February is Black History Month and Heart Month, and it’s an opportunity to talk about high blood pressure. About 55 percent of Black adults have hypertension, according to the American Heart Association. “Why I think it’s really important is it disproportionately affects the Black population and the Hispanic and Latinx population,” said Dr. Eugene Yang, cardiologist at UW Medicine and volunteer medical expert for the American Heart Association. “They have blood pressure rates that are higher, two-fold higher, compared to white people. There’s a much higher risk of having high blood pressure in minority populations.” Brent Hall is a hydroplane racer, dad, husband and basketball coach, and works at Premera. He lives a busy life but started to notice a tightness in his chest and his heart pounding while he was lying down. He measured his blood pressure, and it was high. After a visit with his doctor, Hall started to implement lifestyle changes. This includes measuring his exercise, food and water intake, and sleep. “As I measure those four things, when those are in the right place, I usually notice my blood pressure go down,” Hall said. “I keep focusing on that and regular checkups with my doctor.” While Hall did have symptoms, many people don’t have any signs or symptoms of high blood pressure. That’s why knowing your numbers is important. A validated blood pressure device at home can help you monitor your numbers, as well as a visit to your doctor’s office. Blood pressure numbers of less than 120/80 are considered within the normal range. Blood pressure above 130 is considered stage 1 hypertension, so anything in that range and above warrants attention. “As a cardiologist, I’d prefer people to focus on lifestyle and behavioral changes,” Dr. Yang said. “I’d rather them not be put on medication.” Dr. Yang encourages patients to focus on the rule of fives. Losing up to ten pounds can lower systolic blood pressure by up to 5 points. Reducing sodium intake by about 1,000 milligrams and exercising at moderate intensity for 150 minutes a week can have the same impact. As for Hall, he wants to spread awareness of high blood pressure and the steps you can take to combat it. “It’s about education,” he said. “I really want to make sure people understand that sometimes you won’t have symptoms. Hypertension is known as the silent killer.” To learn more about measuring your blood pressure and lifestyle changes you can take, visit heart.org/hbp. Sponsored by Premera Blue Cross. -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- KING 5's New Day Northwest is Western Washington's only local daytime talk show. Watch it weekdays at 11 a.m. PST on KING 5 TV and streaming live on http://www.king5.com. #newdaynw 🢒 Follow New Day Northwest! 🢐 FACEBOOK 🢒 https://www.facebook.com/newdaynw TWITTER 🢒 https://twitter.com/newdaynw INSTAGRAM 🢒 https://www.instagram.com/newdaynw