How Common Is High Blood Pressure

Treatment And Medication Options For High Blood Pressure

Most people who have high blood pressure will likely need lifelong treatment to help ward off or delay serious health problems brought on by the condition.

Options to treat high blood pressure may include eating a healthy diet with less salt, taking medication, and incorporating additional lifestyle changes. These include exercise, limiting alcohol intake, smoking cessation, and managing stress.

Primary High Blood Pressure

While the specific cause of primary high blood pressure remains unknown, there is compelling evidence to suggest that a number of risk factors increase your chances of developing the condition.;

These risk factors include:

• age – the risk of developing high blood pressure increases as you get older
• a family history of high blood pressure – the condition seems to run in families
• being of Afro-Caribbean or South Asian origin
• high-fat diet
• high amount of salt in your diet
• lack of exercise
• excessive alcohol consumption
• stress

A number of health conditions, such as diabetes and kidney disease, have also been linked to an increase risk of developing primary high blood pressure.

Youre Having More Than One Alcoholic Drink Per Day

For people who already drink, moderate alcohol consumption is often not a problem, and some research suggests it may even help prevent heart disease. However, heavier alcohol consumptionespecially frequent binge drinking episodescan lead to chronically elevated blood pressure, says Dr. Philips. Research has also tied binge drinking to an increased risk of developing atherosclerosisbuildup of fatty plaque in the arteries, which can lead to heart attack and stroke.

BP fix: If youre going to drink, drink moderately.

One drink equals 12 ounces of beer, 5 ounces of wine, or 1.5 ounces of spirits. And if its really more about the ritual than the alcohol itself, consider periodically swapping out your glass of cabernet for a kombucha or one of those trendy new non-alcoholic cocktails from brands like Curious Elixirs, Seedlip, and Kin.

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Eat Less Meat More Plants

A plant-based diet is an easy way to increase fiber and reduce the amount of sodium and unhealthy saturated and trans fat you take in from dairy foods and meat. Increase the number of fruits, vegetables, leafy greens, and whole grains youre eating. Instead of red meat, opt for healthier lean proteins like fish, poultry, or tofu.

What Are The Signs & Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure

Most of the time high blood pressure doesn’t cause symptoms. In rare cases, severe high blood pressure can cause headaches, blurry vision, dizziness, nosebleeds, a fluttering or racing heartbeat, and nausea.

If your child has high blood pressure and gets any of these symptoms, get medical care right away.

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Secondary High Blood Pressure

Some cases of high blood pressure are the result of underlying factors or cause and this is known as secondary high blood pressure.;

Underlying factors include:

• kidney conditions, such as a kidney infection, or kidney disease
• narrowing of the arteries
• hormonal conditions, such as Cushing’s syndrome;
• conditions that affect the bodys tissue, such as lupus;
• medication, such as the oral contraceptive pill, or the type of painkillers that are known as nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs;, such as;ibuprofen
• recreational drugs, such as cocaine, amphetamines and crystal meth

Occasionally, a rise in blood pressure can result from taking herbal remedies, such as herbal supplements.

What Can You Do About Your Heart Risk

While you canât control your predisposition to hypertension because of family history, there are a number of measures you can control through simple lifestyle changes that can make a significant impact on blood pressure.

• Reduce sodium intake in your diet. Excessive amounts of sodium can cause fluid retention, causing blood pressure elevations.
• Increase daily activity. Lack of physical activity can increase body weight and affect blood pressure levels. Inactivity can also produce elevated stress levels, which can affect blood pressure readings.
• Smoking reduction or cessation. Tobacco can temporarily raise pressure readings.
• Maintain good health. Many chronic conditions, such as kidney disease, diabetes, and sleep apnea can all negatively impact hypertension. Regular medical examinations, medication compliance, and improved good health behaviors will also reduce your risk of hypertension, heart disease, and stroke.
• Track your blood pressure using at home blood pressure monitor and an app . How else would you know if any diet, exercise or lifestyle changes that you make are truly helping you?

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You Have A Strong Family History Of Hypertension

Genes do play some role in high blood pressure, which is why younger people in seemingly great health can still be diagnosed with hypertension, says Dr. Philips. However, more often than not, its also likely that people with a family history of high blood pressure share common environments that increase their riskand these are very much modifiable.

Our genes also interact with the environment and we can influence them by the choices we make, says Dr. Beniaminovitz. While lifestyle changes may not help you in never developing high blood pressure if you have a strong family history, optimal lifestyle will aid in delaying the onset of blood pressure and the need for early medications. Instead of developing high blood pressure in your 30s or 40s, with optimal diet and lifestyle you may delay the onset of high blood pressure to your late 60s or 70s.

BP fix: Keep up with the tips above!

Theres no magic bullet, but if you have a strong family history, thats even more reason to implement all of the dietary and lifestyle recommendations aboveeat whole foods, move your body more, manage stressand get your blood pressure checked regularly.

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Improving Health With Current Research

Learn about the following ways in which we continue to translate current research and science into improved health for people who have high blood pressure. Research on this topic is part of our broader commitment to advancing scientific discovery in heart and vascular disease and health disparities and inequities research.

Learn about some of the pioneering research contributions we have made over the years that have improved clinical care.

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Too Much Alcohol Consumption

Do you frequently drink alcohol to excess? Research has found that alcohol stimulates the production of endothelin 1 and 2 from the vascular endothelium system. Additionally, the consumption increases the production of angiotensin II in the blood vessels. Medical practitioners will tell you that these two products are potential vasoconstrictors and can lead to increased blood volume, which translates into higher blood pressure.

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How Do You Make Lifestyle Changes

Making any kind of change in the way you live your daily life is like being on a path. The path leads to success. Here are the first steps on that path:

Have your own reason for making a change. If you do it because someone else wants you to, you’re less likely to have success. When you have high blood pressure, the reason for making lifestyle changes is clear: to lower your blood pressure. If you don’t feel ready now, learn more about high blood pressure and the damage it can do. When you truly want to make changes, you’re ready for the next step.

Set goals. Include long-term goals as well as short-term goals that you can measure easily. Your doctor can help you figure out what your long-term goals should be for your blood pressure. Short-term goals are the small steps you take, week by week, to improve your health.

Measure improvements to your health. Before you make lifestyle changes, ask your doctor to check your blood pressure. Then, as you start to make changes, have your blood pressure checked often, and keep track of the numbers. You can buy a home blood pressure monitor that is easy to use.

Think about what might get in your way, and prepare for slip-ups. By thinking about these barriers now, you can plan ahead for how to deal with them if they happen. Use a personal action plan to write down your barriers and backup plans.

Get support from your family, your doctor, and your friends. Tell them about your long-term and short-term goals and how they can help.

Developing A Healthy Diet

A heart-healthy diet is vital for helping to reduce high blood pressure. Its also important for managing hypertension that is under control and reducing the risk of complications. These complications include heart disease, stroke, and heart attack.

A heart-healthy diet emphasizes foods that include:

• fruits
• lean proteins like fish

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Hypertension: What You Need To Know As You Age

You cant see high blood pressure, also called hypertension. And most ofthe time, you cant feel it. But if youre among the 78 million Americanswith hypertension or are one of the 70 million with prehypertension, its important to understandits effects on your healthand to take action today to bring your numbersdown to healthier levels.

Blood pressure is the force of blood against the inner walls of yourarteries. It has normal fluctuations throughout the dayfalling when yourerelaxed or asleep, rising naturally in the morning, and increasingtemporarily when youre under stress, excited or exercising. But when yourresting blood pressure level rises too high, it can scar, stiffen and/orweaken blood vessels. This effect can double your risk for aheart attack; quadruple your odds for astroke; raise your risk forheart failure, vision loss, kidney problems,dementiaand circulation problems such asperipheral artery disease;weaken your bones; and contribute toerectile dysfunctionin men.

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.

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Heart Disease High Blood Pressure And Menopause

While you may have had normal blood pressure most of your life, your chances of developing high blood pressure increase considerably after menopause.

Heart disease risk rises for everyone as they age, but for women symptoms can become more evident after the onset of menopause.

Common Medications For High Blood Pressure

Within each class of antihypertensive drug, your doctor has more choices to make. Some classes contain just a few drug options. Others, such as ACE inhibitors, include many drugs. Finding the right choice for you may involve some trial and error. Here is a summary of 10 drugs commonly prescribed for high blood pressure:

Amlodipine is a calcium channel blocker. You usually take it once a day. Most people find once daily dosing to be convenient and easy to remember. is also a treatment for .

Benazepril is an ACE inhibitor. At low doses, you usually take it once a day. Your doctor may recommend splitting higher doses to twice a day.

Chlorthalidone is a thiazide diuretic. The usual dose is once a day with food, preferably breakfast. It also treats from conditions like heart failure.

Enalapril is an ACE inhibitor. For , you usually take it once a day. It is also a treatment for heart failure.

Hydrochlorothiazide is a thiazide diuretic. It comes as a capsule or tablet you typically take once a day. Like other thiazide diuretics, it also treats fluid retention, or .

Irbesartan is an angiotensin II receptor blocker. The usual dose is once daily. It is also a treatment for kidney problems in people with .

Lisinopril is an ACE inhibitor. It is also a drug you usually take once a day. is also a treatment for heart failure.

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What Is The Best High Blood Pressure Medication

Selecting the “best” high blood pressure medication depends on several things, including the general health of the patient, his or her age, ethnicity, and whether or not they have any co-existing medical issues or drug sensitivities.

For example, in a hypertensive patient with asthma, it may be inadvisable to prescribe a beta-blocker, as these drugs can aggravate that respiratorycondition. Similarly, in patients prone to constipation use of certain calcium channel blockers might best be avoided — along with diuretics — as both these classes of drugs can inhibit proper bowel function.

African-American patients respond to some antihypertensive medications better than others.

Certain groups of patients require the use of a specific class of high blood pressure medication. These include:

Pregnant Women

• The drug of choice for hypertensive, pregnant women is one of the oldest high blood pressure medications on the market. Methyldopa, which works to lower blood pressure through the central nervous system, has the lowest risk of harming the mother and developing fetus.
• Other possible safe options include labetalol, beta-blockers, and diuretics.
• Two classes of drugs that should never be used during pregnancy include ACE inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers.

African-Americans

Elderly Patients

With age, comes an increased risk for systolic hypertension which can be aggravated by severe atherosclerosis.

Research And Statistics: How Many People Have High Blood Pressure

Hypertension is a very common condition, in both developing countries and industrialized nations.

According to the AHA, more than 100 million Americans have high blood pressure. That equates to nearly half of all adults in the United States.

High blood pressure is more common in men than in women, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reports. About 47 percent of men in the United States have high blood pressure, compared with 43 percent of women.

Only one in four Americans with hypertension have the condition under control.

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Family History And Genetics

High blood pressure often runs in families. Much of the understanding of the body systems involved in high blood pressure has come from genetic studies. Many different genes are linked to a small increase in the risk of developing high blood pressure. Research suggests that certain DNA changes as an unborn baby grows in the womb may also lead to high blood pressure later in life.

Some people have a high sensitivity to salt in their diet. This can also run in families.

Regular Blood Pressure Checks If Diagnosed With High Blood Pressure

If you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, your blood pressure will need to be closely monitored until it is brought under control.

After your blood pressure has been controlled, your GP or practice nurse will measure your blood pressure at agreed regular intervals .

It is important you attend these appointments to ensure your blood pressure is being maintained within an acceptable range.

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Alzheimers Breakthrough As Scientists Find Potential Cause Of Disease And Say It Could Lead To Ways Of Slowing Down Memory Loss

A likely cause of Alzheimerâs is fat-carrying particles that transport toxic proteins leaking from the blood into the brain, scientists say.

Previous research identified the accumulation of these toxic proteins â called beta-amyloid â in the brain, but did not know where they came from or why they ended up there.

Beta-amyloid are formed when bigger proteins breakdown. In someone who has Alzheimerâs, these proteins clump together and form plaques that disrupt cell function.

The researchers at Curtin University in Perth, Australia, identified the âblood-to-brain pathwayâ as being a likely cause after genetically engineering mice to produce amyloid in their livers.

These mice suffered brain inflammation, accelerated brain cell death and memory loss.

The experts said their findings, published in the journal PLOS Biology, is âsignificantâ because it means managing levels of amyloid in the blood and preventing leaking into the brain can be targeted as new treatments to prevent Alzheimerâs and slow memory loss.

Professor John Mamo, lead investigator at the Curtin Health Innovation Research Institute, said further researcher is needed, but the toxic proteins could be reduced through a personâs diet.

And drugs could be made to target these proteins to reduce their risk or slow the progression of Alzheimerâs, he said.

This protein is present in cells that line blood vessels and increases blood flow to active areas of the brain.

What Are Common Symptoms Of Hypertension

Hypertension is called a “silent killer”. Most people with hypertension are unaware of the problem because it may have no warning signs or symptoms. For this reason, it is essential that blood pressure is measured regularly.

When symptoms do occur, they can include early morning headaches, nosebleeds, irregular heart rhythms, vision changes, and buzzing in the ears. Severe hypertension can cause fatigue, nausea, vomiting, confusion, anxiety, chest pain, and muscle tremors.

The only way to detect hypertension is to have a health professional measure blood pressure. Having blood pressure measured is quick and painless. Although individuals can measure their own blood pressure using automated devices, an evaluation by a health professional is important for assessment of risk and associated conditions.

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