BALTIMORE. JEFF HAGER, WMAR, 2 NEWS. >> WE NOW KNOW HYPE HYPERTENSIVE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE KILLED FORMER RAVENS JACOBY JONES TODAY WR 2 NEW CHAMP MORGAN DUG INTO THE DISEASE AND HOW IT COULD LEAD TO THE DEATH OF A 40 YEAR-OLD FORMER PROFESSIONAL ATHLETE. JEFF JOINS US IN STUDIO NOW. JEFF AND SO LET'S TALK ABOUT HOW COMMON THIS DISEASE IS. IT WILL KELLY MALLORY. THIS IS A DISEASE THAT IS CAUSED BY HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. IT LEAVES THE HYPERTENSION IN ABOUT 122 MILLIONS. AMERICA MILLION AMERICANS EACH YEAR. >> FORMER RAVEN JACOBY JONES MILE HIGH MIRACLE WORKER DIED AT THE AGE OF 40 FROM THE DISEASE. MILLIONS OF AMERICANS BATTLE EACH YEAR. HYPERTENSIVE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE, ALSO KNOWN AS THE SILENT KILLER. HYPERTENSIVE CARDIOVASCULAR DISEASE OR HYPERTENSIVE HEART DISEASE IS. >> THE WHEN THE HEART'S SUFFERS FROM THE IMPACT UP LONG-STANDING HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. ATHLETES CAN BE PARTICULARLY SUSCEPTIBLE TO THE DISEASE WITH LIFESTYLE CHANGING AFTER RETIREMENT, THEY'RE USED TO EASILY BEING ABLE TO HANDLE HIGH CALORIE DIETS BECAUSE THE EXERCISE SO MUCH TALK ABOUT ATHLETES STUDIES DONE FULLY 20 YEARS AGO ON NFL LINEMAN. AND, YOU KNOW, LINEMEN ARE BIG GUYS RIGHT IN THERE TRYING TO GAIN WEIGHT. YOU'RE TRYING TO PUSH PEOPLE AROUND AND WHAT THEY FOUND WAS THESE PEOPLE HAVE EARLY MORTALITY. >> THE LINE AND NFL LINEMAN IN 50'S AND 60'S FROM HYPERTENSION AND CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE BECAUSE THEY DIDN'T CHANGE THEIR LIFESTYLE. THE BEST WAY TO DETECT THE DISEASE IS TO GET CHECKED REGULARLY. WHETHER IT'S FROM YOUR DOCTOR OR EVEN AN AT-HOME TEST, YOU NEED TO GO TO THE DOCTOR AND YOU NEED TO HAVE A. >> YOU KNOW, REGULAR CHECKUP WITH YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN BECAUSE HE OR SHE IS GOING TO KNOW WHETHER YOU ARE AT RISK. EARLY DETECTION IS KEY ALLOWING LIFESTYLE CHANGES TO YOUR DIET OR ACTIVITY LEVEL. FIRST THING WE DO, WE TRY TO MINIMIZE STRESS REDUCTION. YOU TRY TO MINIMIZE YOUR SALT INTAKE TRY TO MAINTAIN OPTIMAL WEIGHT. >> ANY OTHER RISK FACTORS SUCH AS OBSTRUCTIVE SLEEP APNEA THAT CAN CAUSE THAT ALL FAILS. WE CAN GET A PHARMACOLOGICAL MEDICATIONS. >> DOCTORS SAY THAT PEOPLE CAN BE COMPLETELY UNAWARE. THEY HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE UNTIL A MAJOR CARDIO LOGICAL EVENT ACTUALLY HAPPENS AND CHECK. SHOULD PARENTS BE ON THE LOOKOUT FOR THIS? IT PARENTS SHOULD. THERE COULD BE AN ISSUE THAT YOUR KID HAS, BUT YOU DON'T KNOW. THEY SAY THAT DOCTORS SAY THAT YOU SHOULD REACH OUT TO YOUR PRIMARY CARE PHYSICIAN FOR YOUR CHILD, MAKE SURE THAT THEY'RE DO ALL THE SCREENS BEFORE THEY'RE PLAYING SPORTS AND DOING THINGS LIKE THAT. ALL JEFF, THANKS A LOT FOR THAT REPORT FOR SO LET'S TAKE AN IN FOCUS. LOOK NOW AT THE OVERALL RATES OF HYPERTENSIVE HEART DISEASE AS PART OF HER. >> COMMITMENT TO DIGGING INTO THE NUMBERS. HYPERTENSIVE HEART DISEASE, WHICH RESULTS FROM CHRONIC HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE. >> BECAUSE ABOUT A QUARTER OF ALL THE HEART FAILURE. ACCORDING TO A STUDY. >> ON THE DISEASE PUBLISHED LAST YEAR IN THE STAT PEARLS. 1.1 BILLION PEOPLE WORLDWIDE HAVE HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AND AFRICAN-AMERICANS HAVE SOME OF THE HIGHEST RATES OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE AMONG ALL ETHNIC GROUPS. ACCORDING TO ANOTHER STUDY PUBLISHED IN THE AMERICAN HEART ASSOCIATION JOURNAL WORLDWIDE. 17.1 MILLION PEOPLE HAD HYPERTENSIVE HEART DISEASE IN