Blood Pressure (High & Low) In Gilbert, AZ
High blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and other diseases and conditions. Luckily, lifestyle changes and blood pressure medication can reduce your risk of serious consequences. Dr. Zaki Lababidi, Dr. Mohammed Reza Hojjati and Dr. Khaled Albasha, your Gilbert, AZ cardiologists at Gilbert Cardiology, share a few facts about high blood pressure.
You may not know you have high blood pressure
One in three Americans has high blood pressure, according to the American Heart Association. Unfortunately, you may not even know that you have the condition, since you probably won't experience symptoms unless your pressure is very high. Regular blood pressure screenings are essential in helping you protect your heart health.
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can have devastating consequences
Your arteries are very elastic, but they can become damaged when the force of your blood flow is too high over an extended period of time. Damage can increase your risk of:
- Strokes and Aneurysms: High blood pressure stretches your blood vessels, weakening them and making them more likely to rupture.
- Heart Attacks and Heart Disease: Plaque can build up in damaged areas of your arteries, narrowing them and increasing your risk of a heart attack. Plaque build-up and scarring caused by small tears in your vessels forces your heart to work harder. Eventually, your heart can become damaged, which can cause heart failure.
- Enlarged Heart: When your heart must work hard to pump blood, the left side of your heart can become enlarged, which may make it more likely that you'll experience a heart attack or sudden death.
- Blood Clots: Blood clots can also develop if you have high blood pressure. When clots break off, they can trigger heart attacks or strokes.
- Other Health Problems: High blood pressure increases the risk of damage to your kidneys and eyes and can cause sexual problems in both men and women.
Treatment in Gilbert and lifestyle changes offer important protections
You can control your high blood pressure and reduce the risk that you'll develop serious health problems by:
- Exercising regularly
- Losing weight
- Taking advantage of stress reduction techniques
- Controlling diabetes
- Quitting smoking
- Taking medications prescribed by your cardiologist