Actually, heart disease kills 6 times as many women each year as breast and lung cancers combined. If left untreated, high blood pressure can cause severe damage and result in such consequences as heart attack, stroke, kidney damage and loss of vision. Hypertension can be inherited or associated with various risk factors such as a high-cholesterol diet, obesity, diabetes, smoking, alcohol consumption and stress. Hypertension is the medical term for what most people call High Blood Pressure.
Blood pressure is the measure of the force of blood flowing against artery walls.
A blood pressure reading involves two numbers, which are separated by a slash mark. The first corresponds to systolic pressure, which occurs when the heart is actively pumping. The second corresponds to diastolic pressure, or pressure on the arteries when the heart is at rest. It is this second number that doctors are generally most concerned about. It is important to have your blood pressure checked regularly by your doctor.