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Hypertension
                                                    The Silent Killer

How to Reduce your risk of High Blood Pressure, Heart Attacks and Avoid Related Costs.
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What is Hypertension?
According to the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute, high blood pressure, also called Hypertension, is a blood pressure reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher. Hypertension is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body and it contributed to hardening of the arteries. Once this silent killer develops it usually lasts a lifetime.

What causes Hypertension?
The exact causes of Hypertension are not known. Bur your chances of getting Hypertension are higher if you:
     1. Are overweight
     2. Have a family history of Hypertension
     3. Have "prehypertension"
     4. Are eating too much salt
     5. Drink too much alcohol
     6. Don't eat enough potassium
     7. Don't exercise
     8. Take certain medicines
     9. Experience stress
Many people get Hypertension as they get older. This is not a part of healthy aging! Hypertension is a serious condition that can damage the blood vessels, and can eventually lead to several other conditions, including stroke, heart failure, heart attack, kidney failure and vision problems.

How can you avoid Hypertension?
Maintain a healthy weight - Being overweight can make you two to six times more likely to develop Hypertension
Get regular exercise - People who are physically active have a lower risk of getting high blood pressure than people who are not active
Reduce salt intake - Cutting back on salt also prevents blood pressure from rising.
Drink alcohol in moderation - Drinking too much alcohol can raise your blood pressure. Limit yourself to no more than two drinks a day.
Reduce Stress - Stress can make blood pressure go up and over time may contribute to the cause of high blood pressure.

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How does Hypertension affect your healthcare costs?
Among the top 20 most expensive diagnosis paid by your Health & Welfare Fund. Hypertension tops the lists with 5,142 claims in a year causing the Health & Welfare Plan to pay at least $2.73 million in heart and heart-related diseases. The Plan also paid for at least 7,421 dispensed drugs for Lotensin, Lotrel, Plavix, Avaliade, Lisinopril and Hyzaar - all of which are prescriptions for Hypertension. Contributions made by you to the Health & Welfare Fund are directly used to pay your health care cost needs. Every dollar spent on Hypertension was paif by you and your employer to the Health & Welfare Fund.
(Based on claims filed to the Health & Welfare Fund from August 2003 through July 2004)
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Unhealthy lifestyle choices are a big reason healthcare cots are rising. Poor health and inactive lifestyle can make manageable diseases more difficult and costly to treat. You can be healthier, feel better and help control your healthcare costs by finding a healthy lifestyle that is right for you.

For more information about Hypertension, visit the American Society of Hypertension at http://www.ash-us.org.