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 Blowing A Gasket
More than 65 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure, and that number is sure to rise. What you can do to control yours |
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What You Can Do
8 ways to reduce your risk for hypertension |
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A to Z
Your guide to the year in medicine |
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Danger Zones
Hypertension hits hardest in a few areas of the body
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The Dash Diet
Eating right is a big part of controlling hypertension
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E-mail your letter to the editor
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| DAVID BURNETT / CONTACT FOR TIME |
| FAMILY PORTRAIT: Robinson and his wife Grace with their new babyÑone more reason to stay healthy |
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| Blowing A Gasket |
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More than 65 million Americans suffer from high blood pressure, and that number is sure to rise. What you can do to control yours |
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By JEFFREY KLUGER |
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Posted Sunday, November 28, 2004
Michael Robinson, 35, is young enough to remember his glory days playing college basketball, which was one reason he was so surprised when just walking to his car started to wear him out. Robinson's weight certainly didn't help: 345 lbs. is a load to carry, even on a 6-ft. 9-in. frame. His family history worked against him too. Both his parents have high blood pressure, and his father and brother are diabetic. And he didn't do himself any favors by allowing seven years to elapse since his last checkup. When his persistent fatigue finally drove him to a doctor, he learned the wages of so much neglect. His blood pressure was topping out at a monitor-popping 166/120, and he was in the early stages of heart failure.
A year later, the Ashburn, Va., man exercises regularly, takes hypertension medication, and has dropped his fast-food burger habit in favor of low-fat grilled chicken. He has a lower-stress job with the county department of family services and is the father of a new baby boy. "I'd like to be around for him," he says. His new blood pressure should help. It's 120/80.
Robinson's turnaround was impressive, but according to the experts, such stories are increasingly rare. At least 65 million Americans—a third of all adults over 18—are thought to suffer from hypertension (the technical term for persistent
high blood pressure), up from 50 million just 10 years ago. Worse, doctors last year defined a new category of risk, prehypertension, in a borderline pressure range that is now considered a bright red flag of trouble to come. Moreover, when people do address their blood-pressure issues, they don't always do it very well. Only about a third of all patients in treatment for high blood pressure have their numbers under control. Over the course of our lives, perhaps 90% of us will develop a blood-pressure problem, and at least half of us will die from either heart disease or stroke—hypertension's frequent endgames.
Alarmingly, it's not just middle-agers and seniors. . .
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