


When a health care professional measures your blood pressure, they use a blood pressure cuff around your arm that gradually tightens. What is blood pressure?īlood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as the heart pumps blood. The good news is that blood pressure can be controlled in most people. If high blood pressure isn't controlled with lifestyle changes and medication, it can lead to serious health problems, including cardiovascular disease such as heart disease and stroke, vascular dementia, eye problems, and kidney disease. Though it affects nearly half of all adults, many may not even be aware they have it. High blood pressure, sometimes called "the silent killer," often does not cause signs of illness that you can see or feel. This can be true even for people who have heart-healthy habits and feel just fine.

Arteries get stiffer, causing blood pressure to go up. Your body’s network of blood vessels, known as the vascular system, changes with age. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major health problem that is common in older adults.
