hypertension
noun
Did you know?
You might have thought that hypertension was what a movie audience feels near the climax of a thriller, but you would have been wrong. High blood pressure—that is high pressure against the walls of your veins and arteries caused by blood flow—often occurs when the arteries or veins become blocked or narrowed, making the heart work harder to pump blood. But many cases seem to be the result of smoking or taking in too much salt, and many are genetically caused. Hypertension is serious, since it can lead to heart attacks and strokes. Though it often produces no warning symptoms, your blood pressure can be checked quickly and easily by a nurse. If it's high, it can usually be controlled by stopping smoking, losing weight, lowering your salt intake, and exercising—and if all else fails, by medication.
Examples of hypertension in a Sentence
Bill Prince, theweek, 7 Nov. 2024
The analysis of a six-year period showed a 30% decrease in obesity risk for babies conceived or born during rationing, with a faster increase in type 2 diabetes and hypertension in those after the sugar ration ended.
—Sam Tupper, CNN, 4 Nov. 2024
Over their lifetime, children who didn’t consume much sugar during the first 1000 days of their lives — a period extending from their conception until their second birthday — lowered their risk of developing diabetes by 35 percent and hypertension by 20 percent.
—Saul Elbein, The Hill, 31 Oct. 2024
Participants also had to have at least one other underlying condition — such as obesity, hypertension or heart disease — and couldn’t have used a diabetes drug within the past six months.
—Berkeley Lovelace Jr., NBC News, 24 Oct. 2024
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Dictionary Entries Near hypertension
Cite this Entry
“Hypertension.” Merriam-Webster.com Dictionary, Merriam-Webster, https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/hypertension. Accessed 28 Nov. 2024.
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hypertension
noun
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hypertension
noun
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