen of brisk walking, stretching, and resistance training 4 to 6 times a week.

Please Note: The Death to Diabetes Diet is not just for diabetics! Non-diabetics can also use this diet program.

Warning! More than 87% of people who end up in the hospital because of high blood pressure, do not change their eating habits or lifestyle. As a result, 91% of them return to the hospital or end up in the graveyard.

FYI: Ironically, this top silent killer disease is fueled by what the author calls the "triple-killer foods" along with the 5 "dead" foods. So, make sure that you avoid these foods, especially if this silent killer is stalking you.

References:

1. Kochanek KD, Xu JQ, Murphy SL, Miniño AM, Kung HC. Deaths: final data for 2009. National vital statistics reports. 2011;60(3).
2. CDC. Vital signs: prevalence, treatment, and control of hypertension—United States, 1999-2002 and 2005-2008. MMWR. 2011;60(4):103-8.
3. Roger VL, Go AS, Lloyd-Jones DM, Benjamin EJ, Berry JD, Borden WB, et al. Heart disease and stroke statistics—2012 update: a report from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2012;125(1):e2–220.
4. Heidenreich PA, Trogdon JG, Khavjou OA, Butler J, Dracup K, Ezekowitz MD, et al. Forecasting the future of cardiovascular disease in the United States: a policy statement from the American Heart Association. Circulation. 2011;123(8):933-44. Epub 2011 Jan 24.
5. Palar K, Sturm R. Potential societal savings from reduced sodium consumption in the U.S. adult population. American Journal of Health Promotion. 2009;24(1):49–57.
6. Hing E, Hall MJ, Ashman JJ, Xu J. National Hospital Ambulatory Medical Care Survey: 2007 Outpatient Department Summary. National health statistics reports. 2012; no 28.
7. Guide to Community Preventive Services. Cardiovascular disease prevention and control: team-based care to improve blood pressure control. 2012. Accessed July 27, 2012.