FRIDAY, April 2, 2004 (HealthDayNews) -- It's important that every man know his blood pressure and know what those numbers mean, says an article in the April issue of Harvard Men's Health Watch.
Men also need to take action to maintain or bring their blood pressure down below 140/90, the article advises.
High blood pressure -- also called hypertension -- increases the risk of heart attack and stroke, the first and third leading causes of death in the United States. Hypertension also contributes to congestive heart failure, kidney failure, memory loss and dementia, visual impairment, artery damage and erectile dysfunction in older men.
To help men get motivated about achieving and maintaining healthy blood pressure, Harvard Men's Health Watch published a chart that shows what high blood pressure may mean for you.
After you provide some personal and family medical history, the chart lets you calculate your risk of dying from a cardiovascular event within the next five years. The results may help convince you that high blood pressure is a major health threat and that you need to take action.
More information
Here's where you can find the blood pressure chart.
