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Understand what blood pressure is, the health risks of having high blood pressure, the factors that put you at risk for having high blood pressure, and the importance of working with your healthcare provider to control it.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a common condition in which the pressure of your blood flow against the artery walls becomes too high. The high pressure can eventually cause heart disease.
Pulmonary hypertension is a specific type of high blood pressure, where there is increased pressure in the pulmonary arteries. Learn more about pulmonary hypertension.
The heart specialists at the University of Maryland Heart and Vascular Center provide the full spectrum of care for patients with high blood pressure.
You can receive all the care you need at our center, from screenings to diagnostic exams to treatment and follow up.
We monitor you closely to determine if your treatment is working well or if we need to adjust. Our team offers all types of treatment, from medication therapies to surgery.
Many times, you may not experience any symptoms of high blood pressure. You should have regular blood pressure screenings starting at age 18, so physicians can detect any problems in their early stages. The earlier we diagnose a problem, the more successful treatments can be. When high blood pressure reaches an advanced stage, you may experience:
There are many risk factors for high blood pressure. Some you cannot change, such as family history or age. However, some risk factors are within your control, such as diet and exercise. Talk to your doctor about taking steps to reduce your risk factors.
Risk factors include:
Learn more about heart disease prevention.
Diagnosing high pressure requires a simple, painless procedure using an arm cuff. The cuff measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats and the pressure between beats. If your blood pressure is high, we will review your medical history and conduct a physical examination. We may also recommend additional tests including:
Learn more about cardiac diagnosis.
Often, lifestyle changes can dramatically improve your blood pressure. These include:
We may also recommend: