Hypertension
High blood pressure is a common condition in which
the long-term force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that
it may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease. Blood pressure
is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of
resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and
the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.
Symptoms
The
symptoms of hypertension are-
·
Severe
headache
·
Fatigue
or confusion
·
Vision
problems
·
Chest
pain
·
Difficulty
breathing
·
Irregular
heartbeat
·
Blood
in the urine
·
Pounding
in your chest, neck, or ears
Causes
Primary Hypertension
Most
people have this type of high blood pressure.
Genes: Some people are genetically
predisposed to hypertension. This may be from gene mutations or genetic
abnormalities inherited from your parents.
Physical changes: If something in your body
changes, you may begin experiencing issues throughout your body. High blood
pressure may be one of those issues. For example, it’s thought that changes in
your kidney function due to aging may upset the body’s natural balance of salts
and fluid. This change may cause your body’s blood pressure to increase.
Environment: Over time, unhealthy lifestyle
choices like lack of physical activity and poor diet can take their toll on
your body. Lifestyle choices can lead to weight problems. Being overweight or
obese can increase your risk for hypertension.
Secondary Hypertension
Secondary
hypertension often occurs quickly and can become more severe than primary hypertension.
·
kidney
disease
·
obstructive
sleep apnea
·
congenital
heart defects
·
problems
with your thyroid
·
side
effects of medications
·
use
of illegal drugs
·
alcohol
abuse or chronic use
·
adrenal
gland problems
·
certain
endocrine tumors
Risk factors
High
blood pressure has many risk factors, including:
Age. The risk of high blood pressure
increases as you age. Through early middle age, or about age 45, high blood
pressure is more common in men. Women are more likely to develop high blood
pressure after age 65.
Race. High blood pressure is
particularly common among blacks, often developing at an earlier age than it
does in whites. Serious complications, such as stroke, heart attack and kidney
failure, also are more common in blacks.
Family
history. High blood pressure tends to run
in families.
Being
overweight or obese. The more you weigh the more blood
you need to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. As the volume of blood
circulated through your blood vessels increases, so does the pressure on your
artery walls.
Not being physically
active. People
who are inactive tend to have higher heart rates. The higher your heart rate,
the harder your heart must work with each contraction and the stronger the
force on your arteries. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of
being overweight.
Using
tobacco.
Not only does smoking or chewing tobacco immediately raise your blood pressure
temporarily, but the chemicals in tobacco can damage the lining of your artery
walls. This can cause your arteries to narrow, increasing your blood pressure.
Secondhand smoke also can increase your blood pressure.
Too
much salt (sodium) in your diet. Too much sodium in your diet can
cause your body to retain fluid, which increases blood pressure.
Too
little potassium in your diet. Potassium helps balance the
amount of sodium in your cells. If you don't get enough potassium in your diet
or retain enough potassium, you may accumulate too much sodium in your blood.
Too
little vitamin D in your diet. It's uncertain if having too
little vitamin D in your diet can lead to high blood pressure. Vitamin D may
affect an enzyme produced by your kidneys that affects your blood pressure.
Drinking
too much alcohol.
Over time, heavy drinking can damage your heart. Having more than two drinks a
day for men and more than one drink a day for women may affect your blood
pressure. If you drink alcohol, do so in moderation. For healthy adults, that
means up to one drink a day for women of all ages and men older than age 65,
and up to two drinks a day for men age 65 and younger. One drink equals 12
ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine or 1.5 ounces of 80-proof liquor.
Stress. High levels of stress can lead to
a temporary increase in blood pressure. If you try to relax by eating more,
using tobacco or drinking alcohol, you may only increase problems with high
blood pressure.
Certain
chronic conditions. Certain chronic conditions also
may increase your risk of high blood pressure, such as kidney disease, diabetes
and sleep apnea.
Treatment
Changing
your lifestyle can go a long way toward controlling high blood pressure. Your
doctor may recommend you eat a healthy diet with less salt, exercise regularly,
quit smoking and maintain a healthy weight. But sometimes lifestyle changes
aren't enough. In addition to diet and exercise, your doctor may recommend
medication to lower your blood pressure. Your blood pressure treatment goal
depends on how healthy you are.