Every 39 seconds,

a person dies
from heart attack,
stroke, or other
vascular disease.

High Blood Pressure

& Cholesterol
Q&A
How can I prevent high blood pressure two years. If you have already been diagnosed with
and/or cholesterol? heart disease or other risk factors for heart disease,
your blood pressure measurement should be more
Eat a healthy diet that is low in salt; low in total
closely monitored.
fat, saturated fat, and cholesterol; and rich in fresh
fruits and vegetables.
What can I do about my high blood pressure?
Take a brisk 10-minute walk, 3 times a day, If you already have high blood pressure, your doc-
5 days a week. tor may prescribe medications in addition to lifestyle
Dont smoke. If you do smoke, quit as soon as changes. All drugs could have side effects, so talk
possible. with your doctor on a regular basis. Dont go off your
medications without first consulting your doctor. As
To learn more, visit www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns. your blood pressure improves, your doctor will want
to monitor it often. Lifestyles changes, such as healthy
How do I know if I have high blood pressure? eating and exercise, are just as important in control-
ling high blood pressure as taking medications.
Getting your blood pressure checked is important
because high blood pressure often has no symptoms.
How do I know if I have high cholesterol?
Your doctor can measure your blood pressure, or you
can use a machine available at many pharmacies. You High cholesterol usually has no signs or symptoms.
also can use a home monitoring device to measure Only a doctors check will reveal it. Your doctor can
your blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is defined do a simple blood test to check your cholesterol levels.
as 120/80 mm Hg. If the systolic number (the first The test is called a lipoprotein profile. It measures
one) is greater than 140 mm Hg or the diastolic (sec- several kinds of cholesterol as well as triglycerides, a
ond) number is greater than 90 mm Hg, you may have fat found in the blood that can play a role in cardio-
high blood pressure. vascular disease. Some doctors do a simpler blood test
that just checks total and HDL or good cholesterol,
How often should I check my blood pressure? but its important to find out your LDL or bad cho-
lesterol level.
For most people, a blood pressure measurement
should be taken at each doctor visit, but at least every

National Center for Chronic Disease Prevention and Health Promotion

Division for Heart Disease and Stroke Prevention
What can I do about my high cholesterol? have health insurance. Not only do individuals need
to be checked continually for these conditions, but
If you have high cholesterol, your doctor may pre-
they also need adequate, affordable treatment along
scribe medications and suggest lifestyle changes,
with consistent follow-up care.
such as healthy eating and exercise. Controlling LDL
cholesterol is the primary focus of treatment. Your To improve blood pressure and cholesterol control
treatment plan will depend on your current LDL level levels among U.S. adults in every age group, a com-
and risk for heart disease and stroke. Your risk for prehensive approach that involves policy and systems
heart disease and stroke depends on other risk factors, changes to improve health care access, quality of
including high blood pressure, smoking status, age, preventive care, and patient adherence to treatment
HDL level, and family history of early heart disease. is needed. The Affordable Care Act provides cover-
In addition, people with existing cardiovascular dis- age for blood pressure and cholesterol screenings.
ease or diabetes are at high risk for high cholesterol. Additional health care system improvements
including electronic health recordswill improve
Whats the difference between bad follow-up treatment and management and can
and good cholesterol? improve patient-physician interaction. Allied health
Particles called lipoproteins carry cholesterol in the professionals (nurses, dietitians, health educators,
blood. There are two kinds of lipoproteins: LDL and HDL. and pharmacists) also could help increase patient
adherence to medications.
Low-density lipoproteins (LDL) make up the majority
of the bodys cholesterol. LDL is known as bad cho- Where can I go to find out more
lesterol because having high levels can lead to buildup information about health care reform?
in the arteries and result in heart disease.
For information about health care reform, visit
High-density lipoproteins (HDL) absorb cholesterol http://www.healthcare.gov.
and carry it back to the liver, which flushes it from
the body. High levels of HDL, or good cholesterol, Where can providers go to get more
reduce the risk for heart disease and stroke. information on current guidelines?
The most updated guidelines for providers are avail-
Why bring up artificial trans-fats again? Now able from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood
that food manufacturers are required to list Institute, part of the National Institutes of Health.
them on their labels, doesnt that cover it?
Current guidelines for high blood pressure (JNC 7)
Eating artificial trans-fats raises bad (LDL) cholesterol
are online at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/
levels among both adults and children. Avoiding them
hypertension.
can help you stay healthy.
Current guidelines for cholesterol (ATP III) are
In most places, when you go out to eat or buy fast
online at http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/guidelines/
food, you can hardly avoid artificial trans-fats. Only
cholesterol.
1 in 5 Americans lives where there are policies that
eliminate artificial trans-fat from restaurant foods. New guidelines for both high blood pressure (JNC 8)
However, in some areas, legislators have acted to and cholesterol (ATP IV) are scheduled for release in
restrict the use of trans-fats in restaurants and fall 2011.
manufacturing. For example, in California, all oils,
margarines, and shortenings used in frying must Want to learn more? Visit
contain less than 0.5% artificial trans-fat per serving.
www http://www.cdc.gov/vitalsigns
Food manufacturers and restaurants that violate the
legislation face fines of up to $1,000. Restrictions like
this make healthy eating easier for everyone.

You say that most people who dont have their

high blood pressure or cholesterol under For more information, please contact

control actually have health insurance. So Telephone: 1-800-CDC-INFO (232-4636)

TTY: 1-888-232-6348
if theyre under a doctors care, why arent
E-mail: [email protected]
these conditions better controlled? Web: www.cdc.gov
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Indeed, nearly 80% of people who dont have their 1600 Clifton Road NE, Atlanta, GA 30333
blood pressure or cholesterol under control actually Publication date: 02/01/2011