Hypertension, commonly referred to as high blood pressure, is what is defined as higher than normal pressure in the arteries, which are the vessels that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body. When a person's blood pressure is high it does not mean excessive emotional tension believed by many. However, emotional tension and stress can increase the blood pressure but it is not the source of high blood pressure. Many doctors believe that prolonged or constant stress may contribute to hypertension which is a major cause of erectile dysfunction in men across the world.

According to the American Medical Association, normal blood pressure is defined as below 120/80. This association considers that if your blood pressure is between 120/80 and 139/89 it is showing the beginning signs of high blood pressure or “pre-hypertension”. If your blood pressure is around 140/90 or above it is considered high blood pressure and you should speak to your doctor.

According to the American Medical Association, the systolic blood pressure, the top number, is the pressure in the arteries as the heart pumps blood into the arteries and the diastolic pressure, the bottom number, represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes.

A rise in either the systolic and or diastolic blood pressure will increase the risk of developing long term health issues.  Some of the diseases that are associated with high blood pressure are heart disease, kidney disease, hardening of the arteries, eye damage and stroke. Because of the possibility of the development of these conditions it is important that high blood pressure is diagnosed quickly. The American Medical Association considers that hypertension affects approximately 1 in 4 adults in the United States making it one of the leading health problems.

The two forms of high blood pressure are the first is essential or primary hypertension.  This is the more common condition and accounts for 95 percent of hypertension. There are a number of factors that produce hypertension and essential hypertension which affects approximately 75 million Americans and the causes of this form of hypertension are not known. A fairly high intake of salt, exceeding 5.8 grams daily are believed to be a cause of this among the medical community and that excess salt may be involved in the hypertension along with advancing age, people of African American background, obesity, hereditary susceptibility, and kidney failure.

In secondary hypertension, which accounts for 5 percent of hypertension, the high blood pressure is secondary to a specific abnormality in one of the organs or systems of the body such as such as the kidney, adrenal gland, or aortic artery.

The combating of high blood pressure takes a lifestyle change by limiting salt, alcohol and caffeine intake all of which appears to help as well as maintaining a healthy weight . It is important to stress that those who have high blood pressure should be under the care of their doctor.