Hypertension is defined as a systolic blood pressure (BP) of 140 mmHg or higher or a diastolic BP of 90 mmHg or higher. However, health declines in persons whose blood pressure is above 115/75 mmHg. Hypertension is linked to an increased risk of stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure, renal failure, and cognitive impairment. Globally, a systolic BP above 115 mmHg is the top determinant of the risk of death, and the absolute number of annual cardiovascular deaths approaches 8 millons.
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