What It Is

INTRODUCTION: High blood pressure aka hypertension means elevated pressure (tension) in the arteries. It does not mean excessive emotional tension, although emotional tension and stress can temporarily elevate your blood pressure.

Hypertension often has no symptoms, but it can produce serious problems such as stroke, heart failure, heart attack and kidney failure.

It makes the heart work much harder and can impair the arteries, causing them to narrow faster. It can also damage many parts of the body and is a major health problem in the USA affecting one out of every three Americans or 65,000,000 people, according to the American Heart Association (AHA).

HYPERTENSION: Frequently referred to as “high blood pressure”, HTN or HPN, is a medical condition that is caused by the blood pressure being chronically elevated and is considered to be present when a person’s systolic blood pressure is continously 140 mmHg or greater, and/or their diastolic blood pressure is consistently 90 mmHg or higher.

It is classified as either essential (primary) or secondary and is among the most common complex disorders, with genetic implication averaging 30%. High blood pressure can be a temporary or lifelong disease, depending on what causes it and is dangerous because it causes the heart to work harder than normal.

Pre-hypertension is blood pressure between 120 and 139 for the higher number, or between 80 and 89 for the lower number. For example, blood pressure readings of 138/82, 128/89, or 130/86 are all in the pre-hypertension category. If your blood pressure is in the pre-hypertension category, it is more likely that you will eventually have hypertension unless you take action to prevent it. If you have this kind of high blood pressure, you may not have to take medication.

HEART: Some people may not find out they have hypertension until there is trouble with their heart, brain, or kidneys. When it is not diagnosed and treated, it can cause the heart to become larger, which might lead to heart failure. With hypertension, the heart works harder than usual, your arteries take a beating, and the possibilities of a stroke, heart attack, and kidney problems are greater.

If you don’t have high blood pressure by age 55, you have a 90 percent chance of developing it at some point in your life, according to the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. Untreated, it will cause the heart to eventually overwork itself to the point at which serious damage can occur. About half of people having first-time heart attacks and two-thirds of people having first-time strokes suffer from high blood pressure.

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TREATMENT: Treatment is focused on lowering water retention and reducing blood pressure to normal levels. When you first start treatment, your doctor may want you to come to the office regularly. He/she will review the information with you and decide if your treatment program is effective or if you need to make changes to it.

Among the 61 percent who are under treatment, only 35 percent have their blood pressure adequately controlled. For specific medical advice, diagnoses, and treatment, consult your doctor.

CONCLUSION: Hypertension is called the silent killer because it more often than not has no symptoms and is a risk factor for heart and kidney disease and stroke. Hypertension is not evenly distributed throughout the population and is found disproportionately more frequently in minority communities.

High blood pressure rates are also growing among American children, paralleling an epidemic of obesity. Hypertension in grownups will usually be measured on at least two different trips to the doctor before a diagnosis is made. It can be treated by both modifying lifestyles, usually as the first step, and, if necessary, with medications. Diuretics work in the kidney and flush out excess water and sodium from the body.

Nearly 1 in 3 American adults has hypertension. Once It develops, it usually remains for the rest of your lifetime. Fortunately, it can be easily detected, and once you know you have it, you can work with your physician to control it.