Treating even mild high blood pressure can pay off

I'm a big believer in watching blood pressure - it can be a sign of many, treatable problems. That includes stroke. In fact, high blood pressure is a leading cause of strokes.

Plus, it's an easy number to get checked - with consultation with a health professional, you can buy and learn to use a device to check it at home - and it involves no needles, scalpels or lab results.

Now, recent study shows a link between treating even mild high blood pressure pays off for stroke prevention:

Treating for blood pressures in the 140/90 to 160/99 mmHg range reduced stroke and mortality risks, according to a meta-analysis of patient-level trial data.

Treating mild hypertension with an antihypertensive drug or more intensive regimen yielded a significant 28% relative reduction in incident stroke compared with placebo or a less intensive blood pressure-lowering regimen over 5 years, Kazem Rahimi, MD, of the George Institute for Global Health at the University of Oxford, and colleagues found.

So keep up with those numbers and follow your doctor's advice. A relatively easy action on your part can save you - and the ones you love - a lot of agony.