Hypertension is commonly referred to as "high blood pressure."
Blood pressure measures how hard the blood pushes against the walls of your arteries as it moves through your body. Your blood pressure naturally changes with your daily activities.
If your blood pressure stays high, even when you rest, you have hypertension.
High blood pressure can damage your blood vessels, heart, kidneys and brain. This damage can cause:
Heart attack
Heart failure
Kidney failure
Stroke
Dementia
The hypertension experts at UW Health provide collaborative, comprehensive care. We help you manage your hypertension to prevent more serious cardiovascular and kidney conditions.
Your care team may include:
Cardiologists
Endocrinologists
Exercise physiologists
Nephrologists
Nutritionists
Nurses
Obstetricians
Preventive cardiologists
Psychologists
Radiologists
Vascular surgeons
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Most people with high blood pressure don’t feel symptoms right away. However, hypertension can create serious risks for cardiovascular and kidney disease.
Symptoms of high blood pressure that may require immediate treatment can include:
Chest discomfort
Headaches
Heart palpitations
Shortness of breath
Vision changes
You may need to see an advanced hypertension specialist if you have:
Difficult to treat hypertension
Multiple medications (3 or more)
Unable to tolerate medications
Early or progressive heart or kidney disease
Hypertension at a young age (18-40 years old)
Hypertension with multiple cardiovascular disease risk factors
Rapidly accelerating hypertension
Suspected secondary causes of hypertension
Diagnosing hypertension
Hypertension can be challenging to diagnose in some people.
“Masked” hypertension occurs when your blood pressure is normal at the doctor’s office but high at home.
“White coat” hypertension happens when your blood pressure is elevated at the doctor’s office but normal at home.
Your doctor may recommend routine home blood pressure monitoring or 24-hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring to refine your diagnosis.
At UW Health, we create a treatment plan designed to reduce your blood pressure and keep it in a healthy range. We also talk with you and your family to make sure you fully understand high blood pressure.
Your treatment options and lifestyle changes may include:
Following a low sodium, heart-healthy eating plan, such as the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop hypertension) diet
Home blood pressure monitoring
Limiting alcohol intake
Maintaining a healthy weight
Medicines to manage high blood pressure
Quitting smoking
Regular exercise and physical activity
Our cardiovascular medicine specialists provide care at locations close to home equipped to manage your symptoms. We offer the specialized care you need when you need it.