Sky High: High Blood Pressure Continues To Threaten Our Health

So, how did you mark the occasion of World Heart Day this past week? Did you eat a healthier meal? Go for a longer walk? How about checking your blood pressure? A new research study published in BMJ Public Health suggests that a great many of us not only fail to regularly monitor our blood pressure and are therefore unaware that we have high blood pressure, but even among those in the know, elevated blood pressure is often inadequately controlled. Not only does this have serious implications for your heart, but increasingly we are aware that high blood pressure can wreak havoc on major systems in your body, including brain health. So monitoring your blood pressure and controlling it at appropriate levels becomes an essential health task for anyone who wants to age in a healthy way.

You may remember last year we highlighted a new set of guidelines from the American Heart Association. Anyone with a blood pressure reading of ≥130/80 mm Hg is considered at risk and advised to begin lifestyle changes for 3-6 months, and if those fail to lower your blood pressure, medication may be in order. The new BMJ Public Health study used a more lenient gauge for elevated blood pressure, categorizing anyone with a blood pressure reading of 140/90 or higher as having elevated blood pressure. But even with this more lenient category, the number of undetected cases of high blood pressure and insufficiently controlled blood pressure was alarming. According to the study, 59% of cases of high blood pressure were undiagnosed, and only 50% of those who have diagnosed high blood pressure and take medications for it actually have it under control. And in a follow-up study to the new AHA blood pressure guidelines, Researchers found that while 1 in 3 adults with hypertension were now eligible for treatment under the new guidelines, more than 2 out of every 5 remained untreated. The number of lives lost due to this lack of treatment is in the hundreds of thousands.

It’s not clear why so many who are aware of their high blood pressure are nonetheless falling behind in keeping it under control. A recent study in BMJ Geriatrics examined the lack of medication adherence among patients with hypertension as one reason. In this study, researchers examined such causes as forgetfulness, perceptions of illness, or intentional decisions not to take the medication as reasons that blood pressure may be uncontrolled even for patients who have been prescribed medication. Given that high blood pressure is often “silent” (meaning it has few discernible symptoms), patients may decide they feel fine and that their medication is unnecessary. This “silent” aspect of high blood pressure is an important reason for self-monitoring and regular wellness check-ups with your doctor. It is also known that hypertension is sometimes difficult to control and may require a few different medications, taken together, to help lower your reading. It may be hard to deal with resistant or refractory hypertension, but it becomes critical that you work your way through it to lower your reading and reduce your risk of the many complications that can arise from high blood pressure.

Additional studies connecting the dots between high blood pressure and brain health are also important to consider. One new research report, published in Nature Medicine, tracked 34,000 adults over 7 years to examine the impact of elevated blood pressure on brain aging. What researchers were able to achieve was a 15% reduction in the risk of dementia among those hypertensive patients who were actively monitored and treated with low-cost medications. This study demonstrated that trained community health workers, rather than medical experts, could be valuable in efforts to lower blood pressure on a community-wide level. It is known that high blood pressure can damage small blood vessels in the brain, leading to such crises as strokes, and causing longer-term damage. As one expert made clear, “ (Elevated) blood pressure is a major contributor to neurovascular health in general and dementia.”  And it doesn’t take a lot of medical expertise for a person to monitor and respond to elevated blood pressure levels. That’s why home monitoring is important and available. AARP recently issued its list of The Best Blood Pressure Monitors of 2026: Expert Tested. So roll up your sleeve and take a look here.

It is possible to manage your blood pressure and keep your readings lower with lifestyle changes. One important activity for lowering blood pressure is to stay active and exercise. A new study published in the journal Sports Medicine underscores the importance of both cardio exercise and strength training for older adults as one valuable way to keep blood pressure levels in check. And if you’re in search of diet tips to help, take a look at this new study published in The British Journal of Nutrition, which examines the value of eating nuts as a way to lower your risk of high blood pressure. Nuts can be an important and healthy supplement to an otherwise healthy diet to help lower and sustain a healthy blood pressure level. So pop some pistachios and find out more here.