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Symptoms

By Mayo Clinic staff

Prehypertension doesn't cause symptoms. In fact, severe high blood pressure may not cause symptoms.

The only way to detect prehypertension is to keep track of your blood pressure readings. Have your blood pressure checked at each doctor's visit — or check it yourself at home with a home blood pressure monitoring device.

When to see a doctor
Ask your doctor for a blood pressure reading at least once every two years. You may need more frequent readings if you have prehypertension or other risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

References
  1. Svetkey LP. Management of prehypertension. Hypertension. 2005;45:1056.
  2. What are high blood pressure and prehypertension? National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/hbp/hbp/whathbp.htm. Accessed April 8, 2010.
  3. Liszka HA, et al. Prehypertension and cardiovascular morbidity. Annals of Family Medicine. 2005;3:294.
  4. Green L. Prehypertension, patient outcomes, and the knowledge base of family medicine. Annals of Family Medicine. 2005;3:292.
  5. Chobanian AV, et al. Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Hypertension. 2003;42:1206.
  6. Schunkert H. Pharmacotherapy for prehypertension — Mission accomplished? New England Journal of Medicine. 2006;354:1742.
  7. Julius S, et al. Feasibility of treating prehypertension with an angiotensin-receptor blocker. New England Journal of Medicine. 2006;354:1685.
  8. Karanja N, et al. Acceptability of sodium-reduced research diets, including the dietary approaches to stop hypertension diet, among adults with prehypertension and stage 1 hypertension. Journal of the American Dietetic Association. 2007;107:1530.
  9. Maruthur NM, et al. Lifestyle interventions reduce coronary heart disease risk: Results from the PREMIER trial. Circulation. 2009;119:2026.
  10. Pimenta E, et al. Prehypertension: Epidemiology, consequences and treatment. Nature Review Nephrology. 2010;6:21.
  11. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2010. U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. http://www.cnpp.usda.gov/DGAs2010-PolicyDocument.htm. Accessed Feb. 18, 2011.
DS00788 March 22, 2011

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