Blood Pressure Demands the 3 C’s: Check. Change. Control.

When it comes to blood pressure, what you don’t know can definitely hurt you. Many of the 80 million American adults who have it don’t know they have it. It has no symptoms. It can only be reliably diagnosed by a healthcare professional using a blood pressure monitor. Once diagnosed, it can’t be cured; but it can be controlled, which requires daily attention. Left undiagnosed, it can lead to strokes, heart attacks and kidney failure.

In response, the American Heart Association/American Stroke Association (www.heart.org) created the Check. Change. Control. program — helping people with high blood pressure do what they need to do to control it — eat right, be active, visit their doctor and take their medication.

If you don’t know your blood pressure, you can get it checked at no cost in many pharmacies, healthcare facilities and fire stations. And checking it once is not enough because blood pressure increases with age. If your blood pressure is above 120/80 mm Hg, the American Heart Association recommends getting your blood pressure checked by a doctor at least once every two years starting at age 20.

Knowing your numbers, reducing them if necessary and maintaining your program can help you avert catastrophic outcomes caused by high blood pressure.

Enroll in Check. Change. Control. Use campaign code: GORED to get started.

Your blood pressure is serious business, so get serious about it.