Why High Blood Pressure is so Dangerous
The conversation around high blood pressure could not be more urgent, especially in the African-American community. According to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC),nearly half of US adults have high blood pressure and three in four adults with hypertension do not have it under control. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is often called the “silent killer” because it rarely comes with obvious symptoms. Yet over time, it quietly damages the heart, brain, kidneys, and blood vessels, increasing the risk of heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, and even dementia.
During a recent BlackDoctor conversation, we sat down with Dr. Yolanda Lawson, OB-GYN, past president of the National Medical Association, and executive medical director at Health Care Service Corporation (HCSC), to break down what hypertension really is, why it is so dangerous, and what people can do right now to get their blood pressure under control.
