Blood Pressure
Also called: HBP, HTN, Hypertension
Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Each time your heart beats, it pumps out blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is highest when your heart beats, pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When your heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure.
Your blood pressure reading uses these two numbers, the systolic and diastolic pressures. Usually they are written one above or before the other.A reading of:
- 120/80 or lower is normal blood pressure
- 140/90 or higher is high blood pressure
- 120 and 139 for the top number, or between 80 and 89 for the bottom number is pre-hypertension
High blood pressure usually has no symptoms, but it can cause serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure. You can control high blood pressure through healthy lifestyle habits and taking medicines, if needed.
For more information about High Blood Pressure »
BMI
Body Mass Index (BMI) is a number calculated from a person's weight and height. BMI is a simple and reliable way to determine body fatness for most people. It is used to screen for weight categories that may lead to health problems.
For more information about BMI »
Gestational Diabetes
Gestational diabetes is the development of diabetes during pregnancy. Some women have more than one pregnancy affected by diabetes that disappears after the pregnancy ends. About half of women with gestational diabetes will develop type 2 diabetes later in life.
For more information about Gestination Diabetes »
Hb A1-C
Your doctor may order this test if you have diabetes. It is used to measure your blood sugar levels over several months. It can give a good estimate of how well you have managed your diabetes during this time.
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Healthy Weight
One way to determine whether you have a healthy weight is to calculate your "body mass index" (BMI). For most people, BMI is a reliable indicator of body fatness. It is calculated based on your height and weight.
To calculate your BMI, see the BMI Calculator. Or determine your BMI by finding your height and weight in this BMI Index Chart.
For more information about Healthy Weight »
Heart Attack
A heart attack happens when blood flow to part of the heart muscle becomes blocked. If the flow of blood isn’t restored quickly, that part of the heart muscle becomes damaged and begins to die. It often causes sudden chest pain. Treatment works best when started within 1 hour of the start of symptoms.
If you think you or someone you’re with is having a heart attack, call 911 right away.
Other Names for a Heart Attack
- Myocardial infarction or MI
- Acute myocardial infarction or AMI
- Acute coronary syndrome
- Coronary thrombosis
- Coronary occlusion
Symptoms of a heart attack
- Chest discomfort. Most heart attacks involve discomfort in the center of the chest that lasts for more than a few minutes, or goes away and comes back. The discomfort can feel like uncomfortable pressure, squeezing, fullness, or pain.
- Discomfort in other areas of the upper body. This can include pain or discomfort in one or both arms, the back, neck, jaw, or stomach.
- Shortness of breath. This often comes along with chest discomfort. But it also can occur before chest discomfort.
- Other symptoms. These may include breaking out in a cold sweat or experiencing nausea or light–headedness.
For more information about Heart Attacks »
Heart Disease
Heart disease includes a number of problems affecting the heart and the blood vessels in the heart. Types of heart disease include:
- Coronary artery disease
- Coronary artery disease is the most common type and is the leading cause of heart attacks. When you have CAD, your arteries become hard and narrow. Blood has a hard time getting to the heart, so the heart does not get all the blood it needs. CAD can lead to:
- Angina
Angina is chest pain or discomfort that happens when the heart does not get enough blood. It may feel like a pressing or squeezing pain, often in the chest, but sometimes the pain is in the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw, or back. It can also feel like indigestion (upset stomach). Angina is not a heart attack, but having angina means you are more likely to have a heart attack.
- Heart attack
A heart attack occurs when an artery is severely or completely blocked, and the heart does not get the blood it needs for more than 20 minutes.
- Heart failure
- Heart failure happens when the heart is not able to pump blood through the body as well as it should. This means that other organs, which normally get blood from the heart, do not get enough blood. It does not mean that the heart stops. Signs of heart failure include:
- Shortness of breath (feeling like you can't get enough air)
- Swelling in feet, ankles, and legs
- Extreme tiredness
- Heart arrhythmias
- Heart arrhythmias are abnormal changes in the beat of the heart. Many people have these briefly and don’t have heart disease. These brief spells can make you feel dizzy, faint, out of breath or have chest pain. These changes in heartbeat are harmless for most people. As you get older, you are more likely to have arrhythmias. Don't panic if you have a few flutters or if your heart races once in a while.
If you have flutters and other symptoms such as dizziness or shortness of breath that last longer and don’t go away with rest, call 911 right away.
For more information about Heart Disease »
High Cholesterol
Cholesterol is a kind of fat in your blood. Some of it is good (HDL) and some of it is bad (LDL). Your body makes its own cholesterol but you also get it from the foods you eat like meat, potato chips, cookies, and eggs. Some people have too much bad cholesterol in their blood. Bad cholesterol can build up on the inside of the blood vessels of your heart. If too much cholesterol builds up, then the blood cannot flow through to your heart. This can cause a heart attack. Most people do not show any signs of high cholesterol. The only way to know for sure is to get a cholesterol test. Bad cholesterol can be lowered and good cholesterol raised with diet, exercise and medications.
For information about "High Cholesterol--Medicines To Help You"»
Metabolic Syndrome
Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions that put you at risk for heart disease and diabetes. These conditions are:
- High blood pressure
- High blood sugar levels
- High levels of triglycerides, a type of fat, in your blood
- Low levels of HDL, the good cholesterol, in your blood
- Too much fat around your waist
Learn More
For more information about Metabolic Syndrome »
Moderate to Vigorous Exercise
One way to tell if you are exercising hard is the talk test. As a rule of thumb, if you're doing moderate-intensity activity you can talk, but not sing. If you're doing vigorous-intensity activity, you will not be able to say more than a few words without pausing for a breath.
For more information about Moderate Exercise »
Stroke
A stroke happens when the blood supply to part of the brain is suddenly interrupted or when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, spilling blood into the spaces surrounding brain cells. Brain cells die when they no longer receive oxygen and nutrients from the blood or there is pressure from sudden bleeding into or around the brain. The symptoms of a stroke include sudden numbness or weakness, especially on one side of the body; sudden confusion or trouble speaking or understanding speech; sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes; sudden trouble with walking, dizziness, or loss of balance or coordination; or sudden severe headache with no known cause. There are two forms of stroke: ischemic - blockage of a blood vessel supplying the brain, and hemorrhagic - bleeding into or around the brain.
View the National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke Information webpage »
Know Stroke: Know the Signs, Act in Time »
For more information about Stroke »
Type II Diabetes
Diabetes is a disease in which your blood sugar (glucose) levels are too high. Your body makes some glucose, but a lot comes from the foods you eat. Insulin is a hormone that helps the glucose get into your cells to give them energy. With type 1 diabetes, your body does not make insulin. With type 2 diabetes, the more common type, your body does not make or use insulin well. Without enough insulin, the glucose gets high in your blood and causes serious problems.
Over time, having too much glucose in your blood can lead to serious consequences. It can damage your eyes, kidneys, and nerves. It can also cause heart disease, stroke and even the need to remove a limb.
Symptoms of type 2 diabetes may include fatigue, thirst, weight loss, blurred vision and frequent urination. Some people have no symptoms. A blood test can show if you have diabetes. Exercise, weight control and sticking to your meal plan can help control your diabetes. You should also monitor your glucose level and take medicine if prescribed.
For more information about diabetes »
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