What is Hypertension? Hypertension is known as high blood pressure. This is a very dangerous disease. It is often called the “silent killer” because most of the people suffering from hypertension do not know that they already have it. There are basically no hypertension symptoms at all. You will only know that you have hypertension if you have your blood pressure regularly checked.
If you are diagnosed with hypertension, it means that your blood pressure is too high and is putting too much pressure on the artery walls as it travels through the body. If undiagnosed or not treated properly, hypertension can cause serious damage to the arterial system, kidneys, brain and eyes. Hypertension may also result in death, as it is the leading cause of strokes.
What Causes Hypertension
Hypertension is caused by the narrowing of the arterial vessels, which increases the pressure of the blood flowing through them. This makes the heart work much harder to maintain adequate blood flow throughout the body. Damage to the heart and blood vessel is the result, if this condition is allowed to persist unchecked, leading to heart attack, stroke, and kidney or heart failure. It is estimated that at least one third of hypertension sufferers are not aware of their condition and that it affects upwards of twenty-five percent of all North Americans. It is more common in men than in women until age fifty-five, after which it affects more women than men; and African Americans of both sexes are significantly more likely to suffer from hypertension than any other racial or ethnic group.
Signs Of High Blood Pressure
- Chest congestion and pain
- Breathing problems
- Irregular heartbeats (palpitations)
- Blood in the urine
- Severe chronic headaches
- Physical and mental stress
- Vision problems (blurry vision)
What Is At Risk Of Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
Obesity: Obesity is very often a factor of hypertension and losing even 10 pounds can lower it significantly.
Sedentary Lifestyle: Those who do not exercise are more likely to develop the disease than those who are active.
Poor Diet: Diets that are loaded with salt and fat (think convenience food, prepackaged foods, and fast foods) are considered to be a very high risk for developing the disease.
Age: Most cases are diagnosed in people over the age of 45 for men and 55 for women. However, elevated readings have also been noted in infants who have a family history of high blood pressure and in teenagers (particularly those who are obese).
Race: Black people are more often diagnosed with high blood pressure than Asians or Caucasians, but there are those of every race who suffer from hypertension.
High Stress: Those who have jobs that are very stressful or who live with very stressful situations are more likely to develop high blood pressure if the stress continues for a long period of time or happens very frequently.
Medications For Hypertension
- Calcium channel blockers
- Alpha-blockers
- Alpha-agonists
- Renin inhibitors
- Combination medications
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs)
- Diuretics
- Beta-blockers
Lifestyle Changes For High Blood Pressure
- Reducing the amount of sodium in your diet to less than 1,500 milligrams a day if you have high blood pressure; healthy adults should try to limit their sodium intake to no more 2,300 milligrams a day (about 1 teaspoon of salt).
- Getting regular aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking at least 30 minutes a day, several days a week)
- Limiting alcohol to two drinks a day for men, one drink a day for women
- Losing weight if you are overweight or obese
- Quitting smoking
- Eating a healthy diet, including the DASH diet (eating more fruits, vegetables, and low fat dairy products, less saturated and total fat done