High Blood Pressure is a Prevailing Health Concern Among Black Americans

According to studies, Black men and women are more likely to suffer from highblood pressures, which is a dangerous health condition. High blood pressure has been dubbed as the “Silent Killer” because it often does not show any symptoms until it causes severe health damage that can result in death unless treated. Also known as hypertension, this health condition is prevalent among the Black community, as African American men and women are more likely to suffer from this dangerous health condition. This is mainly due to historical and medical reasons, according to Dr. Kiyumi V. Heard, a family medicine physician at Kaiser Permanente Southern California. “There isn’t one particular factor as to why hypertension is prevalent within the Black community,” Dr. Heard explained. “Instead, the reasons why that’s the case can be traced to historical, cultural and lifestyle factors. Regardless of that, however, it’s important to know that hypertension is treatable, and we all need to pay attention to it. That’s because if left untreated, it can cause stroke, heart attack and chronic kidney disease, among others.” Kaiser Permanente recognizes hypertension to be as 140/90 and above. Some of the reasons why high blood pressure is prevalent among the Black...