What’s Causing Your High Blood Pressure?
What causes high blood pressure ? Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of blood vessels. Blood is pumped from the heart into blood vessels, which carry it throughout the body. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is dangerous because it causes the heart to work harder to pump blood out to the body, which can lead to artery hardening, or atherosclerosis, which can lead to stroke, kidney disease, and heart failure. What Is the Definition of "Normal" Blood Pressure? The following is an example of a blood pressure reading: 120/80. "120 over 80" is how it's written. The systolic number is at the top, and the diastolic number is at the bottom. The following are the ranges: Normal : Less than 120 over 80 (120/80) Elevated : 120-129/less than 80 Stage 1 high blood pressure: 130-139/80-89 Stage 2 high blood pressure: 140 and above/90 and above Hypertension crisis: higher than 180/higher than 120. If your blood pressure is higher th...