With no obvious symptoms or warning, the young woman was whisked away from a health fair checkup to the emergency room. Physicians informed her that she was a stroke or heart attack just waiting to happen is a prime example of why high blood pressure, or hypertension, has been dubbed the silent killer.

In the case of high blood pressure, knowledge is life-saving power. It begins with the fraction-like numbers and what they mean. Systolic pressure (or the top number) is the force of blood in the arteries when the heat beats. Diastolic pressure (the bottom number) is the force that blood exerts when the heart is at rest. A reading consistently in the range of 120/80 is normal; anything above 140/90 is considered hypertension.

The disease falls into a number of categories. In the case of essential hypertension, the cause is unknown. Secondary hypertension, however, is caused by known medical conditions such as kidney disease or a difficult pregnancy; five to 10% of cases fall into this category. Recently a new classification has been added, with numbers that range between 120/80 and 140/90. It’s called prehypertension and is often the first warning that full-blown hypertension is on the way.

The heart, brain and kidneys can function for a long time with no symptoms, even with the extra pressure hypertension puts on the arteries. As in the case of the young woman mentioned earlier, a person can be completely unaware that they are a walking time bomb ready to explode. If undetected and left alone, the disease can bring on stroke, kidney and heart failure.

Hypertension can be controlled through prescribed medication, to be taken as long as a physician deems it necessary. Unfortunately, too many patients decrease the dosage or discontinue the medication when they feel better. To do so is life-threatening. Some over-the-counter drugs can be dangerous when combined with high blood pressure medication; for example, decongestants have been known to increase blood pressure. The use of such drugs should be reported to a physician.

Race, heredity and gender play a part in who develops high blood pressure. A sad fact of Black life is that our people have the highest rate of any other group in the country. It develops earlier and the complications are more severe. Read these sobering statistics provided by the African American Health Center of Netwellness:
* 35% of African Americans have hypertension, which accounts for 20% of the African American deaths in the United States - twice the percentage of deaths among whites from hypertension.

* Compared with whites, hypertension develops earlier in life and average blood pressures are much higher in African Americans.
* African Americans with high blood pressure have an 80% higher chance of dying from a stroke than in the general population.
* African Americans with high blood pressure have a 20% higher chance of developing heart disease than in the general population.
* African Americans with high blood pressure have a 4 times greater risk of developing hypertension related end stage kidney disease than the general population.

Although heredity is a major risk factor, not every child of a hypertensive parent will develop the disease. However, children of a parent with hypertension are at a greater risk. For children of two parents afflicted by high blood pressure, the odds are even greater.

More men than women are affected by high blood pressure, until the approximate age of 55 when women take the lead. Black women develop the disease at younger ages and with more severe complications. Among women who take birth control pills, the risk is greater. Before prescribing oral contraceptives, a healthcare provider takes a woman’s blood pressure into consideration and afterwards, closely monitors her condition. A word of caution: at even greater risk is an overweight woman who smokes and is on oral contraceptives.

A good start at preventing and controlling hypertension is through diet and exercise. Use some of that video rental money for an exercise tape (also at your local library) or follow the fitness programs on TV. Avoid foods high in saturated fat (the kinds that stay solid at room temperature). We know what they are; the animal fats that make food taste so good. Fast food and many processed food items are loaded with this artery clogging ingredient. Replace it with monosaturated fats (the kinds that remain liquid at room temperature), such as olive and canola oils. Eat more fruits and vegetables. Broil, bake and grill. Use salt in moderation - with the right kinds of herbs, spices and seasonings, food really does taste just as good. And hold back on the Courvoisier and Grey Goose because alcohol not only drives up the pressure but adds on the calories. Pay attention to your lifestyle and make the numbers work for you, because you truly are worth it!