High blood pressure, or hypertension is a common condition that occurs when ones blood pressure increases to unhealthy levels. The older one gets the more likelier one will get it. High blood pressure is often called a silent killer. Why? Because it doesn’t always have physical or outward symptoms.
Everything goes on internally meaning that you could have it for years and not know and if not discovered on time, It can quietly damage your major organs and eventually lead to death.
Early detection is key. Regular blood pressure readings can help you and your doctor notice any changes and help you get the necessary help.
Normal blood pressure readings should fall below 120/80. The top number (systolic) shows the pressure when your heart beats while lower number (diastolic) measures pressure at rest between heartbeats, when your heart refills with blood.
A higher systolic reading (121-129), with a diastolic reading less than 80, indicates a possible cause of hypertension. A systolic reading between 130 and 139 and a diastolic reading between 80 and 89, is stage 1 high blood pressure.
A systolic reading of 140 or higher and a diastolic reading of 90 or greater diastolic is stage 2 hypertension. If your systolic is over 180 or your diastolic is above over 120, please visit the hospital with immediate effect as you could go into cardiac arrest or have hypertensive crisis.
Causes High Blood Pressure
The exact causes of high blood pressure are not known, but the following may play a role. They include:
* Smoking
* Overweight/Obesity
* Lack of physical activities
* Too much salt in the diet
* Excessive consumption alcohol
* Stress
* Age
* Genetics and hereditary
* Race
Most people living with hypertension almost never know they have it till a doctors visit or health incident occurs. However, some people have symptoms, but waiting for a symptom of this condition to appear could be fatal.
Some Symptoms of severe hypertension can include:
* headaches
* shortness of breath
* nosebleeds
* flushing
* dizziness
* chest pain
* visual changes
* blood in the urine
*
On observing any of the aforementioned symptoms, pay your doctor a visit. Delay in detecting and treating hbp can lead to damaged arteries, cardiac arrest, heart failure, Brain damage, stroke and eventually death.
General treatments for high blood pressure
On visiting a doctor, some medications (e.g Beta-blockers, Diuretics, Calcium channel blockers, etc) might be prescribed for you to help you, accompanied with a change in your everyday lifestyle which includes:
-Monitor your blood pressure regularly
-Develop a healthy diet (Eat less meat, more plants)
-Exercise regularly (cardio)
-Reduce your sodium intake (salt)
-Learn to manage stress
-Reach a healthy weight
-Cut back on sweets intake
Every individual should have an electronic blood pressure machine and should regularly check their blood pressure.
3 Comments
Thanks a lot for these tips. Hypertension kill at any instant especially when not checked. When a patient is diagnosed with Hypertension, the first organ that gets affected is the Kidney. This is so because blood that flows through the body always passes through the kidney.
When the pressure is high, it also causes the kidney to fail. There are other causes for kidney failures but this is conversely proportional to the blood pressure as well. Too much salt intakes could cause damage to the kidney too and that’s also a no no for blood pressure.
When a patient has Hypertension, this causes the arteries carrying blood from the heart to the brain, especially to be weak. Sometimes, the flow of blood is stopped and this could lead to death.
It also causes the heart to beat irregularly too and this condition is called aritmea and could lead to palpitations of the heart too.
Just like the article has said, we need proper health care for the heart and some other external that could help too
Salt intake
Exercise
Check carbohydrates intakes too
Daily meds
One very good medication is Exforge. It’s a bit expensive but very effective.
I hope I’ve been able to add to the write up.
As always, thanks a lot
Daddymekkus
Thanks for this. Just want to ask if there’s any relationship between hbp and myocardial infarction
A very insightful content… I hope the young that smokes can see this and act accordingly.