Sometimes my doctor says I have high blood pressure and other times he says it’s hypertension. Which is it?

High blood pressure and hypertension mean the same thing and are the same condition. High blood pressure means high pressure in the arteries, vessels that carry your blood from your heart to all your tissues and organs. Normal blood pressure is below: 120/80, pre-hypertension: is pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 and high blood pressure is 140/90 and above.

What do the top number and bottom number mean on the blood pressure reading?

The top number is for the systolic blood pressure and corresponds to the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts and pumps blood forward into the arteries. The bottom number is the diastolic pressure, which reflects the lowest pressure to which the arteries are exposed.

My doctor says my chest pain is called angina. What does that mean?

Angina pectoris (also referred to as angina) is chest pain or pressure that occurs when the blood and oxygen supply to the heart muscle cannot keep up with the needs of the muscle. When coronary arteries are narrowed by more than 50 to 70 percent, the arteries may not be able to increase the supply of blood to the heart muscle during exercise or other periods of high demand for oxygen. Angina that occurs with exercise or exertion is called exertional angina.

I’m taking a medication that is called an “ACE inhibitor.” What does it do?