RESOURCE ON HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND OLDER AMERICANS

This is an important CLINICAL ADVISORY and announcement of a NEW INTERNETRESOURCE on HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND OLDER AMERICANS from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI) of the National Institutes of Health.

According to the NHLBI, systolic blood pressure - the top number of the blood pressure reading - is a much better predictor of future heart disease and strokes for middle-aged and older adults than the more widely regarded diastolic pressure (the bottom number). For more information about how this affects the identification, assessment and treatment of hypertension among older Americans, please go to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute's web site at  www.nhlbi.nih.gov/.

At the NHLBI web site, click on the "Highlights" note marked, "Your Guide to Understanding High Blood Pressure." This will take you to our website pages full of information about how to identify, assess and treat hypertension in older Americans for:

• HEALTHCARE PROFESSIONALS, providing the advisory, clinical practice guidelines, tips on increasing patient compliance, and more;
• CONSUMERS, with tips and tools on how to control blood pressure, engaging interactive quizzes, recipes, sample fitness plans, descriptions of commonly prescribed medications, and profiles of five adults and the strategies they use to stay heart-healthy;
• COMMUNITY ORGANIZATIONS, with educational materials about high blood pressure and its impact on public health; and,
• MEDIA, offering news releases and background information.

While at  www.nhlbi.nih.gov/ , we hope you will also take a few moments to check out other popular features, such as, "Aim for a Healthy Weight," the National Center for Sleep Disorders Research site, asthma management model, and our interactive cholesterol site.

As a federal agency, our content on these websites is within the public domain. You may reprint this information without permission. Please cite NHLBI as the source for materials and mention our website address as a source additional information for those seeking more on hypertension and other heart, lung, blood, and sleep health disorders.