Hypertension is high blood pressure. To understand what is hypertension we first need to understand what is pressure. According to physics, pressure is the force applied to a surface of an object per unit area. In human biology your blood pressure is the force of your blood moving against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry bloody from your heart to other parts of your body. When you are diagnosed with hypertension your blood pressure gets so high that your heart has to work much harder than normal. This can be detrimental to your heart. If the condition of your bloody pressure is not known it is called essential or primary hypertension. There are other factors and diseases also that can cause hypertension. For example, hypertension caused by another medical condition, such as kidney disease, is called secondary hypertension. Blood pressure is often directly related with age. The older you get the chances of you having a high blood pressure also rise.
To keep in simple when measuring blood pressure, we measure the diastolic (bottom) pressure and systolic (top) pressure. Normal diastolic blood pressure is <80 mmHg while, normal systolic blood pressure is <120 mmHg. These can also be expressed as 120/80 mmHg.
The diastolic number tends to decrease, but the systolic number tends to increase. However, hypertension is not a normal part of aging. You may be able to control your blood pressure with lifestyle changes, medicines, or both.
In 2017, the American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association published new guidelines for hypertension management and defined high hypertension as a blood pressure at or above 130/80 mm Hg. Stage 2 hypertension is defined as a blood pressure at or above 140/90 mm Hg.
If we look at the statistics, certain groups of people are more likely to have control over their high blood pressure than others. For instance, men are more likely to have blood pressure than women. Similarly, high blood pressure also affects different ethnicities differently. For example, high blood pressure is more common in non-Hispanic black adults (54%) than in non-Hispanic white adults (46%), non-Hispanic Asian adults (39%), or Hispanic adults (36%).
Also, the data from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention suggests that blood pressure control is higher among non-Hispanic white adults (32%) than in non-Hispanic black adults (25%), non-Hispanic Asian adults (19%), or Hispanic adults (25%).
In US in 2017, nearly 500,000 deaths included hypertension as a primary or contributing factor. About 108 million or 45% of adults in the US have stage 1 hypertension (≥130/80 mmHg). However, the worrisome factor is that only 1 out of 4 adults with hypertension have their condition under control. 140/90 mmHg (stage 2) or higher blood pressure was observed in adults with uncontrolled hypertension.
There are about 30 million adults with stage 2 hypertension who are either not prescribed or aren’t taking any medication to keep it under control. Hypertension costs the US $131 billion each year.
What are the risk factors for hypertension?
The risk factors include age, family history or hypertension or heart disease, obesity, lack of physical activity or exercise, sleep apnea, kidney disease, thyroid disease, high levels of aldosterone, medications that include steroids, estrogen, cold medicines, high sodium or salty foods, stress, use of tobacco, alcohol and drugs.
What are the symptoms of hypertension?
The symptoms vary from patient to patient. However, common symptoms of hypertension include; headache, blurred vision or changes in your vision, chest pain, dizziness, weakness, trouble breathing and nosebleeds.
The diagnosis of hypertension includes checking your blood pressure regularly and keeping track of it. If it is above 120/80 mmHg you may need to consult your doctor as soon as possible. Doctors can prescribe tests to check for the cause of your hypertension for example, blood or urine tests, an ultrasound or an angiography.
Hypertension affects older adults disproportionately. Hypertension can’t be cured but it can be controlled with medications. You can live your life to the fullest even if you are diagnosed with hypertension. One of the main factors of keeping your blood pressure under control is to keep track of your sodium intake. For example, avoiding salty foods can help reduce or bring your blood pressure down to normal. Your doctor can also prescribe you antihypertensives and diuretics depending upon what kind of hypertension you have.
You can also keep your blood pressure under control by adopting some of the following health protocols. For instance, avoid smoking and caffeine. You can also exercise at least 30 minutes a day to keep your blood pressure under control.
If you have diabetes that can also cause hypertension. Keeping your diabetes under control can also help bring down your blood pressure to 120/80 mmHg. Always follow your healthcare provider’s instruction and take all medications prescribed by your doctor.
Other things that you can do to control your hypertension includes; taking low sodium foods because sodium can affect your fluid balance. Use low sodium or non-salted foods if and when possible. You can also use potassium salts instead of sodium salts for flavor. However, too much potassium can also cause health issues.
Always follow a meal plan recommended by your doctor. A DASH eating plan (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is the best for controlling high blood pressure. This plan includes, low sodium, less fatty foods. It also includes, high potassium, calcium and fiber. You should avoid red meat also. White meats such as fish and chicken should always be preferred.
Avoid drinking alcohol and smoking. Nicotine and other chemicals in cigarettes can increase your blood pressure not mention cause lung damage. E-cigarettes or smokeless tobacco also contain nicotine. So, any kind of smoking should be avoided.
Last but not the least avoid stress. It can be hard decrease stress but there are still some ways you can avoid stress. Always try to relax, deep breathing or listening to music can help. Take a good and sound sleep. Try and to talk to people.
If you have hypertension and you are finding it very difficult to keep it under control Kadakacare is always there to help you. Our healthcare providers can prepare you a DASH meal specifically designed for your needs keeping in view your health issues, help you exercise or just be there for you as a social companion to help reduce your stress.
References:
- Facts about hypertension
https://www.cdc.gov/bloodpressure/facts.htm
