High blood pressure is the silent killer of many people around the world. It is very important to monitor your blood pressure regularly with your doctor and at home. Normal blood pressure is 120/80. Elevated blood pressure can lead to serious health problems. High blood pressure can cause the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the brain to burst or be blocked, causing a stroke. Brain cells die during a stroke because they do not get enough oxygen. Blood vessels damaged by high blood pressure can narrow, rupture or leak. High blood pressure can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries leading to the brain, blocking blood flow and potentially causing a stroke.
A hypertensive crisis is a severe increase in blood pressure that can lead to a stroke. Extremely high blood pressure – a top number (systolic pressure) of 180 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher or a bottom number (diastolic pressure) of 120 mm Hg or higher can damage blood vessels.
High blood pressure means that the force of blood pushing against the blood vessel walls is consistently in the high range. It is important to know that uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to a stroke, heart attack, heart failure or kidney damage. Some of the symptoms of high blood pressure are severe headaches, nosebleeds, fatigue or confusion, vision problems, chest pain, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, blood in urine, pounding in chest or ears, dizziness, nervousness, trouble sleeping, facial flushing, stress, etc. Note: Even if you don’t feel any symptoms, you could still have high blood pressure so it is very important to monitor your blood pressure.
At the Angela Elaine Nowell Foundation we are dedicated to reducing the risk of high blood pressure and stroke issues that can damage the brain and cause other health problems. We are focused on solutions to help the blood, arteries, vessels, and veins stay healthy and conduct intensive research on the root causes of high blood pressure, stroke and brain trauma.