High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) is persistently raised pressure in the arteries. It usually has no symptoms — which is why it is called the "silent killer." Untreated, it silently damages the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes over years.

What the numbers mean

• Normal: below 120/80.
• Elevated: 120-129 / under 80.
• Stage 1 hypertension: 130-139 / 80-89.
• Stage 2 hypertension: 140/90 or above consistently.
• Hypertensive emergency: 180/120 or above with symptoms — dial 112.

India-specific context

Roughly 1 in 4 Indian adults has high blood pressure — and more than half of them don't know. Among those diagnosed, many stop medication when they feel fine. This silence and stopping is why high BP is the single biggest driver of stroke, heart attack and kidney failure in India.

Red flags — dial 112

• Severe sudden headache.
• Sudden one-sided weakness, facial droop or slurred speech — may be stroke.
• Crushing chest pain — may be heart attack.
• Sudden severe breathlessness.
• Sudden vision changes.
• Any of these with very high BP (above 180/120).

Treatment

• Lifestyle first: less salt (under 5 g/day, watch pickles, papads, namkeens, bread, biscuits); daily walk; maintain healthy weight; less alcohol; quit smoking; 7-8 hours of sleep; stress reduction (yoga, pranayama, simply talking to someone).
• Medication, if BP stays 140/90 or above, or if lower with organ damage/diabetes. Multiple effective, inexpensive generic tablets are available; combinations often work better at lower doses.
• Monitoring: a home BP monitor helps; the pattern over many days matters more than any one reading.

Important — do not stop medication on your own

BP tablets control blood pressure; they don't cure it. Stopping because you feel fine is the single commonest reason people have strokes and heart attacks on treatment. If side effects bother you, a Health Expert can almost always switch to a better-tolerated combination — tell them, don't stop.