The two blood pressure numbers indicate how much pressure builds up in the arteries as the heart beats and between beats.
High blood pressure, or hypertension, increases the risk for coronary heart disease (heart attack) and stroke (brain attack).
Prehypertension is a new term that alerts people to the risk of developing chronic high blood pressure if they don’t take timely steps to improve their lifestyle habits.
In many cases, the progression to high blood pressure occurs within four years of being diagnosed with prehypertension.
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is the second leading cause of kidney disease in the United States, after diabetes.