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Notice to Readers: National High Blood Pressure Education Month,
May 2002
May is National High Blood Pressure Education Month in the United States. Approximately 50 million persons in
the United States aged >6 years have high blood pressure (i.e., a person with systolic blood pressure of
>140 mm Hg or a diastolic blood pressure of
>90 mm Hg or a person taking antihypertensive medication)
(1). High blood pressure increases the risk for diseases of the heart and stroke, the first and third leading causes of death in the United States, respectively.
Lowering high blood pressure will reduce new events and deaths from these cardiovascular diseases and can be
achieved through lifestyle modifications alone or in combination with drug therapy
(2). Key lifestyle changes include weight
reduction and control, adequate physical activity, moderation in alcohol intake, reduced dietary sodium, and increased
dietary potassium. Additional lifestyle changes to improve overall cardiovascular health include smoking cessation and reduced
intake of saturated fats. The most recent recommendations for the detection and treatment of high blood pressure are available
from the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure
(2).
During May, many CDC-sponsored state cardiovascular health programs, the National High Blood Pressure
Education Program, and the American Heart Association will highlight activities that raise awareness and understanding about
high blood pressure as a risk factor for heart disease and stroke. Additional information about how high blood pressure can
be prevented or treated is available from the American Heart Association at http://www.americanheart.org, the National
Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/about/nhbpep, and CDC at
http://www.cdc.gov/nccdphp/cvd.
U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, CDC. The sixth report of the Joint National Committee on prevention, detection, evaluation,
and treatment of high blood pressure. Bethesda, Maryland: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, National Institutes of Health,
National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, 1997 (NIH publication no. 98-4080).
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Health and Human Services.References to non-CDC sites on the Internet are
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Department of Health and Human Services. CDC is not responsible for the content
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the date of publication.
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