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High blood pressure affects many adults and can go unnoticed. Causes include smoking, being overweight, and inactivity. Regular checkups can help manage it.

Did you know that one in three American adults has high blood pressure? That number may surprise you. According to a report from the American Heart Association, high blood pressure contributes to nearly 1,000 deaths per day. For this reason, it’s important to have your blood pressure checked regularly — and get treatment if you have high blood pressure.⁽¹⁾

What causes high blood pressure?

The exact causes of high blood pressure are not known. However, some things may play a role in its development, including:

• Smoking
• Being overweight
• Lack of physical activity
• Too much salt in the diet
• Drinking too much alcohol (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day)
• Older age
• Family history of high blood pressure (heredity)
• Race (African Americans have high blood pressure more often and more severely than White Americans)
• Having chronic kidney disease

Blood pressure is the pressure that occurs when blood pushes against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body.

Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg.1

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal.

High blood pressure is consistently at or above 130/80 mm Hg.1

Your blood pressure changes throughout the day based on your activities. Having blood pressure consistently above normal may result in a diagnosis of high blood pressure.

The higher your blood pressure levels, the more risk you have for other health problems, such as heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.

Learn about how you can prevent and treat high blood pressure during pregnancy, which can put you and your baby at risk for health problems.