By Staff Reports
(Hawaii)– From the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, I’m Ira Dreyfuss with HHS HealthBeat.
High blood pressure is called the silent killer because it usually has no symptoms and increases your risk for heart attack and stroke. You should have your blood pressure measured by a health care provider at least annually, to know if it’s too high.
At the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Dr. Matthew Ritchey says more people are getting their high blood pressure under control. But he says:
“While it has been improving over the past several years, unfortunately we still have about 30 million U.S. adults who have uncontrolled blood pressure.”
Better yet, reduce your risk of blood pressure problems with regular exercise, and controlling your weight and how much sodium – salt, mostly – is in your diet.
A study on blood pressure is in CDC’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report.
Learn more at healthfinder.gov.
HHS HealthBeat is a production of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. I’m Ira Dreyfuss.