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For most people with high blood pressure, a doctor will develop a treatment plan that may include heart-healthy lifestyle changes alone or with medicines. Heart-healthy lifestyle changes, such as heart-healthy eating, can be highly effective in treating high blood pressure.

It is important to have regular blood pressure readings taken and to know your numbers, because high blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms until serious complications occur. Undiagnosed or uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause complications such as chronic kidney disease, heart attack, heart failure, stroke, and possibly vascular dementia.

Everyone age 3 or older should have their blood pressure checked by a healthcare provider at least once a year. Healthy lifestyle changes can help prevent high blood pressure from developing.

Factors that increase your risk for high blood pressure include unhealthy lifestyle habits such as eating too much sodium, drinking too much alcohol, and being physically inactive. Other risk factors include age, family history and genetics, race and ethnicity, and sex.

Learn to recognize the signs and symptoms of stroke, and call 9-1-1 right away if you think someone might be having a stroke. The sooner you get treatment, the better your chances of recovery.

What you don’t know about high blood pressure could hurt you. High blood pressure affects one in three Americans,1 yet many people with the condition don’t know they have it.

You may have a strong stomach and your heart may be in the right place, but how well are your kidneys working? If you have risk factors for kidney disease, ask your doctor about getting tested to find out your kidney health.