Medical Surgical Nursing: Hypertension

The National Heart Lung and Blood Institute defines High Blood Pressure as a serious condition that can lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure, and other health problems.  "Blood pressure" is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps out blood.  If the pressure rises and stays high over time, it can damage the body in many ways.
About 1 in 3 adults in the United States has HBP.  HBP itself usually has no symptoms.  You can have it for years without knowing it.  During this time, though, it can damage the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, and other parts of the body.
There are two stages of Blood Pressure:  Stage 1  Systolic 140-159; Diastolic 90-99.  Stage 2 Systolic 160 or higher; Diastolic 10 or higher(NIH, 2010).