Hypertension

What is Hypertension?

Hypertension is a condition where the pressure of the blood is raised above normal. Blood Pressure varies and increases with age, or it can be affected by a different lifestyle.

Minor fluctuations in blood pressure generally do not pose any risk to one's health, but continued high pressure can have consequences, including Stroke, heart attack, heart failure, and kidney damage.

What Causes Hypertension?

Blood Pressure is typically recorded as two numbers - the systolic pressure (as the heart beat) over the diastolic pressure (as the heart relaxes between beats).

The generally accepted 'normal' values are 130/85. Higher values may indicate hypertension. Individuals with a pre-exissting medical condition may have different 'normal' values.

Medical conditions wich can cause Hypertension include kidney disease (narrowing of the renal artery), endocrine diseases (problems of the adrenal glands which affect blood pressure), and atherosclerosis (narrowing of the arteries) often referred to as hardening of the arteries.

Obesity (being clinically overwight) is a real cause of Hypertension.
Smoking, excessive drinking, and a high-fat diet are contributing factors to complications that can develop as a result of Hypertension.

Certain people are at risk of developing Hypertension, including people with diabetes and those with existing heart conditions. Hypertension is more common in certain ethnic groups, including African-Americans and Asians, and in those countries with a high-salt national diet.

Recognizing the Symptoms

A moderate increase in blood pressure does not usually cause any noticeable symptoms. Severely elevated (raised) pressure may result in headaches, increase in heart rate (palpitations), and a general feeling of tiredness and ill-health.

Hypertension may be a consequence of an underlying disorder (secondary hypertension) or can have no specific cause. Another member of the family affected by the condition could indicate that hereditary factors may be involved.

Diagnosing Hypertension

An increase in blood pressure can occur at any time, and usually goes unnoticed until it is identified at a regular health check-up, or during investigation of another condition. For this reason it sometimes referred to as the 'silent killer'.

Blood pressure can vary when experiencing anxiety or encoutering unfamiliar situations. However if it is significantly higher than normal on three separate occasions, Hypertension may be dignosed.

Reducing weight, together with a change in diet and no smoking, can lower blood pressure and the risk of complications, thereby reducing or even avoiding the need for medication.

Severely raised pressure will require treatment with antihypertensive medication together with measures that avoid risks.

Treatment

Blood pressure is affected by the force with wich the heart pumps blood, the width of the blood vessels, and the volume of blood in circulation. Each type of antihypertensive drug works in a different way to reduce pressure.

Antihypertensive drugs do not cure hypertension but can reduce blood pressure and control the condition.

The selection of antihypertensive drugs varies according to the individual requirements. Sometimes a single drug type will produce the disered effect, in other cases a combination of drugs may be required.

Treatment usually relieves headaches and palpitations; however, since most people have no evident symptoms, improvement in blood pressure may not be noticed. However, it is still essential to continue with the medication.

It is possible to gradually reduce the dosage when blood pressure returns to normal.
Patients with a circulatory diseasee may also need an antiplatelet medication.

 

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