Community Health: May is blood pressure awareness month

By PATTY SOOY

Cheney Dental Care

May is not just for Mothers' Day any more. May is also National High Blood Pressure Awareness month.

High blood pressure is the leading risk factor for heart attacks, strokes and cardiovascular diseases, which together form the number one killer among women in the United States.

But women are not the only ones affected by hypertension (high blood pressure). Known as the “silent killer,” this condition is diagnosed in one third of American adults over the age of 20. That statistic translates to 73.6 million people nationwide.

Over half of all Americans aged 60 a...