High blood pressure rising in Missouri

More than 27 percent of adults in Missouri have high blood pressure, a 22 percent increase since 1988, according to the Missouri Department of Health and Senior Services. . . .

According to the study, the rise in high blood pressure can be attributed to an increase in obesity and an aging population. But steps can be taken to address high blood pressure.

The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute offers the following recommendations to help prevent or reduce high blood pressure:

• Maintain a healthy weight
  
• Be more active every day
  
• Eat fewer food high in salt and sodium
  
• Eat more fruits and vegetables
  
• Cut back on alcoholic beverages
  
• Have blood pressure checked
  
• Take high blood pressure medicine as directed by a health-care professional

In addition to the medical risks, high blood pressure is a costly problem. Hospital expenses due to high blood pressure have more than doubled in the past decade in Missouri, from $47 million in 1993 to slightly more than $100 million in 2002. This does not include hospitalization costs related to cardiovascular disease, which often is a result of high blood pressure.