The sinister thing about high blood pressure is that you can feel perfectly fine and still have it. People with high blood pressure are at greater risk of early death, and there’s only one way to know if you have it.

Here are seven things to know about high blood pressure, or hypertension:

1. The only way to know if you have high blood pressure is to get it checked regularly. High blood pressure usually doesn’t have any symptoms. As a result, many people don’t feel the need to check their blood pressure, because they feel fine. That’s why high blood pressure is sometimes called the “silent killer.”
2. Many people don’t know they have high blood pressure . About 1 in 3 American adults with high blood pressure aren’t aware of their condition.
3. Young people can have high blood pressure, too. Hypertension affects nearly half of all Americans, and almost 1 in 4 adults between the ages of 20 and 44 have high blood pressure.
4. High blood pressure may be linked to dementia. Studies indicate that uncontrolled high blood pressure during midlife—generally considered between the ages of 44 and 66—creates a higher risk for dementia later in life.
5. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), Black American men and Black American women  have higher rates of hypertension than any other racial or ethnic group and are more likely to be hospitalized for high blood pressure.
6. Women with high blood pressure are more likely to suffer complications during pregnancy. A mother’s hypertension during pregnancy can harm her internal organs, and can lead to premature birth and lower birth weight babies.
7. Other complications of uncontrolled hypertension can include higher risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney damage.

Source: United States Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/5_surprising_facts.htm#print

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