The pressure was on.

After all, it's not every day that one earns a place in the Guinness World Records. But, that's exactly what a Carilion Clinic team set out to do.

They wanted to record the most blood pressures taken in a 24-hour period and break the previous record of 2,302.

And, they unofficially did by taking the blood pressure of 2,359 people in Valley View Mall from 3 p.m. Friday to 3 p.m. Saturday.

"We're thrilled to possibly have the record," said Carilion spokesman Eric Earnhart. "We know we have an issue in Southwest Virginia with high blood pressure."

But, more importantly, Carilion fulfilled its real goal of raising awareness about the serious risks of high blood pressure, or hypertension.

Often called the "silent killer," hypertension can lead to a laundry list of health problems including heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney disease.

People often show no symptoms of hypertension until it's too late and they've already experienced a major health problem, Earnhart said.

That's why early detection is so important. Preventive measures such as exercise or abstaining from smoking can help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.

Carilion community health educator Gail Nordhaus spearheaded the project.

A normal blood pressure reading is anything less than 120 over 80, and Carilion staff provided a free recheck if a person had anything higher.

Earnhart said he believes that the staff told more than 200 people they have high blood pressure.

"Anyone who came out of this event with high blood pressure was strongly encouraged to make an appointment with a doctor," Earnhart said.

Carilion will check its numbers and send them to Guinness World Records to be confirmed. Earnhart said he did not know when they might get confirmation.

For more information, visit www.carilionclinic.blogspot.com.