(NewsUSA) - One to three adults in the United States will have hypertension, commonly known as high blood pressure (HBP), in their lifetime. The condition can be a predecessor for heart disease and stroke, the leading causes of death in the United States. Ideally, adults should keep their blood pressure reading at 140 or under for the top number (systolic) and 90 for the lower number (diastolic). People who have diabetes or kidney disease should have numbers under 130/80.

"Approximately 41 percent of African American males have nearly double the incidence of HBP, compared to their Caucasian counterparts," said Anil Hingorani, MD, a vascular surgeon at Maimonides Medical Center in Brooklyn, NY. "Black Americans are more likely to have diabetes, high cholesterol, obesity, smoking issues, and high salt and fat in their diet -- all risk factors for developing HBP. In addition, they develop HBP at younger ages than other ethnic groups in the United States and are more likely to have complications associated with HBP, including stroke, kidney disease, blindness, dementia and heart disease."