How the Right Primary Care Doctor Can Help With High Blood Pressure

Did you know one in every three Americans has high blood pressure? Anyone (including children) can develop high blood pressure, a condition that vastly increases your risk for heart disease and stroke.

How can my primary care doctor help with high blood pressure?

Asymptomatic high blood pressure can go undiagnosed for years and lead to more serious cardiovascular conditions. So, it’s important to keep your doctor appointments, including your annual wellness exam. Visiting your primary care doctor at least once a year—when you’re feeling well­­—will help them establish a baseline for your overall health. It also helps your doctor understand what’s normal for you and what is not.

At the first sign of elevated blood pressure, you and your primary care doctor can discuss simple dietary and lifestyle changes to help return your blood pressure to normal levels. When you treat your doctor like health partner, they will be better equipped to provide the medical intervention early, before you experience any negative or lasting impacts to your health.

Do I need to see a specialist or cardiologist for my high blood pressure?

Doctors who specialize in family medicine are highly skilled in identifying and treating high blood pressure. Referral to a hypertension clinic, specialist or cardiologist is only necessary in a very small minority of people who have persistent and severe elevations in blood pressure despite treatment with multiple blood pressure medications.

Symptoms of high blood pressure

Though many people can live for years without any symptoms, here are the warning signs of high blood pressure that should never be ignored:

• Severe headache
• Fatigue or confusion
• Vision problems
• Chest pain
• Difficult breathing
• Irregular heartbeat
• Blood in the urine
• Pounding in the chest, neck or ears

If you or a loved one needs skilled medical care and services, trust your health to the skilled physicians at Pomona Valley Health Centers. Our primary care doctors have extensive experience in the diagnosis and treatment of high blood pressure.

Here’s how to get started: Find a primary care doctor near me.