Hypertension (high blood pressure)

What is hypertension?

Your blood pressure fluctuates throughout the day. High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when your heart must use more force than usual to push blood through your arteries and around your body. 

Many people do not feel any significant daily effects from having the condition. However, with time and if left untreated, it can put you at risk of severe and potentially life-threatening health complications such as a heart attack or stroke. It can also lead to heart and kidney disease or dementia. 

Fortunately, we can bring high blood pressure under control with lifestyle changes and medications, reducing the likelihood of these complications happening. Our world-leading cardiologists at Royal Brompton and Harefield hospitals are experts in treating high blood pressure.

What causes high blood pressure?

Every time your heart beats, it pushes blood against the walls of the arteries that supply blood to your organs. Blood pressure naturally rises and falls during the day. Measuring blood pressure tells us how much force your heart needs to do this.  

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, happens when the heart works harder than normal to pump blood through the arteries and circulate it around the body. Around 1 in 3 adults in the UK suffer from high blood pressure.

Blood pressure is measured using the following 2 numbers:  

• Systolic pressure – the top number on a blood pressure reading explains how much pressure is placed against your arteries when your heart beats. 
• Diastolic pressure – the bottom number, explains how much pressure is placed against your arteries when your heart relaxes between beats.

Medical intervention is needed when you constantly experience high blood pressure, mainly when resting, to bring it back under control.  

Healthcare professionals may also refer to high blood pressure as hypertension, which is the medical term for high blood pressure.

How do I know if my blood pressure is normal? 

Blood pressure is usually divided into four categories — low, normal, high-normal, and high. 

• Low blood pressure is typically when a reading is lower than about 90/60 mmHg. 
• Normal blood pressure is between 90/60 and 120/80 mmHg. 
• Normal-high blood pressure is usually between 120/80 and 140/90 mmHg. 
• High blood pressure is above 140/90 mmHg. 

High blood pressure is also then broken down into three stages as follows: 

• Stage 1: blood pressure between 140/90 and 160/100 mmHg. 
• Stage 2: blood pressure between 160/100 and 180/120 mmHg. 
• Stage 3: blood pressure over 180/120 mmHg. 

Doctors consider stage 3 high blood pressure as severe hypertension, putting you at immediate risk of complications. If your readings are this high, you will need urgent medical review and treatment to decrease your blood pressure.  

If you have high blood pressure and would like to speak to one of our world-leading cardiologists, get in touch with our customer service team to book an appointment.

Risk factors for high blood pressure

Various reasons explain why some people experience high blood pressure, including the following:

Poor diet and lifestyle 

What you eat, and other lifestyle choices are closely linked to high blood pressure. Foods containing a lot of salt, a lack of fruit and vegetables and an unbalanced diet can affect your blood pressure. Similarly, you can increase the risk of high blood pressure by overeating, becoming overweight or obese, drinking too much alcohol, and not getting enough exercise.  

Age 

As you get older, your blood pressure will naturally increase. A blood pressure of 150/90 mmHg is considered a regular reading for an in-clinic measurement for those over 80. It happens because your arteries stiffen with age, causing more pressure against them when your heart beats. 

Ethnic origin 

People with African Caribbean or South Asian ethnic backgrounds are more likely to develop high blood pressure. The basis for these observations is likely due to an interplay with genetics and lifestyle.  

Family history 

Like many health conditions, high blood pressure can run in families. So, if a close blood relative has it, you could also develop it. 

Specific medical conditions 

People with certain medical conditions can experience high blood pressure, such as diabetes, kidney disease, chronic kidney infections and sleep apnoea.

Are there any symptoms of high blood pressure? 

We often refer to hypertension as a ‘silent killer.’ It is silent because people rarely have any noticeable symptoms to indicate that their blood pressure is too high.  

In rare cases, getting headaches, nosebleeds and blurred vision is possible.

What are the risks of high blood pressure? 

A wide range of severe and potentially deadly complications are associated with high blood pressure, including but not limited to the following: 

• heart attack  
• stroke 
• aortic aneurysms 
• heart failure 
• kidney problems 
• eye problems 
• bone density loss, which could lead to osteoporosis 
• depression and anxiety 
• erectile dysfunction 
• dementia 

If you think you are at risk of high blood pressure and would like to speak to one of our consultants, contact our team to arrange an appointment.  

How is high blood pressure diagnosed? 

It is estimated that around five million UK adults are living with undiagnosed high blood pressure. It is an estimate because the only way to diagnose hypertension is for a healthcare professional, such as a doctor or pharmacist, to measure your blood pressure or to check it yourself at home with a blood pressure monitor. 

The NHS invites adults between 40 and 74 living in England and Wales to a free health check every five years, including a blood pressure check. However, the NHS Health Check programme is run by your local authority, so how you receive your check may differ depending on where you live.

Treatment for high blood pressure 

Fortunately, you can help reduce high blood pressure and get it permanently under control in various ways. 

Initially, our advice may be to improve your diet and lifestyle, which may help to decrease your blood pressure naturally without medication. However, if you have moderate to severe high blood pressure, we may prescribe medication to take alongside these changes. Some of the medications we may prescribe to treat hypertension include: 

• angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors 
• calcium channel blockers 
• diuretics 
• beta-blockers 
• alpha-blockers 

Every 10mmHg reduction in blood pressure reduces your risk of a major cardiovascular event by 20%. For this reason, any steps you can take to lower your blood pressure will dramatically benefit your health.  

If you would like support in treating your high blood pressure, our team of cardiology specialists can help. For more information, or to book an appointment, please contact our customer service team.