What is hypertension?
Blood pressure is force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pump blood into the arteries (blood vessels), which carry the blood throughout the body. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body and its contributes to hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. There are several categories of blood pressure:
Normal: Less than 120/80
Prehypertension: 120-139/80-89
Stage 1 hypertension: 140-159/90-99
Stage 2 hypertension: 160 and above/100 and above
Primary hypertension or stage 1 has no specific origin but strongly associated with lifestyle. It responsible for 90 to 95 percent of diagnosed hypertension and is treated with stress management, changes in diet, increased physical, and meditation (if needed). Secondary hypertension is responsible for 5 to 10 percent of diagnosed hypertension. It is caused by preexisting medical condition such as congestive heart failure (major cause of stroke), can damage the coronary arteries, the brain, the kidney, and the eyes.
What causes hypertension?
The exact causes of hypertension are not known. Several factors and condition may play a role in its development including:
-Smoking
-Obesity or overweight
-Lack of physical activity
-Too much salt in the diet
-Too much alcohol consumption
-Stress
-Older age
-Genetics
-Family history of high blood pressure
-Chronic kidney disease
-Adrenal and thyroid disorders
What are the symptoms of hypertension?
There are usually no symptoms or sign of hypertension. In fact, nearly one-third of those who have it don't know it. The only way to know if you have hypertension definitely is to have your blood pressure checked.
If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, including:
-Severe headache
-Fatigue of confusion
-Vision problems
-Chest pain
-Difficulty breathing
-Irregular heartbeat
-Blood in the urine
Who is more likely to develop hypertension?
-People with family member who have high blood pressure
-People who smoke
-African-Americans
-Women who are pregnant
-Women who take birth control pills
-People over the age of 35
-People who are overweight or obese
-People who are not active
-People who drink alcohol excessively
-People who eat too many fatty foods or foods with too much salt
How is hypertension diagnosed?
Your health care provider can tell if you have hypertension by checking your blood pressure with a special meter called a sphygmomanometer, which consists of a stethoscope, arm cuff, dial, pump, and valve. You can also measure your own blood pressure at home. You should have blood pressure checked at least once a year to make sure you don't have hypertension.
What health problem are associated with hypertension?
As we have mention earlier, hypertension is a serious condition that can damage the heart and blood vessels, and can eventually lead to several other condition;
-Stroke
-Heart failure
-Heart attack
-Kidney failure
-Vision problem
How is hypertension treated?
Sodium intake has been primary target for hypertension control, though it is ranked fourth as the lifestyle factor associated for hypertension. About 50 percent of individuals appear to be "sodium sensitive" and this means that excessive sodium intake tends to increase blood pressure in these groups of people, and they do not appear to excrete amount of salt via the kidneys. Sodium-sensitive individuals include the elderly, obese individuals, and African Americans. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults consume no more than 2400 milligram of sodium daily.
Hypertension also can be treated by making changes in our lifestyle, and with drug therapy. Lifestyle change include losing weight, stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet (such as the DASH diet, which includes lowering sodium but including daily serving of fruit, vegetable, and whole grain foods), and getting enough exercise, especially aerobic exercise.
Several types of drugs are available to treat hypertension, including ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), diuretics, beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers.
Blood pressure is force of blood pushing against blood vessel walls. The heart pump blood into the arteries (blood vessels), which carry the blood throughout the body. Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood to the body and its contributes to hardening of the arteries or atherosclerosis. There are several categories of blood pressure:
Normal: Less than 120/80
Prehypertension: 120-139/80-89
Stage 1 hypertension: 140-159/90-99
Stage 2 hypertension: 160 and above/100 and above
Primary hypertension or stage 1 has no specific origin but strongly associated with lifestyle. It responsible for 90 to 95 percent of diagnosed hypertension and is treated with stress management, changes in diet, increased physical, and meditation (if needed). Secondary hypertension is responsible for 5 to 10 percent of diagnosed hypertension. It is caused by preexisting medical condition such as congestive heart failure (major cause of stroke), can damage the coronary arteries, the brain, the kidney, and the eyes.
What causes hypertension?
The exact causes of hypertension are not known. Several factors and condition may play a role in its development including:
-Smoking
-Obesity or overweight
-Lack of physical activity
-Too much salt in the diet
-Too much alcohol consumption
-Stress
-Older age
-Genetics
-Family history of high blood pressure
-Chronic kidney disease
-Adrenal and thyroid disorders
What are the symptoms of hypertension?
There are usually no symptoms or sign of hypertension. In fact, nearly one-third of those who have it don't know it. The only way to know if you have hypertension definitely is to have your blood pressure checked.
If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, including:
-Severe headache
-Fatigue of confusion
-Vision problems
-Chest pain
-Difficulty breathing
-Irregular heartbeat
-Blood in the urine
Who is more likely to develop hypertension?
-People with family member who have high blood pressure
-People who smoke
-African-Americans
-Women who are pregnant
-Women who take birth control pills
-People over the age of 35
-People who are overweight or obese
-People who are not active
-People who drink alcohol excessively
-People who eat too many fatty foods or foods with too much salt
How is hypertension diagnosed?
Your health care provider can tell if you have hypertension by checking your blood pressure with a special meter called a sphygmomanometer, which consists of a stethoscope, arm cuff, dial, pump, and valve. You can also measure your own blood pressure at home. You should have blood pressure checked at least once a year to make sure you don't have hypertension.
What health problem are associated with hypertension?
As we have mention earlier, hypertension is a serious condition that can damage the heart and blood vessels, and can eventually lead to several other condition;
-Stroke
-Heart failure
-Heart attack
-Kidney failure
-Vision problem
How is hypertension treated?
Sodium intake has been primary target for hypertension control, though it is ranked fourth as the lifestyle factor associated for hypertension. About 50 percent of individuals appear to be "sodium sensitive" and this means that excessive sodium intake tends to increase blood pressure in these groups of people, and they do not appear to excrete amount of salt via the kidneys. Sodium-sensitive individuals include the elderly, obese individuals, and African Americans. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommend that adults consume no more than 2400 milligram of sodium daily.
Hypertension also can be treated by making changes in our lifestyle, and with drug therapy. Lifestyle change include losing weight, stopping smoking, eating a healthy diet (such as the DASH diet, which includes lowering sodium but including daily serving of fruit, vegetable, and whole grain foods), and getting enough exercise, especially aerobic exercise.
Several types of drugs are available to treat hypertension, including ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs), diuretics, beta-blockers and calcium channel blockers.
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