High blood pressure, or hypertension, increases your chances of developing heart disease or kidney disease and of having a stroke. About one in every four American adults has high blood pressure but may not be aware of it. It is often called “the silent killer” because it usually causes no symptoms. However, high blood pressure is easy to diagnose, and there are practical steps you can take to bring your blood pressure under control.

People with high blood pressure have elevated blood pressure most of the time. Their blood is pushing against the walls of their arteries with higher than normal force.

Different activities make your blood pressure rise or fall. For example, normally, blood pressure rises when you are exercising and falls when you are resting. A blood pressure reading of 140/90 mm Hg or lower is generally considered normal. High blood pressure is classified according to guidelines that reflect the levels at which blood pressure begins to pose significant health risks.

Become familiar with the warning signs of a heart attack so you can seek immediate
help if you or someone you know begins to experience them. The most common symptoms of a heart attack include:

• sudden, strong pain, pressure, fullness, or squeezing in the center of the chest that lasts more than just a few minutes and is not relieved by rest
• chest pain that spreads to the shoulders, neck, jaw, or arms
• chest discomfort accompanied by shortness of breath, fainting, sweating, cold or clammy skin, nausea or vomiting, or loss of consciousness
• other kinds of chest pain or stomach or abdominal pain
• unexplained anxiety, weakness, or fatigue
• palpitations, a cold sweat, or pale skin

A heart attack is a medical emergency. If you have any of the symptoms described above, call an ambulance service, and ask for immediate transportation to a hospital emergency department.

A heart attack is sudden death of a portion of the heart muscle that has been deprived of its blood supply. Most heart attacks are caused by blockage of a coronary artery. Heart damage occurs very quickly following blockage of a coronary artery. The affected heart tissue begins to deteriorate, and damage becomes permanent after about 6 minutes. This is why the speed of response to a heart attack is critical. The more quickly a person is treated, the better the chances of limiting damage to the heart.

The symptoms and extent of a heart attack depend on factors such as the size of the blocked artery, the width of the channel inside the artery, the suddenness of the blockage, the extent to which an adequate collateral circulation has formed, and the general condition of the heart at the time of the attack.