Frequently Asked Questions
One in four adults in the United States has high blood pressure. Nearly one-third of them don’t even know it. It usually causes no symptoms, so it’s often called the "silent killer".
What's Behind the Numbers?
What is Blood Pressure?
Blood pressure is the force of blood against your artery walls. High blood pressure (also called hypertension) can lead to stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, and even blindness.
Systolic pressure (the pressure during each heartbeat) is the larger number, and is always stated first. Diastolic pressure (the pressure between heartbeats) is the lower number. For adults:
- 119/79 or lower = Normal
- 120/80 to 139/89 = High-normal
- 140/90 or higher = High
Are You at Risk?
High blood pressure is most common in adults over 35. It is especially prevalent in African Americans, and people who are middle aged or elderly, obese, or who consume a lot
of alcohol. Women who are pregnant, postmenopausal, or taking birth control pills are also at increased risk.
Hypertension sometimes runs in families. Regular visits to your doctor will establish your health history and make it easier to determine if you will develop a problem in the future.
You Can Do Something About It
There is no cure for high blood pressure, but it can be controlled. Work together with your medical team to develop a plan to control your blood pressure. Here’s how you can take an active role:
- Know your blood pressure range and get it checked regularly.
- Lose weight if you need to.
- Get regular exercise.
- Eat a healthful diet and avoid drinking too much alcohol.
- Quit smoking.
- Learn to manage your stress.
To Learn More
Visit us online at www.kp.org and search our health encyclopedia.
According to the American Diabetes Association, about 7 percent of the population of the United States has diabetes. But what’s worse is that many people have diabetes and don’t even know it. With proper care and treatment, however, people with diabetes can lead healthy, active lives.
What is Diabetes?
Most of what we eat is converted into sugar—also called glucose—the main source of fuel for your body. A hormone called insulin allows glucose to flow from your blood into your cells. Normally, your body makes all the insulin it needs, but if you have diabetes, either your body makes little to no insulin, or your cells do not respond properly to it.
Type 1 diabetes occurs when the body does not make any insulin. Although it typically occurs during childhood, it can develop at any age. About 5 to 10 percent of people with diabetes have type 1. Symptoms include a high sugar count in the blood and urine, frequent urination, extreme hunger and thirst, weakness, mood swings, and nausea.
Type 2 diabetes occurs when the body does produce insulin, but either can’t process it or doesn’t make enough. It accounts for 90 to 95 percent of cases in the United States and is most often diagnosed in older people. Type 2 diabetes develops slowly; some people go years without symptoms, which include increased appetite, thirst, and urination; blurred vision; numbness of the hands and feet; and slow-healing infections of the skin, gums, vagina, or bladder.
Gestational diabetes develops in about 4 percent of pregnant women in the United States. If left untreated, it can increase the risk of breathing problems in infancy and obesity in childhood as well as the risk of type 2 diabetes in adulthood.
Managing Diabetes
People with type 1 diabetes must follow a strict regimen of daily insulin injections, a carefully calculated diet and exercise plan, and frequent testing of their blood glucose levels. People with type 2 and gestational diabetes should eat healthy, exercise, and test their blood glucose levels
frequently. Your personal physician can help you develop a diet and exercise plan to manage your condition.
To Learn More
Visit us online at www.kp.org and search our health encyclopedia.
