High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) is a mutual condition in which the long-term pressure of the blood against the walls of the arteries is high enough to cause health problems, such as heart illness.

Blood pressure is resolute by the amount of blood pumped by the heart and resistance to blood flow in the veins. The more blood your heart pumps too the thinner your veins, the higher your blood pressure. Blood pressure readings are given in millimetres of mercury (mmHg). It has two numbers.

• Top Number (Systolic Pressure): The first number or higher measures the pressure in the arteries when the heartbeats.
• Lower Number (Diastolic Pressure): The second or lowest number measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats.

You can have high blood pressure for ages without any symptoms. Unrestrained high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attacks and strokes. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be easily sensed. And once you know you have high blood pressure, you can work with your doctor to regulate it.

Symptoms of Hypertension

Most persons with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if their blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels.

Some people with high blood pressure may have headaches, shortness of breath, or nosebleeds, but these signs and symptoms are not specific and usually only appear when high blood pressure is severe or life-threatening.

Causes

There are two kinds of high plasma pressure.

Primary (Essential) Hypertension

Most adults do not have an identifiable cause for their high blood pressure. This kind of high blood pressure, called primary (essential) hypertension, gradually develops over many years.

Secondary Hypertension

An underlying medical condition causes high blood pressure in some people. This type of high blood pressure, called minor hypertension, usually comes on suddenly and causes higher blood pressure than primary hypertension. Various conditions and medications can cause secondary hypertension, including:

• Obstructive Sleep Apnea
• Kidney Disease
• Tumours of the Adrenal Glands
• Problems with the Thyroid Gland
• Certain Congenital (Congenital) Vascular Malformations
• Positive Medications include Birth Control Pills, Cold Remedies, Decongestants, Over-The-Counter Pain Relievers, and some Prescription Drugs.
• Illegal drugs such as Cocaine and Amphetamines.

Risk Factor’s

High blood pressure has many dangerous factors, including:

• Age

The risk of hypertension increases with age. Before the age of 64, high blood pressure is more mutual in men. Women are more likely to advance high blood gravity after 65.

• Race

High blood pressure is especially common in African descent and often develops younger than whites. Serious complications, such as strokes, heart attacks, and kidney failure, are more common among people of African descent people.

• Family History

High blood pressure is usually hereditary.

• Overweight or Obesity

The more you weigh, the more blood you need to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. As the flow of blood through the blood vessels increases, the pressure on the walls of the arteries also increases.

• Lack of Physical Activity

Sedentary people, have a higher heart rate. The higher your heart rate, the tougher your heart has to work with each contraction and the greater the load on your veins. Deficiency of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight.

• Tobacco Use

Smoking or chewing tobacco not only immediately and temporarily raises your blood pressure, but the chemicals in tobacco can damage the walls of your arteries. It can narrow the streets and increase the risk of heart disease. Passive smoking can also increase the risk of heart disease.

• Too much Salt (Sodium) in Your Diet

Too much sodium in your diet can lead to water retention in the body, which increases blood pressure.

• Potassium in your Diet

Potassium helps balance the amount of sodium in cells. A good potassium balance is essential for good heart health. If you don’t get plenty of potassium in your diet or lose too much potassium due to dehydration or other illnesses, sodium can build up in your blood.

• Drink too much Alcohol

Over time, alcohol abuse can damage your heart. Drinking more than one drink of alcohol a day for women and more than two drinks a day for men can disturb your plasma pressure.

• If you Drink Alcohol, Do so in Control

For healthy adults, this means up to one serving per day for women and two servings for men. One drink equals 12 grains of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of 80 spirits.

• Stress

High-stress levels can cause a temporary increase in blood pressure. Stress-related habits, such as eating more, smoking, or drinking alcohol, can further increase blood pressure.

• Certain Chronic Diseases

Certain chronic conditions can also increase the risk of high blood pressure, such as kidney disease, diabetes, and sleep apnea.

Sometimes pregnancy also contributes to high blood pressure.

While high blood pressure is more common in adults, children can also be at risk. High blood pressure is caused by kidney or heart problems in some children. But in a growing number of children, unhealthy lifestyles, such as poor nutrition and a sedentary lifestyle, contribute to high blood pressure.

Complications

Excessive pressure on artery walls caused by high blood pressure can damage blood vessels and organs. The higher your plasma pressure and the longer it remains hysterical, the greater the damage.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can prime to worries, with:

• Heart Attack or Stroke. High blood pressure can cause habituation and thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), leading to a heart attack, stroke, or other complications.
• An increase in blood pressure can weaken and swell the blood vessels, forming an aneurysm. A ruptured aneurysm can be life-threatening.
• Heart Failure. The heart has to effort harder to pump blood against increased pressure in the vessels. It causes the heart’s pumping chamber walls (left ventricular hypertrophy). Eventually, the thickened muscle can struggle to pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs, which can lead to heart failure.
• Weakened and Constricted Blood Vessels in the Kidneys. It can interfere with the normal functioning of these organs.
• Thickened, Pointed, or Torn Blood Vessels in the Eyes. It can lead to vision loss.
• Metabolic Syndrome. This syndrome is a group of metabolic disorders in the body, including an increase in waist circumference, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (the “good” cholesterol), blood pressure, high blood pressure, and high insulin levels. These conditions increase the likelihood of developing diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.
• Problems with Memory or Understanding. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can also affect your ability to think, remember, and learn. Problems with memory or understanding concepts are more common in people with high blood pressure.
• Narrowing or blockage of the arteries can restrict blood flow to the brain, resulting in a certain type of dementia (vascular dementia). A stroke that cuts blood flow to the brain can also cause vascular dementia.

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