Hypertension, or high blood pressure (HBP), is a situation in which a person’s blood pressure is greater than is healthy over a time period. Blood pressure normally rises and falls over the course of a day; it also rises when a person is anxious or is exercising. Doctors generally take blood pressure readings during two different office visits before diagnosing hypertension.
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) because the sphygmomanometer the device most generally used to measure blood pressure contains a column of mercury that rises and falls as the doctor inflates and deflates a cuff across the patient’s arm.
The first of two numbers in a blood pressure measurement is the systolic blood pressure. It is the peak blood pressure in the patient’s arteries. The second measurement is the diastolic blood pressure and represents the lowest blood pressure, which happens when the heart is resting in between beats. Doctors use the following values, measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), when evaluating a patient for hypertension:
Doctors also distinguish between primary (or important) hypertension and secondary hypertension. Essential hypertension, which accounts for about 95 % of cases in American adults, is high blood pressure that develops without any apparent cause. Secondary hypertension, which accounts for the remaining 5 percent, is caused by other illnesses or circumstances, including pregnancy, abnormalities in the shape of the aorta, kidney disease, alcoholism, thyroid illness, the use of birth control pills, and tumors of the adrenal gland.
Hypertension is considered a silent disease because a person can have it for years without any noticeable signs and symptoms. Although some people develop nosebleeds, headaches, dizziness, nausea, or changes in their vision as a outcome of hypertension, the majority of those diagnosed with high blood pressure don't know they've a issue till their physician checks their blood pressure during a routine physical exam.
Sadly, some individuals don't know they've high blood pressure till they have a stroke or heart attack. Untreated hypertension can damage the heart and other organs:
Hypertension is diagnosed in the doctor’s office by the use of a sphygmomanometer. The doctor places a cuff across the patient’s upper arm and inflates it while listening via a stethoscope. The cuff is inflated till the air pressure squeezes the big artery in the upper arm shut. The doctor then releases pressure in the cuff till he or she can start to hear the sounds of the patient’s pulse.
This is the systolic pressure. The physician then continues to release pressure till the sounds disappear. This second reading will be the diastolic pressure. In addition to measuring the patient’s blood pressure, the physician may order additional tests to search for feasible causes of the hypertension or indicators of damage to other organs:
There is no cure for hypertension. Treatment for the disorder comprises a combination of way of life changes and medicines. Some people can lower their blood pressure by losing weight and getting more exercise, but most need to take medicines to keep their blood pressure within the regular range. The physician might prescribe one or a combination of medicines to control the patient’s blood pressure.
In most cases the patient will probably be asked to see the doctor every three to four months to see whether the drugs or their dosage levels need to be adjusted. Even though these drugs can produce side effects, the patient shouldn't cease taking them with out consulting the physician. The numerous types of drugs given to control hypertension include:
Most sufferers with hypertension can keep their blood pressure at a healthy level provided they follow their doctor’s recommendations about diet plan and exercise and take their blood pressure medicines. They should watch their blood pressure carefully as they age because hypertension tends to get worse as people get older. Even mild hypertension, if untreated, increases a person’s threat of heart illness by 30 % and kidney damage by 50 % within eight to ten years right after it starts.
Hypertension is really a lifelong disorder that requires long-term commitment to healthy lifestyle changes and regular use of prescribed medications. Particular way of life changes recommended by the National Institutes of Well being (NIH) for controlling hypertension include:
The rates of hypertension in all developed countries are expected to rise over the subsequent a number of decades as populations get older and the rates of obesity continue to increase. A main difficulty in treating hypertension is that many individuals do not know they have it, and others stop taking their blood pressure medications simply because they dislike the side effects or don't think their drugs are necessary.
As of 2008, only 20 % of Americans diagnosed with high blood pressure were following their doctors’ suggestions and getting adequate treatment. Researchers are looking at patient education programs and behavioral approaches to treatment as much as new drugs and new techniques of screening for hypertension.
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