Types, causes and symptoms
 
Becoming informed is your first step towards learning to live with high blood pressure.  
 
Your blood pressure is the stress that the blood in your circulatory system places on your blood vessels (arteries) as your heart pumps blood towards your tissue and organs. 
 
Normally this changes with every heartbeat, as the blood is pumped through your body. Your systolic blood pressure is higher and occurs at the crest of each heartbeat and your diastolic blood pressure is the level it goes down to just before a heartbeat. 
 
But your blood pressure can also go up or down, in response to things like stress, physical activity, anger and anxiety. You are experiencing high blood pressure – or hypertension – if your systolic blood pressure is 140mmHg or more or your diastolic blood pressure is 90mmHg or more when you are at rest.  
 
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to other serious health problems like stroke, heart attack or heart failure. 
 
Causes of high blood pressure 
There are many risk factors for developing high blood pressure, for example your lifestyle and your family history can affect your likelihood of experiencing it. It is common among men, amongst the obese, smokers and heavy drinkers. You are also more at risk of developing high blood pressure if you are Afro-Caribbean or South Asian.  
 
Symptoms of high blood pressure 
High blood pressure has few obvious symptoms, especially at the early stages. Most people don't realise that they have high blood pressure until they are routinely tested by their doctor or practice nurse. 
 
View graphic depictions of high blood pressure  
 
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