High blood pressure is a risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) as well as other cardiovascular disease.2,32 Approximately 69% of people who have a first MI, 77% of those who have a first stroke, and 74% of those who have heart failure have a blood pressure >140/90 mm Hg.2 Blood pressure classification ranges are shown in Table 2.
Table 2. Classification of Blood Pressure Levels
A higher percentage of men have hypertension until age 45. From ages 45 to 54, a slightly higher percentage of women than men have hypertension. After age 54, a much higher percentage of women have hypertension.2 More than half of all women older than 45 years have hypertension.5
Among premenopausal women, pregnancy and certain birth control pills can increase the risk for hypertension.11 Additionally, the recently completed WISE* study showed that elevated systolic blood pressure is a risk factor for CAD in premenopausal women.33 Therefore, the identification of hypertension in premenopausal women dictates additional CAD risk factor assessment and management.33
* Women's Ischemia Syndrome Evaluation
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Risk Factors
Office-Based Risk Assessment
Risk Reduction
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