Extract:
Hypertension
The term hypertension is used to describe the condition of chronically high blood pressure. People who are obese, experience a lot of stress, smoke tobacco products, have a diet with too much salt in it, or have diabetes are often at a higher risk for hypertension. As well, African Americans are more likely to have hypertension than other population groups.
Hypertension often develops over many years. Older people are most often diagnosed with hypertension. One reason for this is that blood vessels lose elasticity and stiffen as a person ages. This creates more resistance to the blood flowing through the body and elevates blood pressure.
Symptoms of hypertension can include blurred vision, headaches, a buzzing in the ears, fatigue, an irregular heartbeat, and nosebleeds. Hypertension that goes untreated over a period of time can lead to serious complications such as kidney disease, heart disease, loss of vision, heart attack, brain damage, and even early death. Fortunately, treating hypertension reduces blood pressure and can lower the risk of complications.
For many people, losing weight can result in a significant decrease in blood pressure. For others, physicians may prescribe one or more medications to help bring blood pressure down into a safe range.
One thing is certain: physicians believe that people over the age of 20 should monitor their blood pressure by having it checked at least once a year. Those with a history of hypertension in the immediate family should have it checked more frequently.
Which statement would not be inferred by the reader?
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A
Maintaining a healthy weight may help to prevent hypertension.
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B
There is presently no reliable treatment for hypertension.
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C
Your ethnicity may contribute to your risk for hypertension.
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D
A 60-year-old is more likely to have hypertension than a teenager is.
The statement that cannot be inferred is that no reliable treatment exists for hypertension, which directly contradicts the passage's explicit description of effective interventions.
A) Maintaining a healthy weight may help to prevent hypertension
This is reasonably inferred from the inverse relationship presented: obesity increases risk, and weight loss decreases blood pressure—logically suggesting weight maintenance prevents onset.
B) There is presently no reliable treatment for hypertension
This contradicts the passage, which states "treating hypertension reduces blood pressure and can lower the risk of complications" and describes both lifestyle interventions ("losing weight") and pharmacological approaches ("physicians may prescribe one or more medications") as effective management strategies.
C) Your ethnicity may contribute to your risk for hypertension
This is directly supported by the explicit statement that "African Americans are more likely to have hypertension than other population groups," establishing ethnicity as a documented risk factor.
D) A 60-year-old is more likely to have hypertension than a teenager is
This is reasonably inferred from "Older people are most often diagnosed with hypertension" combined with the physiological explanation that vessels stiffen with age, increasing blood pressure resistance.
Conclusion
Valid inferences extend logically from textual evidence without contradicting stated facts. Option B not only lacks support but actively opposes the passage's emphasis on treatability—making it the only non-inferable statement.