Hypertension is defined as the abnormal elevation of the pressure of blood within the arteries as measured most often by a blood pressure cuff. About 1 in 3 Americans has hypertension (which is the same thing as high blood pressure and has almost nothing to do with stress or anxiety.) When I finished medical school about 25 years ago, hypertension was diagnosed in an adult when the blood pressure was above 140/90 mm of mercury. In the last several years, since mortality pretty much just increases with increasing blood pressure, lower levels of blood pressure have been identified as being abnormal. Now a person has prehypertension if their systolic (top number) blood pressure is between 120 and 139 or if their diastolic (bottom number) blood pressure is between 80 and 89. High blood pressure is a big deal because it increases a person's risk for stroke, heart attack and kidney failure. It is also mostly completely silent, causing no discomfort except at very high levels. The only...
The cost of health care in the US is higher than anywhere else in the world, and yet we are not healthier than our peer nations. In fact, in terms of such measures as infant mortality and life span, we don't measure up. Why is this? Many people involved in providing or receiving care have some pretty good ideas about what costs so much, and what we can do to reduce costs and improve quality. Sharing these stories is an important step in creating affordable universal health care.