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Hypertension/High Blood Pressure Health Center

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Diagnosis & Tests

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Diagnosing hypertension is important. Learn how doctors test for high blood pressure and even see a photo of how the test is done.

Diagnosis

High blood pressure is often called a "silent disease" because you usually don't know you have it; there may be no outward symptoms or signs, so monitoring your blood pressure is critical.

Tests

The only way to tell whether you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure measured with a blood pressure cuff (sphygmomanometer). Learn just what that entails, what your results mean, and other tests your doctor may perform.

Want to know how blood pressure is measured and what a blood pressure cuff looks like? Click on the photo in this article and you'll have an idea what to expect when you get your blood pressure taken.

webMD Video

Show or hide information about video: How Hypertension Affects Cardiac Risk   How Hypertension Affects Cardiac Risk

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Jonathan Sackner Bernstein, MD, talks about high blood pressure and its effect on cardiac diseases

Watch Video: How Hypertension Affects Cardiac Risk (opens in a new window)

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