High Blood Pressure:
Not Just a Man's Disease



High Blood Pressure And Women


Historically people have tended to think of heart disease as a man's disease. My own grandfather died at the age of 72 of a sudden heart attack. My grandmother lived to be 97.

In spite of this heart disease in women is an enormous problem that does not need to be ignored. Women need to be aware of certain conditions that may put them at a greater risk for heart disease than men. Such conditions may include being …
  • On the Pill
  • Pregnant
  • Overweight
  • Postmenopausal
  • African American.

What The Research Shows


One study examined the relationship between blood pressure and secondary risk exclusively in women.
They found is a strong continuous relationship between increasing blood pressure and the risk of secondary cardiovascular events in women.
In other words, once a woman has a cardiac event, having high blood pressure increases the risk of a secondary event. Specifically, it was found that for each 10 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) increase in systolic blood pressure (the top number in a reading or the pressure that occurs as the heart beats), a woman's risk of cardiovascular disease increased 9%.

Earlier studies had focused on patients with no known heart or blood vessel disease. This study was designed to discover the relationship between blood pressure and secondary cardiac events.

High blood pressure causes the heart to work harder than normal to pump blood, causing it to enlarge and weaken over time.
If a woman has already had a cardiac event or has a history indicating a high probability of heart disease then high blood pressure can continue to strain the heart making it more susceptible to damage and disease.



The women in this particular study were part of a larger study to determine the benefits of antioxidant vitamins such as folic acid and vitamins B6 and B12 for those who had cardiovascular disease or three or more risk factors potentially leading to heart disease. Specifically, women in this study had confirmed CVD events such as…
  • Heart attack
  • Stroke
  • Coronary artery bypass graft
  • Angioplasty.
The study compared the risk of women with borderline high blood pressure, or pre-hypertension, with those women having a systolic blood pressure reading 10 mm Hg lower.
Pre-hypertension can be defined as a systolic reading of at least 130 mm HG.
These women showed a 28% higher relative risk of heart disease than those women with a systolic reading of 120-129 mm Hg.

The conclusion of the data findings is that women with cardiovascular disease and borderline elevations in systolic blood pressure are at increased risk of future events and might benefit from a lower targeted blood pressure.
It would be wise then to not be content with borderline high blood pressure.
A lower reading will remove much of the stress from the heart and blood vessels reducing the risk of secondary occurrences of heart disease.

Being a woman doesn't exempt you from high blood pressure concerns. Heart disease in women is a stark reality. It is always best to take precautionary measures. Eat a healthy diet including good dietary supplements, don't smoke and get some exercise. And one more thing; don't be a stranger to your doctor.

Click here for an all natural blood pressure lowering supplement.


Heart Health Note:

If you have high blood pressure you really should be monitoring your blood pressure at home.

By monitoring your own blood pressure you can help your doctor get a better picture of your heart health. You can also more easily determine which blood pressure lowering efforts are working.


Click Here to Learn More About Monitoring Your Own Blood Pressure.



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For more information on women’s health see:

Women's Health And Vitality

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