If the upper value is greater than 140 or the actual value is higher than 90 (elderly 160/90), we talk about high blood pressure or hypertension

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e World Health Organization (WHO) has drafted new guidelines regarding the diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure or hypertension. Measuring blood pressure is best achieved by the (family) doctor with a conventional blood pressure, repeated four times. Measurements at home by the patient or a continuous recording of blood pressure over 24 hours in certain circumstances (for in people whose blood pressure increased by the voltage at a doctor) is a very good alternative. There is increased blood pressure or hypertension if the systolic blood pressure (= systolic pressure) is equal to or greater than 140 mm Hg and / or diastolic blood pressure (= pressure) equal to or greater than 90 mm Hg.

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Blood Pressure Values	Systolic blood pressure (mm Hg)	diastolic bloodpressure (mm Hg)
Optimal blood pressure	120	80
Normal blood pressure	130	85
High normal blood pressure	130-139	85-89
Grade 1 hypertension	140-159	90-99
Grade 2 hypertension	160-179	100-109
Grade 3 hypertension	180 or higher	110 or higher
Isolated systolic hypertension	140 or higher	90

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• Hypertension often paves the way for a stroke, heart attack or other cardiovascular disease.
  
  
• High blood pressure causes no real symptoms and is thus called the silent killer.
  
  
• At least 1 / 3 of the people with the disorder do not know that they have high blood pressure.
  
  
• Usually, drugs seized in order to stabilize blood pressure.
  
  
• It is a better idea to lose weight if you're overweight and do more exercise.
  
  
• More fruit and vegetables can also lower blood pressure and help prevent against high blood pressure.
  
  
• Folic acid well for blood pressure. Women who take folic acid daily are less likely to have high blood pressure than women who take no daily B-vitamin. This shows a study by the Harvard University

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There is not just one specific cause of high blood pressure. It is often a combination of heredity and lifestyle. Adjustments in your daily habits can help your blood pressure.
Having more than three alcoholic drinks a day, raise your blood pressure. Smoking creates an increase in blood pressure.
One of five people with high blood pressure is obesity the cause. Slimming helps. If you fall off a kilo, the systolic pressure has decreased by 1.6 mmHg and the pressure by 1.3 mmHg. Adequate exercise can also help lower blood pressure.

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Over one quarter of all the people of the Western World aged over 50 years suffers from hypertension. This is not a disease on his own but one of the risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Through years of increased pressure the blood vessels become damaged, allowing these people about 25% greater risk of heart attack or a stroke. It is important to realize that there are other equally important risk factors for the development of these cardiovascular diseases. Some of these factors be controlled. I put them in one row ..

Your cardiovascular risk factors:

• high blood pressure;
  
  
• an increased cholesterol;
  
  
• diabetes;
  
  
• smoking;
  
  
• Overweight;
  
  
• cardiovascular disease in the immediate family;
  
  
• age (the older, the more obviously the risk of heart disease0;
  
  
• sex (a man has more risk than a woman).

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The effects of hypertension may include:

Arteriosclerosis
High blood pressure can damage the lining of the arteries, he becomes stiffer. Because the wall is stiffer, it may be less well off, the conductor is also narrower. This is hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) called. Arteries may also result in a heart attack or stroke because an artery may become completely closed, so that part of the heart or brains no longer receives blood.

Heart problems
Arteriosclerosis in the coronary arteries - the arteries of the heart itself with oxygen-rich blood - can come to various problems, including heart arrhythmias, angina pectoris (a pressure or heaviness in the chest or heart pain) and even a heart attack.
A heart attack is life threatening. Even if the heart attack survivors often are severe consequences as a ineffectie part of the heart. There may be other cardiac problems such as heart failure.
During heart failure the heart is too weak for the blood with enough force to pump. Like a heart attack also heart failure can be life-threatening.

Stroke
Arteries can also lead to a closure of an artery that supplies blood to the brains. The closure will damage a part of the brains: this is called a stroke. The consequences are often severe, including paralysis of one half of the body. In many cases, people die from a stroke.

Kidney Problems
Another consequence of high blood pressure is the damage of the blood vessels in the kidney's. The function of the kidney will be affected. Only after a while you get symptoms such as fatigue. Then it is too late and the kidneys are damaged irreparably. Flushing (dialysis) is often necessary.

Eye problems
In the retina in the eye are extremely small blood vessels. By a high blood pressure they can damage, making the vision deteriorates. Eventually you can even become blind.

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• Try seriously to quit smoking.
  It don't lowers blood pressure, but does provide and greatly reduced the risk of a heart attack or stroke.
  
  
• Drink in moderation: no more than two glasses of alcohol per day on average.
  
  
• Try losing weight (about a quarter of the population have overweight!)
  
  
• Eat healthy (no fat bite, more fish, more vegetables and fruit, no additional salt).
  
  
• Exercise or sports every day for at least a fifteen minute.
  
  
• Avoid certain medications if possible. Some pain killers you can buy are not well for your blood pressure.
  
  
• Presumably each of these factors are more important than taking pills for high blood pressure.

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Some natural remedies against high blood pressure can be found in foods such as fish oil, olive oil, hawthorn, vitamin C, potassium, magnesium, calcium and garlic.

Low-salt diet, plenty of fruit and vegetables also helps to lower blood pressure. Potassium helps also to lower blood pressure and even protects against heart arrhythmias. This mineral is in larger quantities in fruit, vegetables, potatoes and milk. The daily consumption of two ounces of vegetables and two pieces of fruit therefore helps to maintain blood pressure.

If you have high blood pressure, be sparing with meat, coffee, alcohol, saturated fats and sugar. Also adequate exercise and weight loss in overweight help to get lower your blood pressure.

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PURE chocolate helps your blood pressure down. Research by Boston University has shown this. Twenty people with high blood pressure were put on a diet of chocolate for two weeks long. The pure one-half received the pure one, the other half white chocolate. Only dark chocolate provides reduction of the blood pressure. Only because flavonoid is in dark chocolate. (Not white) Flavonoids are a large group of plant substances.

So far we know 4000 types of flavonoids. Flavonoid is an antioxidant that makes the veins widen, the structure of protection and healthy blood vessels, increasing blood continues to work well.
Dark chocolate protects the body against harmful dust caused by inhaling oxygen, and substances such as free radicals.

Flavonoids are also found in herbs, soy, red wine, fruit, green tea, legumes, apples, broccoli, kale, red grapes, onions, carrots, tomatoes, oranges, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, broccoli and garlic. Therefore it is important that we eat lots of fruits and vegetables.

U.S. scientists warn, therefore, that although dark chocolate can be healthy, you do not eat too much, because chocolate contains fat, sugar and calories. And overweight is just bad weather for heart and blood vessels.