If It Runs in Your<br >Family: Hypertension is a big step"m that direction.<br >RANDALL M. ZUSMAN， M.D.， Director<br >Division of Hypertension and Vascular Medicine<br >Medical Services， Massachusetts General Hospital<br >Harvard Medical School<br >Boston. Massachusetts<br >What It Means to Be at Ris<br >Chances are you re reading this book because sot<br >in your family has been diagnosed with hyperte<br >more commonly known as high blood pressure. C<br >haps someone you love， your mother or brothe<br >one of the 2 million people struck by heart att~<br >stroke this year because their blood pressure was<br >control. Maybe you ve even had one or two high<br >pressure readings yourself.<br > If so， you re not alone. Today， an estimated 6<br >lion Americans have high blood pressure， making<br >of the nation s most widespread health problem<br >also one of our most serious: Hypertension is th<br >ing risk factor for heart attack and stroke， two<br > three leading causes of death in the United State<br > cancer is first).<br ><br ><br >