Blood pressure is a measure of the force exerted against the walls of the arteries as the heart pumps blood through the body. Hypertension is another term used to describe high blood pressure. This common condition increases the risk of heart disease and stroke, two of the leading causes of death for Americans. Hypertension contributed to more than 362,895 deaths in the United States in 2010. About 67 million people in the United States suffer from high blood pressure, and only half of those have their condition under control. It is estimated that approximately 46,000 deaths could be avoided each year if 70% of patients with high blood pressure were treated according to published guidelines (Patel, Datu, Roman, Barton, Ritchey, Wall, Loustalot; 2014). High blood pressure is called the “silent killer” because it often has no warning signs or symptoms, and many people don't know they have it. For most patients, high blood pressure is detected when they visit their doctor or have check elsewhere. Because there are no symptoms, people can develop heart disease and kidney problems without knowing they have high blood pressure. Some people may experience: severe headache, mild dizziness, and blurred vision. BP) is based on consecutive clinical blood pressure checks over a 2-3 month period, with hypertension confirmed if blood pressure remains persistently elevated above 140/90 mmHg. This method of diagnosis has significant limitations because the Blood pressure measured for an individual patient in a clinical setting may not reflect his or her blood pressure in everyday life. The primary concern is that, due to “white coat syndrome,” hypertension may be overdiagnosed when controlled in a clinical setting; resulting... half of the paper... the potassium level is above 4.5 mmol/liter. If additional diuretic therapy is not tolerated, contraindicated, or ineffective, it may be prudent to consider an alpha- or beta-blocker. If blood pressure remains uncontrolled on optimal or maximum tolerated doses of four medications, seeking expert advice would be the next and final step (Williams, 2013). HYPERTENSION 6Blood pressure tends to increase with age. Following a healthy lifestyle helps delay or prevent this increase in blood pressure. People who have HBP can take steps to control it and reduce the risk of related health problems. Key steps include following a healthy lifestyle, exercising most days of the week, avoiding alcohol, quitting smoking, and receiving ongoing medical care.