| Blood Pressure High blood pressure is a health problem in the United States. This means that there is a large need for blood pressure monitor suppliers. There are blood pressure ekg machines and other medical equipment that can be important in treating high blood-pressure. Untreated, high blood pressure will cause the heart to eventually overwork itself to the point at which serious damage can occur. The heart muscle can thicken and function abnormally, or dilate and contract less forcefully. High blood pressure can also cause injury to the brain, the eyes and the kidneys, where delicate arteries are damaged by the increased pressure. High blood pressure rates are also rising among American children, alongside an epidemic of obesity. Researchers report that supplementing infant formula with polyunsaturated fatty acids appears to have a beneficial impact on blood pressure later on in childhood. Previous studies already showed that breast milk contains such fatty acids and that breast-fed children had lower blood pressures than those who were formula-fed. High blood pressure affects one out of every three Americans or sixty five million people, according to the American Heart Association. An additional twenty eight percent of Americans, or fifty nine million people, have pre hypertension, which is defined as blood pressure that is on the borderline between normal and elevated. Of the people with high blood pressure, twenty eight percent do not know they have the condition. Among the sixty one percent who are under treatment, only thirty five percent have their blood pressure adequately controlled. High blood pressure is not evenly distributed throughout the population. Until age fifty five, it is more common among men than women. However, after menopause, women's blood pressure steadily risks, possibly because of the loss of hormones. By age seventy five, high blood pressure is more common among women than men. High blood pressure also occurs disproportionately more often in minority communities. According to the AHA, the prevalence of high blood pressure among black Americans is the highest in the world. It is interesting to know that black women are especially prone to high blood pressure. Statistically, they have an eighty five percent higher rate of medical care visits for high blood pressure than white women. Similarly, people of Hispanic descent, as well as those of American Indian of Alaskan native ancestry, suffer from higher rates of high blood pressure. High blood pressure is considered a major risk factor for heart attack, heart failure and stroke. About half of people having first-time heart attacks and two-thirds of people having first-time strokes suffer from high blood pressure. | 
