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If your blood pressure is higher than normal, but not high enough to be considered high blood pressure, then you have prehypertension. And that means you may have a higher risk for stroke and heart disease. Now, new research shows that blood pressure-lowering pills may help lower the risk of stroke in people with prehypertension.

More than 50 million Americans have mildly elevated blood pressure or prehypertension. It is defined as systolic blood pressure (the top number) between 120 and 139 or diastolic blood pressure (the lower number) between 80 and 89. High blood pressure is defined as 140/90 mm Hg or higher.