In Canada, one woman out of every five has high blood pressure, and many may not even know they're affected. Yet it's a major risk factor for heart disease, the leading cause of death for Canadian women.

Two thousand women were recently surveyed by Blood Pressure Canada to find out what they knew about high blood pressure and other risks for heart disease.

"The study found that most Canadian women can make a connection between high blood pressure , heart disease and stroke, but really fail to make a connection between high blood pressure and other problems such as dementia, heart failure kidney failure," said Dr. Norm Campbell, President of Blood Pressure Canada.

However, high blood pressure can affect more than your heart. Left uncontrolled, it can lead to kidney failure, damaged blood vessels, dementia and even threaten eyesight.

"As physicians, we want to treat the risk factors, in particular blood pressure and cholesterol. So we need patients to understand and know what their levels are for blood pressure and cholesterol and we can help to bring those risk factors under control; Bring them down to target levels," said Dr. Sheldon Tobe of the Canadian Hypertension Education Program

In young adults, it's borderline blood pressure called prehypertension that's a concern. A new study published in Annals of Internal Medicine finds a link between prehypertension and atherosclerosis, or hardening of the arteries.

For 20 years, researchers analyzed blood pressure measurements on thousands of young people between the ages of 18 and 30

Nearly 20 per cent developed prehypertension before the age of 35. The condition was most common in men, those of African descent, and people who were overweight and of low socioeconomic status.

"This is one of those of mysteries that we're trying hard to figure out, why people with lower education and income tend to have more disease in general and heart disease in particular,'' said Dr. Mark Pletcher, who authored the study.

Reserachers recommend optimizing blood pressure early in adulthood by making lifestytle modifications, including exercise, diet and weight control. The goal is to keep blood pressure below 120 and over 80.

Blood pressure Questions and Answers.

Q Some people swear they can tell when their blood pressure is high. But is that possible?

A. Some folks say they have a faint awareness of high blood pressure because they have a dull headache, dizziness or ringing in the ears. But

But in most folks, high blood pressure doesn't cause any symptoms until there's been irreversible damage to the heart, eyes, kidneys or brain. That's why its often called the silent killer.

Q Can any foods help lower blood pressure?

A. There's an eating plan called the DASH diet and it stands for Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension. It's an eating plan high in fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy. It not only helps to lower mild blood pressure similar to levels that can be achieved with the use of medication, but it can also reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure in the first place.

It's recommended for anyone whose blood pressure is higher than 120 over 80

With a report by CTV British Columbia's Dr. Rhonda Low.