Introduction

 

Blood pressure is a measure of how hard the blood pushes against the walls of your arteries as it moves through your body. It’s normal for blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day, but if it stays up, you have high blood pressure. Another name for high blood pressure is hypertension.

When blood pressure is high, it starts to damage the blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. This can lead to heart attack, stroke, and other problems. High blood pressure is called a "silent killer,'' because it doesn't usually cause symptoms while it is causing this damage.

Latest Heart News
US picks GE to develop medical isotopes

January 25, 2010 — CHICAGO (Reuters) - The US Department of Energy has selected a unit of General Electric Co <GE.N> to begin research on a domestic supply of medical isotopes, which are used in millions of diagnostic scans to test for cancer, thyroid or heart disease.

Fake forms of Glaxo diet drug can be dangerous: FDA

January 25, 2010 — WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Fake versions of GlaxoSmithKline's over-the-counter diet pill were contaminated with dangerously high levels of a prescription weight loss ingredient, U.S. officials warned on Saturday.

Huge variation in salt content of processed food

January 25, 2010 — NEW YORK (Reuters Health) - Many processed foods contain too much salt, and sauces, spreads, and processed meats are the top offenders, new research shows.

Select news items provided by Reuters Health