I n the United States, forty-three million people are estimated to have hypertension as defined by a systolic reading of 140 mm Hg or greater and/or diastolic blood pressure reading of 90 mm Hg or greater. Studies have provided the following chart of the prevalence of hypertension for age and gender.

Age

Groups

 All Races White African-American
Men Women Total Men Women Total Men Women Total
18-24 2.6 4.6 0.7 2.5 4.6 0.5 2.6 4.1 1.4
25-34 5.4 8.4 2.4 4.9 8.1 1.6 8.2 10.6 6.2
35-44 13.0 16.0 10.2 11.3 14.3 8.5 25.9 29.5 22.9
45-54 27.6 30.0 25.2 25.8 29.1 22.6 46.9 44.3 48.8
55-64 43.7 44.2 43.2 42.1 43.0 41.4 60.0 58.0 63.0
65-74 59.6 55.8 62.7 58.6 54.9 61.7 71.0 65.2 75.6
75+ 70.3 60.5 76.2 69.7 59.0 76.1 75.5 71.3 77.9
Total 23.4 23.5 23.3 23.2 23.4 23.1 28.1 27.9 28.2

If you fall into the prehypertension range of 120-139/80-89 mm Hg, your doctor will likely recommend lifestyle modifications which include losing excess weight, exercising more, limiting alcohol, cutting back on salt, quitting smoking and follow the DASH diet plan. This is a diet that is low-fat and low saturated-fat that emphasizes eating more fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy foods.

If you have high blood pressure of 140-159/90-99 mm Hg and you do not have any organ damage or other risk factors for heart disease, your doctor will recommend lifestyle changes and possibly medications.

Most people with high blood pressure will need two or more medications, including a thiazide-type diuretic to lower their blood pressure to below 140/90 mm Hg which is the goal for people with uncomplicated hypertension.

If you have other conditions such as diabetes, heart failure, or chronic kidney disease, your goal blood pressure is lower, in the 130/80 mm Hg range.

If you blood pressure is 160-179/100-109 mm Hg or higher, you and your doctor may need to try various combinations of medications to find what works best for you. You will also need to make aggressive lifestyle changes.

Initial therapy is recommended for the following blood pressure reading categories:-

Prehypertension is determined to be a blood pressure reading in the range of 120-159 systolic with a diastolic of 80-89.
In Stage 1 hypertension the patient has blood pressure readings in the range of 140-159 systolic with a diastolic of 90-99
In Stage 2 hypertension the patient has blood pressure readings in the range of 160 & above systolic with a diastolic of 100 & above