AS blood is pumped from the heart to the blood vessels, it pushes against the walls. This force against the walls of the arteries is Called blood pressure. Without a certain amount of pressure in blood vessels, blood cannot circulate through the body. And without Circulating blood, the vital organs can’t get the oxygen and food they need to keep functioning. So blood pressure is an important part of life. It changes constantly, varying from day to day and moment to moment according to body needs. For example, the blood pressure will rise when one is exercising or excited and it will drop when one is resting or asleep. These fluctuations are perfectly normal.
‘There are two levels of blood pressure: an upper one called ‘systolic pressure when the heart is beating, and a lower one called diastolic pressure when the heart is resting. The systolic pressure tells the maximum amount of pressure exerted on arteries whereas diastolic pressure tells the minimum pressure on the arteries. The blood pressure (BP) readings are given in two numbers, such as 120/80. Acceptable blood pressure reading falls within a range rather than being a particular pair of numbers. For most adults, blood pressure less than 140/90 mm Hg and more than 110/60 mm Hg is. Considered safe. Once the BP goes above or below these levels, some form of treatment may be needed. The doctor should take several readings on different days before. Deciding if one’s BP is too high.
If for some reason the arteries are narrowed, it’s harder for the blood to pass through them resulting a rise in the blood pressure and hard work for the heart. If the pressure increase to 140/90 mm Hg or more and stays there, one has a high blood pressure, also called hypertension. In about 10% of the cases, high blood pressure is a symptom of an underlying medical problem. In the other 90% cases, there is no specific cause, As many as 58 million Americans may have high BP, There are uncontrollable and controllable factors contributing to high blood pressure.
Uncontrollable Factors 1.Heredity A tendency toward high BP seems to run in families, 2.Race Blacks have high blood pressure more often and more severe than whites. 3. Age the older a person gets, the more likely he or she is to develop high blood pressure, 4; Sex Men are more likely to develop high BJP than women.
Controllable Factors 1, Obesity People who weigh 20% or more than above their ideal body weight are more likely to develop high blood pressure. 2. Sodium sensitivity reducing sodium (common salt) consumption can lower blood pressure in some people, 3.Alcohol consumption More than one ounce of alcohol! A day may increase blood pressure in some individuals.
4, Oral contraceptives Women who take oral contraceptives may develop high blood pressure. 5. Lack of exercise a sedentary or inactive lifestyle tends to contribute to obesity, a risk factor for high BP.
- Stress Blood pressure will go up in people during periods of stress. Symptoms High blood pressure usually has no symptoms; many people have high BP for years without knowing it. The only way to find out if one has high blood pressure is to get it checked at least once a year from doctor or another qualified health professional, some people may complain of headache, dizziness or not feeling well.
Complications
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage the body in a number of ways, It adds to the workload of heart and arteries, leading to the enlargement of the heart Initially it may function well, but later on it may have a hard time keeping up with the body’s demands resulting in heart failure. With the age, arteries harden and become less elastic. The high blood pressure tends to speed up this process.
Other complications include bleeding in the brain or eyes, kidney failure and ischemic heart disease.
Treatment
Most of the treatments for high blood pressure rely on some combination of diet, exercise and medications to bring it under control and complications avoided, General guidelines are: 1.Control diet, lose weight and keep it within the range of ideal body weight. Follow the prescribed diet closely. 2. Avoid alcohol consumption. 3. Reduce sodium consumption with salt restricted diet. 4. Stay active and keep exercise as recommended by doctor, a part of daily program. 5. Many medicines are available to reduce the blood pressure, a trial period is often required before the best medication or combination of them is discovered. 6. Take medications regularly at the same time each day as Prescribed by the doctor; do not stop medicines on your own, 7.Keep regular appointments with the doctor.
Unfortunately, high blood pressure is a lifelong disease and most of the times can’t be cured, though it can be controlled.
This information provides a general overview on high blood pressure and may not apply in each individual case, Consult your physician to determine whether this information can be applied to your personal situation and to obtain additional information, Gunwant S.Dhaliwal, M.D.
Article extracted from this publication >> April 9, 1993
