Pathophysiological Determinants Of High Bp
Hypertension can be divided into primary and secondary forms. Primary hypertension accounts for the vast majority of cases, and poor diet and insufficient physical activity seem to be important and potentially reversible environmental causes. A specific, sometimes remediable cause of hypertension can be identified in approximately 10% of adults with hypertension, termed secondary hypertension . If the cause can be accurately diagnosed and treated, patients with secondary hypertension can achieve normalization of BP or marked improvement in BP control, with concomitant reduction in CVD risk . The majority of patients with secondary hypertension have primary aldosteronism or renal parenchymal or renal vascular disease, whereas the remainder may have more unusual endocrine disorders or drug- or alcohol-induced hypertension.
How Can My Blood Pressure Be Cured
It can be cured with simple diet and lifestyle changes. It took time for you to develop high blood pressure, so it will take time to resolve it as well.
The answer to high blood pressure is not medication. Medications mask problems. They dont cure them.
The answer is to get healthy and make changes to support your heart health.
Who Is At Risk For High Blood Pressure
Anyone can develop high blood pressure, but there are certain factors that can increase your risk:
- Age – Blood pressure tends to rise with age
- Race/Ethnicity – High blood pressure is more common in African American adults
- Weight – People who are overweight or have obesity are more likely to develop high blood pressure
- Sex – Before age 55, men are more likely than women to develop high blood pressure. After age 55, women are more likely than men to develop it.
- Lifestyle – Certain lifestyle habits can raise your risk for high blood pressure, such as eating too much sodium or not enough potassium, lack of exercise, drinking too much alcohol, and smoking.
- Family history – A family history of high blood pressure raises the risk of developing high blood pressure
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High Blood Pressure Treatment
The best way to lower blood pressure begins with changes you can make to your lifestyle to help lower your blood pressure and reduce your risk of heart disease. Additionally, your doctor may prescribe medicine to lower your blood pressure. These are called antihypertensive medicines.
The goal of treatment is to reduce your blood pressure to normal levels. Your doctor may prescribe medicine thats easy to take and has few, if any, side effects. This treatment is highly successful. If your blood pressure can only be controlled with medicine, youll need to take the medicine for the rest of your life. It is common to need more than one medicine to help control your blood pressure. Dont stop taking the medicine without talking with your doctor. Otherwise, you may increase your risk of having a stroke or heart attack.
Preventing Hypertension In Adults
NYU Langone preventive cardiologists offer tips to prevent hypertension, or high blood pressure. These guidelines are also part of the treatment plan for people who have been diagnosed with hypertension.
While hypertension is very common among American adults, it may cause no symptoms. Over time, however, consistently high blood pressure can cause damage throughout the body. Often, this damage is not apparent until significant harm has been done. Hypertension is associated with many other health conditions, including heart disease, kidney disease, and stroke.
A blood pressure reading has two numbers: The upper, or systolic number, measures pressure when your heart beats, while the lower, or diastolic number, measures pressure between heartbeats. Hypertension is defined as having a consistent reading of 140/90 mmHg or higher.
Hypertension may arise from a combination of risk factors, many of which are preventable. NYU Langone doctors advise the following lifestyle changes to prevent hypertension, or to help treat it.
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Follow A Healthy Diet
A healthy diet with a variety of nutritious foods, in line with the Australian Dietary Guidelines, will help keep blood pressure under control as well as your cholesterol and weight.
- Eat 5 serves of vegetables and 2 serves of fruit every day.
- Limit your fat intake to 20 to 35% of your total energy intake. Consume healthy unsaturated fats instead of saturated fats.
- Reduce your salt intake to fewer than 4 grams per day if you have high blood pressure. This is less than one teaspoon of salt. Salt contains sodium, which is linked to high blood pressure.
What Is Normal Blood Pressure
A blood pressure reading is written like this: 120/80. It’s read as “120 over 80.” The top number is called the systolic, and bottom number is called the diastolic. The ranges are:
- Normal: Less than 120 over 80
- Elevated: 120-129/less than 80
- Stage 1 high blood pressure: 130-139/80-89
- Stage 2 high blood pressure: 140 and above/90 and above
- Hypertension crisis: higher than 180/higher than 120 — See a doctor right away
If your blood pressure is above the normal range, talk to your doctor about how to lower it.
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Small Changes Can Make A Big Difference In Your Blood Pressure Numbers
If you suddenly find yourself with high blood pressure under the new guidelines from the American Heart Association and the American College of Cardiology, you might be wondering what to do. The guidelines lowered the definition for high blood pressure to 130/80 from 140/90 millimeters of mercury , meaning more people now meet the criteria for stage 1 hypertension.
While you shouldn’t shrug off the change, there’s also no need to panic. “Obviously, nothing happened overnight inside a woman’s body or to her health with the release of the guidelines,” says Dr. Naomi Fisher, director of hypertension service and hypertension innovation at the Brigham and Women’s Hospital Division of Endocrinology, Diabetes, and Hypertension, and associate professor of medicine at Harvard Medical School.
The change, however, should spur you to take your blood pressure seriously. “These guidelines have been long anticipated and are very welcome by most hypertension experts. They may seem drastic, but in putting the knowledge we’ve gained from large trials into clinical practice, they will help thousands of people,” says Dr. Fisher.
Fighting Back Against The Silent Killer
High blood pressure is a symptomless silent killer that quietly damages blood vessels and leads to serious health problems.
While there is no cure, using medications as prescribed and making lifestyle changes can enhance your quality of life and reduce your risk of heart disease, stroke, kidney disease and more.
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Ways To Prevent High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is one of the most prevalent and preventable risks for heart disease. Hypertension can be genetic and may increase with age, but there are also a number of factors that are very manageable, helping you prevent high blood pressure to the best of your ability. And like the other manageable risk factors for heart disease, it centers on lifestyle.
Why Is Hypertension Known As The Silent Killer
Blood pressure is an important part of your health. So, early detection is very important as it is a “”Silent Killer”” because it may show no symptoms. Hypertension puts one at the risk for heart disease, stroke, heart failure, and other diseases. High blood pressure is a long-lasting condition and requires immediate medication. The higher the BP, the higher the chance of serious complications.
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What Are Factors Influencing The Development Of High Blood Pressure
How To Prevent And Treat Hypertension
Dr. El Accaoui recommends the following lifestyle changes to help prevent and treat hypertension:
- Eat healthy: Limiting sodium intake to less than 1,500 milligrams per day can reduce high blood pressure since sodium holds excess fluid in the body creating a burden on the heart.
- Limit alcohol consumption: Heavy drinking causes an increase in blood pressure. Having less than two drinks per day for men and less than one drink per day for women is recommended.
- Exercise: Exercise strengthens the heart allowing it to pump blood with less effort. A strong heart reduces the stress on the artery walls preventing plaque buildup and potential risk of heart complications. Forty minutes of moderate intensity aerobic exercise three to four times per week is recommended.
- Lose weight: Losing weight will decrease the amount of pressure it takes to move blood around the body. Certain fats in the body cause the arteries to thicken, making blood flow more difficult.
- Quit smoking: The chemicals found in tobacco smoke can increase the risk of plaque buildup in the arteries, limiting the flow of blood to the body. These chemicals raise blood pressure and heart rate, increasing the risk of heart attack or stroke. Quitting smoking should be a top priority for people with and without high blood pressure.
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Regular Blood Pressure Checks For Over Over 40’s
The only way to find out whether you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. Ask your GP when you are next due for yours to be checked.
Blood pressure checks are usually available on request at most GP surgeries and health clinics. Some surgeries have home monitoring devices available, which you may be able to use at the time of blood pressure medication start up or change. Many also have a policy of arranging regular checks for you.
Adults who are over 40 and have not been diagnosed with high blood pressure should have their blood pressure checked at least once every five years. However, your blood pressure should ideally be checked more frequently, particularly if you have any contributory risk factors.
What Risks Are Increased By High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure increases your risk of heart disease, stroke and chronic kidney disease. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure also puts you at higher risk of complications such as nerve and eye damage.
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What Can You Do To Help Relieve Symptoms Of Low Blood Pressure
Depending on the type of low blood pressure you have, you may be able to relieve some of your symptoms by:
- Eating a healthy diet with fewer carbohydrates and smaller meals.
- Drinking more water and avoiding alcohol.
- Getting up slowly after youve been sitting or lying down.
- Focusing on breathing a few times before you change position.
- Wearing compression stockings.
Can High Blood Pressure Be Prevented Or Avoided
If your high blood pressure is caused by lifestyle factors, you can take steps to reduce your risk:
- Lose weight.
- Reduce your alcohol consumption.
- Learn relaxation methods.
If your high blood pressure is caused by disease or the medicine you take, talk to your doctor. He or she may be able to prescribe a different medicine. Additionally, treating any underlying disease can help reduce your high blood pressure.
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What Is Low Blood Pressure
Low blood pressure occurs when blood pressure drops below the normal range. Doctors generally define low blood pressure as 90/60 mm Hg or below, commonly said as 90 over 60 Usually, doctors only treat hypotension if it is severe enough to cause symptoms.
Low blood pressure can be temporary, or it can be a chronic condition. The main types of hypotension are:
- Orthostatic hypotension: People with orthostatic hypotension feel faint or lightheaded when they stand up or change position suddenly.
- Postprandial hypotension: This condition causes people to feel lightheaded or dizzy after eating a meal because their blood pressure drops suddenly.
- Neurally mediated hypotension: People with this disorder feel faint, dizzy, and nauseous after exercising or standing for a long time.
- Severe hypotension linked to shock: Shock is the most extreme form of hypotension. When a person is in shock, blood pressure drops to dangerously low levels, and the brain and organs cant get enough blood to function.
Diagnosing High Blood Pressure
The only way to find out whether you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked regularly. Ask your GP when you are next due for yours to be checked.
Before having your blood pressure taken, you should rest for at least five minutes and empty your bladder. To get an accurate blood pressure reading, you should be sitting down and not talking when the reading is taken.
Having one high blood pressure reading does not necessarily mean that you have high blood pressure. Your blood pressure can change throughout the day. Feeling anxious or stressed when you visit your GP can raise your blood pressure .
Therefore, your GP will need to take several readings over a set period of time, usually every month, to see whether your blood pressure level is consistently high.
Blood and urine tests may also be carried out in order to check for conditions that are known to cause an increase in blood pressure, such as kidney infections.
You may also be given a blood pressure device to take home so that you can record your blood pressure level throughout the day. This also helps to identify white coat syndrome and therefore helps to identify the best treatment options for you.
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You Can Fight High Blood Pressure
While heart disease is still the No. 1 killer in the United States and around the world, death rates have decreased significantly. Earlier and better treatment of high blood pressure has played a key role in that decrease.
Written by American Heart Association editorial staff and reviewed by science and medicine advisers. See our editorial policies and staff.
Most People With Hypertension Feel Okay
Hypertension usually does not produce any symptoms, because the organs of the body can resist high blood pressure for a long time. Thats why its important to have regular medical examinations to make sure your blood pressure isnt creeping up as you grow older.High blood pressure over a period of time can contribute to many illnesses, including:
- heart attack
The effects of high blood pressure on the arteries are worsened by:
- cigarette smoking
- high levels of saturated fat in the diet
- high blood cholesterol
- diabetes.
Responses to some types of stress may affect both blood pressure and changes in the arteries, but this remains scientifically uncertain.
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High Blood Pressure: Prevention Treatment And Research
We all have blood pressure. This simply refers to the way blood pushes against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps. However, one in three American adults have a potentially dangerous condition known as high blood pressure, also called hypertension. For those with high blood pressure, blood moves more forcefully through the arteries than it should.
Its normal for blood pressure to increase when you exercise or are under stress. But when the pressure is too high even when youre at rest, and stays too high for too long, it can stretch and damage your arteries. The resulting health problems from high blood pressure can include heart disease, heart failure, stroke, kidney damage, vision loss, and memory loss and cognitive decline.
Managing Blood Pressure Is A Lifelong Commitment
If you have high blood pressure, its vital that you listen to your doctor. Remember: Youre a part of your healthcare team. You and your doctor are partners.
Educate yourself about HBP and learn how to monitor your blood pressure at home. Armed with this information, you can commit to living heart healthy.
- Reduce high blood pressure.
- Prevent or delay the development of high blood pressure.
- Enhance the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.
- Lower your risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney damage, vision loss and sexual dysfunction.
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Factors Preventing/interfering With Hypertension Control
In adults with hypertension, controlling BP to nonhypertensive levels through nonpharmacological and pharmacological treatment reduces the risk for CVD events and all-cause mortality by 20% to 40% . It has been estimated that approximately 46,000 deaths annually can be prevented through improved BP control among U.S. adults, more deaths than can be averted through modification of any other major risk factor . However, BP control can only be achieved if those with hypertension are identified, diagnosed, and treated. The first step in this cascade is the diagnosis of hypertension. Once hypertension is diagnosed, effective nonpharmacological and pharmacological approaches need to be implemented to lower BP. Finally, treatment must be adhered to and titrated to optimize BP and CVD risk reduction. Factors associated with hypertension awareness, treatment, and control, as well as the components of a systems-level algorithm designed to increase BP control rates, are schematically depicted in the .
Prevention and Control of Hypertension.
Factors associated with hypertension awareness, treatment, and control, and the components of a systems-level algorithm designed to increase blood pressure control.
Carey, R.M. et al. J Am Coll Cardiol. 2018 72:1278-93.