Your body needs sodium, but high sodium levels in the blood can cause high blood pressure, heart disease and kidney damage. According to the Harvard School of Public Health, Americans consume at least 1-1/2 tsp. of salt each day. This is about twice the amount you should consume if you have high blood pressure.

Hydrochlorothiazide belongs to a class of drugs known as diuretics that are prescribed to combat fluid retention and to lower blood pressure.

A stroke occurs when an artery in the brain is either blocked or hemorrhages, seeping blood into the brain. According to the National Stroke Association, stroke is the third leading cause of death in the United States but is the principal cause of disability in adults.

Arteries supply leg muscles with the oxygen and nutrients essential for proper function. Atherosclerosis narrows or blocks the vessels, and the diminished blood supply produces symptoms, the earliest of which is pain or cramping during walking.

Congestive heart failure effects about 5 million people in the United States and is responsible for more than 300,000 deaths annually, according to the website MedlinePlus.

Clogged arteries, medically known as arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis, refers to a condition in which fatty substances called cholesterol build up in your blood vessel walls.

Numerous diseases can cause a change in hair texture and volume. According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine and the National Institutes of Health, or NIH, the lips, palms and soles of the feet are the only parts of the body on which hair does not grow.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is also known as the “silent killer” because there are few symptoms that indicate you have it. Left untreated, hypertension can increase your risk of two of the leading causes of death -- heart disease and stroke.

A number of conditions can lead to heart enlargement, also called cardiac hypertrophy, in infants. Around 1 percent of infants have congenital cardiac defects, the most common congenital defect found in newborns, the American Heart Association reports.

Doctors prescribe lisinopril, an ACE inhibitor, to treat high blood pressure, improve survival rates after a heart attack and treat heart failure. Lisinopril relaxes the muscles in your blood vessels, allowing blood to flow through them more easily.

High blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is a medical condition that can cause a wide variety of side effects, including red eyes. There are two types of high blood pressure. One is called primary hypertension, in which the elevated blood pressure does not have any identifiable cause.

High blood pressure or hypertension is a common condition. In fact, in the U.S. about one third of adults have been diagnosed with this disease, which is linked to heart attack, heart disease, stroke, kidney impairment and other conditions.