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Is High Blood Pressure Considered Heart Disease?

Blood pressure is the measurement of the force of your blood pressing against the walls of your arteries. When your blood pressure increases, your heart has to work harder to pump blood through your circulatory system. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a condition in which your blood pressure measurements are consistently too high. While high blood pressure itself is not considered to be heart disease, it can cause heart disease or other serious cardiovascular issues and be a major risk factor for having a heart attack if left uncontrolled. High blood pressure often can be a condition that you don't even know you have. That's why it's so important to know your numbers and monitor them on a regular basis. When it comes to measuring blood pressure, here's what the numbers mean:

Systolic pressure (the top number) measures pressure in your arteries during heartbeats.
Diastolic pressure (the bottom number) measures pressure in your arteries between heartbeats.

Blood pressure categories include:

Normal: Less than 120/80 mm Hg
Elevated: Top number (systolic) between 120-129 and bottom number (diastolic) less than 80
Stage 1 Hypertension (high blood pressure): Systolic between 130-139 or diastolic between 80-89
Stage 2 Hypertension (high blood pressure): Systolic at least 140 or diastolic at least 90 mm Hg
Hypertensive crisis: Top number over 180 and/or bottom number over 120, with patients needing prompt changes in medication if there are no other symptoms, or immediate hospitalization if there are signs of organ damage

Aside from high blood pressure, many other factors could be increasing your risk for developing heart disease. Take our free heart health assessment to learn your heart's real age and what you can do now to reduce your risk of developing heart disease in the future.

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Why Choose Us?

Our physicians and providers are proud to be affiliated with Northwest Health, the largest health system in Northwest Arkansas. With five hospitals, Northwest Health has three accredited Chest Pain Centers - in Bentonville, Siloam Springs and Springdale.

Northwest Medical Center - Springdale was the first hospital in Northwest Arkansas to provide open-heart surgery and achieve Cycle III Chest Pain Center Accreditation with Primary PCI through American College of Cardiology (ACC) Accreditation Services. Both Northwest Medical Center — Springdale and Northwest Medical Center — Bentonville are Chest Pain Centers with PCI, accredited by The American College of Cardiology, as well as being accredited as Primary Stroke Centers by The Joint Commission demonstrating Northwest Health's continued commitment to heart care.

Northwest Medical Center - Springdale was also among the first 50 hospitals nationwide chosen to participate in a new study to identify the best treatment for people who experience cardiogenic shock following a heart attack (also called acute myocardial infarction - cardiogenic shock, or AMI-CS). Called the National Cardiogenic Shock Initiative (NCSI), this multicenter study assessed the feasibility of whether outcomes in cardiogenic shock can be improved by using standardized best practices such as inserting a special heart pump to protect patients during percutaneous coronary interventions.

From prevention to diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation, numerous services are available throughout our five-hospital network.

Our Services Include:

Diagnostic and imaging technology to find heart disease early, when it's most treatable
Cardiac catheterization
Open-heart surgeries including coronary bypass and valve repair
Cardiac defibrillator andbiventricular pacemaker insertion
Carotid stenting
Venous stenting
Heart failure care
Specialized treatment for heart rhythm disorders (atrial fibrillation)
Cardiac rehabilitation that combines education, support and exercise therapy

Heart Healthy Resources

A Woman’s Risk for Heart Disease is Different: Here’s What You Need to Know

Heart disease is a big issue in the United States for both men and women alike. But some risk factors are more unique to women.
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What Do Doctors Have To Say About Your Heart?

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Finding out you have high blood pressure can be worrisome if you aren’t sure what your numbers mean or what to do about them. Discover how high blood pressure affects your heart.
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How Does Smoking Affect Your Heart?

Smoking’s impact reaches far beyond your lungs, harming nearly every other organ in the body. Get the specifics on how smoking can influence your heart’s health.
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Why Your Heart Wants You to Pay Attention to Your Cholesterol

Your liver makes cholesterol in your body, but you also get cholesterol from eating certain foods. Find out how the wrong kind of cholesterol can impact your heart.
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