Health Awareness - High Blood Pressure

» What is Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)?
» How do salt and sodium affect high blood pressure?
» How does being overweight affect high blood pressure?
» How does medicine help control high blood pressure?
» What factors increase the chance that a person will develop high blood pressure?
» What can I do to get rid of my high blood pressure?
» Why is high blood pressure harmful?
» What kinds of medicines lower high blood pressure?
 
What is Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)? 
High blood pressure, or hypertension, is defined in an adult as a blood pressure greater than or equal to 140 mm Hg systolic pressure or greater than or equal to 90 mm Hg diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). High blood pressure directly increases the risk of coronary heart disease (which leads to heart attack) and stroke (or brain attack), especially along with other risk factors.
High blood pressure can occur in children or adults, but is particularly prevalent in middle-aged and elderly people, obese people, heavy drinkers and women who are taking birth control pills. Individuals with diabetes mellitus, gout or kidney disease have a higher frequency of hypertension.
How do salt and sodium affect high blood pressure? 
Heavy sodium consumption increases blood pressure in some people, leading to high blood pressure. People who are diagnosed with high blood pressure are often placed on restricted-sodium diets.
Reducing sodium (or salt) consumption may help lower blood pressure in some people. Your doctor may recommend sodium (salt) restricted diet. This will mean you'll have to avoid salty foods and cut down on the amount of salt you use in cooking and at the table.
How does being overweight affect high blood pressure? 
Studies have shown that body weight, changes in body weight over time, and skin fold thickness are related to changes in blood pressure levels. These factors have been linked to the subsequent rise and development of high blood pressure. People who are overweight are more likely to have high normal to mild high blood pressure.
Physical inactivity is a risk factor for heart disease. In addition, a sedentary or inactive lifestyle tends to contribute to obesity, a risk factor for both high blood pressure and heart disease. Regular exercise helps control weight and lower blood pressure. Don't be afraid to be active — exercise should definitely be part of your daily program. Besides helping to reduce your risk of heart attack, it can also help you lose weight or maintain a healthy weight.
Statistics show that many people who have high blood pressure are also overweight. If you are overweight or have gained weight over time, you'll be advised to cut down on calories and lose weight. Your doctor can prescribe a diet that's right for you. If you're given a diet, follow it closely, including any recommendations about reducing your consumption of alcohol. Alcoholic drinks are high in non-nutritious calories, so if you're trying to lose weight, avoid alcoholic beverages. Often when people lose weight, their blood pressure drops as well.
How does medicine help control high blood pressure? 
For some people, weight loss, sodium reduction and other lifestyle changes won't lower high blood pressure as much as it needs to be lowered. If that's your situation, you will probably need to take medication. Many medications are available to reduce high blood pressure. Some get rid of excess fluid and sodium (salt). Others relax constricted blood vessels. Others prevent blood vessels from constricting and narrowing. Because there is usually no cure for high blood pressure, treatment generally must be carried out for life. If treatment is stopped, the pressure may rise again.
What factors increase the chance that a person will develop high blood pressure? 
 » Heredity
 » Male sex
 » Age  Sodium (salt) sensitivity
 » Obesity and overweight
 » Heavy alcohol consumption   Use of oral contraceptives and some other medications
 » Sedentary OR inactive lifestyle
What can I do to get rid of my high blood pressure? 
Because medical science doesn't understand the causes of most cases of high blood pressure, it's hard to say how to prevent it. Still, several factors may contribute to it.
» Being overweight or using excessive salt are two avoidable factors.
» Age is one risk factor that can't be changed. Generally speaking, the older people get, the more likely they are to develop high blood pressure.
» Heredity is another factor. People whose parents have high blood pressure are more likely to develop it than those whose parents don't. African Americans are also more likely to have high blood pressure than whites.
» The incidence of high blood pressure isn't directly related to a person's sex. However, doctors usually keep a close watch on a woman's blood pressure during pregnancy or if she's taking birth control pills. Some women who have never had high blood pressure develop it during pregnancy. Similarly, a woman taking birth control pills is more likely to develop high blood pressure if she's overweight, has had high blood pressure during pregnancy, has a family history of high blood pressure or has mild kidney disease.
» Some other medications also can raise blood pressure and/or interfere with the effectiveness of antihypertensive drugs. If you have high blood pressure, you should tell your doctor all of the prescribed and over-the-counter medicines you are taking. These include such drugs as steroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), nasal decongestants and other cold remedies.
Why is high blood pressure harmful?
Elevated blood pressure indicates that the heart is working harder than normal, putting both the heart and the arteries under a greater strain. This may contribute to heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, damage to the eyes and atherosclerosis. If high blood pressure isn't treated, the heart may have to work progressively harder to pump enough blood and oxygen to the body's organs and tissues to meet their needs.
When the heart is forced to work harder than normal for an extended time, it tends to enlarge. A slightly enlarged heart may function well, but one that's significantly enlarged has a hard time meeting the demands put on it.
Arteries and arterioles also suffer the effects of elevated blood pressure. Over time they become scarred, hardened and less elastic. This may occur as people age, but elevated blood pressure speeds this process, probably because hypertension accelerates atherosclerosis.
Arterial damage is bad because hardened or narrowed arteries may be unable to supply the amount of blood the body's organs need. And if the body's organs don't get enough oxygen and nutrients, they can't function properly. There's also the risk that a blood clot may lodge in an artery narrowed by atherosclerosis, depriving part of the body of its normal blood supply. The heart, brain and kidneys are particularly susceptible to damage by high blood pressure.
What kinds of medicines lower high blood pressure? 
Many medications known as antihypertensives are available to lower high blood pressure. Some, called diuretics, rid the body of excess fluids and salt (sodium). Others, called beta-blockers, reduce the heart rate and the heart's output of blood.
Another class of antihypertensives is called sympathetic nerve inhibitors. Sympathetic nerves go from the brain to all parts of the body, including the arteries. They can cause the arteries to constrict or narrow, thereby raising blood pressure. This class of drugs reduces blood pressure by inhibiting these nerves from constricting blood vessels.
Yet another group of drugs is the vasodilators. These can cause the muscle in the walls of the blood vessels (especially the arteries) to relax, allowing the artery to dilate (widen).
Two other classes of drugs used to treat high blood pressure are the A.C.E. or angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and the calcium antagonists (calcium channel blockers). The A.C.E. inhibitors interfere with the body's production of angiotensin, a chemical that causes the arteries to constrict. The calcium antagonists can reduce the heart rate and relax blood vessels.
In most cases these drugs lower blood pressure, but quite often people respond very differently to these medications. Thus most patients must go through a trial period to find out which medications are most effective while causing the fewest side effects.
The most important points for people with high blood pressure to remember are these:
 » Follow your doctor’s instructions
 » Stay on your medication


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