High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure happens when blood cannot flow easily through your blood vessels. This creates pressure in your vessels, which damages the vessels and strains your heart. As a result, blood doesn't flow as well to your brain or kidneys, and you can have a heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure. Among Asian American/Pacific Islander women, high blood pressure is more of a problem for Filipino women. And all Asian American/Pacific Islander women have much lower blood pressure screening rates than other minority women. Certain factors increase your chances of having high blood pressure: increasing age (middle aged or older), diabetes, obesity (or being overweight), alcohol use, eating too much salt or sodium, a family history of high blood pressure, and not exercising.