What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is a measure of how strongly blood pushes against your arteries as the heart pumps blood through your body.1 Your blood pressure is recorded as two numbers. The top number is your systolic blood pressure, or the amount of pressure experienced when the heart is beating. The bottom number is your diastolic blood pressure, or the amount of pressure experienced when the heart is resting in between heartbeats.




Normal
< 120 and < 80

Elevated
120–129 and < 80

Stage 1
130–139 or 80–89

Stage 2
≥ 140 or ≥ 90

Crisis
> 180 and/or > 120


When is blood pressure too high?

Your blood pressure does not stay the same all the time. It changes depending on what you are doing or how you are feeling.

Some people experience a higher level of blood pressure continuously for longer periods of time. When this happens, it forces the heart to work harder, which can lead to many other health problems.2,3 This condition is called high blood pressure, or hypertension.

U.S. guidelines from the American Heart Association define high blood pressure as any value greater than 130/80 mmHg.2





What causes high blood pressure?

Many factors increase your risk of developing high blood pressure.2

Factors you can control

  • Diet
  • Exercise
  • Smoking

Factors you can‘t control

  • Family history
  • Race/ethnicity
  • Age
  • Gender
  • Chronic conditions like diabetes and kidney disease




Who has high blood pressure?

An estimated 1.4 billion adults are affected worldwide,4 across different genders, ages, races, ethnicities, and communities.

  • Nearly 50% of all adults in the United States have high blood pressure.5
  • Sixty percent of Black adults in the United States have high blood pressure.6
  • Black Americans experience five times the mortality risk from high blood pressure compared with white Americans.7
  • Hispanic Americans with high blood pressure are more likely to go undiagnosed.7




What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

High blood pressure often has no warning signs or symptoms.In fact, an estimated 44% of adults with high blood pressure are unaware they even have it.4

People with high blood pressure may experience4

  • Headaches
  • Chest pain
  • Dizziness
  • Nausea
  • Vomiting
  • Anxiety
  • Blurred vision
  • Difficulty breathing
  • Confusion
  • Buzzing in the ears
  • Nosebleeds
  • Abnormal heart rhythm



Why is high blood pressure dangerous?

If you have high blood pressure, your heart works harder, which can raise your risk of2,3:

  • Heart attack
  • Strokes
  • Heart failure
  • Kidney failure

These risks can be very serious — especially if your high blood pressure is left untreated.


How is high blood pressure treated?

For a long time, the only way to treat high blood pressure was through lifestyle changes or by taking medications. Today, there is another approach that works alongside those treatments — the Symplicity™ blood pressure procedure.8,9


Lifestyle changes2

  • Eating healthier
  • Reducing salt
  • Exercising regularly
  • Limiting alcohol
  • Quitting smoking
  • Getting enough sleep
  • Reducing stress

Medication10

  • Prescribed when lifestyle change aren‘t enough to control high blood pressure
  • Need to be taken every day
  • Can have side effects like fatigue, dizziness, headaches, cough, and problems sleeping

Symplicity™ procedure8,9

  • A minimally invasive treatment proven to reduce high blood pressure safely and effectively
  • Keeps working 24 hours a day — like a pill you never have to remember to take
  • Works alongside medications and healthy lifestyle habits

Results may vary. Talk with your doctor to see if the Symplicity™ procedure is right for you.


Side effects of the Symplicity™ procedure can include headache, back pain, and access site issues like bruising or hematoma. In very rare cases, blood vessel injury or narrowing may occur. Blood pressure is monitored after the procedure and medications may need to be adjusted by your healthcare team over time.



Is the Symplicity™ procedure right for you?

Take our short survey to see if you could be a good candidate for this procedure. Then talk with your doctor to see if this treatment may be right for you.

Your blood pressure reading has two numbers. The first, or “top” number, is your systolic blood pressure. For example, if your BP is 120/90, 120 is the systolic blood pressure reading.

Next