High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a major health problem common in older adults. It can be controlled with lifestyle changes and medication but left untreated can lead to health problems like cardiovascular disease and strokes.

Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of arteries as the heart pumps blood. Your doctor can read your blood pressure using a cuff that is gradually tightened around the arm and gives two readings, called systolic blood pressure number over the diastolic blood pressure numbers.

Normal blood pressure is usually as a systolic pressure of less than 120 and a diastolic pressure of less than 80. Some conditions can cause high blood pressure, such as metabolic syndrome, kidney disease, and thyroid problems.

Cholesterol is a fatty substance in the blood mainly caused by eating fatty food, not exercising enough, being overweight, smoking and drinking alcohol. If not reduced, it can lead to heart problems or a stroke. There are no obvious symptoms, but your cholesterol levels can be determined by a blood test.

If levels are too high, they can be lowered using a combination of diet changes, exercise and medication to help lower the risk of having a heart attack or stroke. Ensuring a healthy old age means taking care of both blood pressure and cholesterol levels as well as exercise and a healthy diet.