Most people find out that they have high blood pressure during a routine doctor visit. Malignant high blood pressure is a medical emergency. It may also be called a hypertensive crisis or hypertensive emergency. These symptoms can also be caused by dangerously high blood pressure called malignant high blood pressure. Very high blood pressure can cause severe headaches and vision problems. Most people don't know they have it until they go to the doctor for some other reason. High blood pressure doesn't usually cause symptoms. Your blood pressure may also rise if you are not very active, you don't eat enough potassium and calcium, or you have a condition called insulin resistance. But several things are known to raise blood pressure, including being very overweight, drinking too much alcohol, having a family history of high blood pressure, eating too much salt, and getting older. In most cases, doctors can't point to the exact cause. footnote 1 What causes high blood pressure? People with diabetes should have a blood pressure of less than 130/80. You have high blood pressure if your top number is 140 or higher or your bottom number is 90 or higher, or both.
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This can lead to heart attack, stroke, and other problems. When blood pressure is high, it starts to damage the blood vessels, heart, and kidneys. Another name for high blood pressure is hypertension. It's normal for blood pressure to go up and down throughout the day, but if it stays up, you have high blood pressure. Topic Overview What is high blood pressure?īlood pressure is a measure of how hard the blood pushes against the walls of your arteries as it moves through your body.