The silent killer: working with clients with hypertension by Jenifer Milner

According to the National Center for Health Statistics, more than one in two adults ages 60 and above has hypertension, a disorder more commonly known as high blood pressure (Burt et al, 1995). The prevalence of hypertension also rises with age, so that 75% of women and 64% of men aged 75 years and above live with the condition. Furthermore, a 2002 study based on data from the Framingham Heart Study suggests that midlife and older adults face a 90% risk of developing hypertension during their remaining years (Vasan et al, 2002).
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute (NHLBI) describes blood pressure as simply