Eating More Fruits And Vegetables And Less Fat
People who have high blood pressure or people at high risk for developing high blood pressure should reduce their intake of saturated fats in favor of unsaturated forms.
that those with high blood pressure prioritize more heart-healthy foods, such as:
- whole grain, high fiber foods
- a variety of fruits and vegetables
- pulses, such as chickpeas, beans, and lentils
- nuts
- fish rich in omega-3 twice per week
- nontropical vegetable oils, such as olive oil
- skinless poultry and fish
- low fat dairy products
If a person has high blood pressure or wished to maintain moderate blood pressure, it is important to avoid trans fats, hydrogenated vegetable oils, animal fats, and processed fast foods when creating a diet plan.
However, omega-3 fatty acids, such as those in oily fish and olive oil, have protective effects on the heart. However, these are still fats. While they are typically healthful, people with a risk of hypertension should still include them in their total fat intake.
contribute to hypertension. A fall in blood pressure usually follows weight loss, as the heart does not have to work so hard to pump blood around the body.
A balanced diet with a calorie intake that matches the individuals size, sex, and activity level will help.
What Are The Symptoms Of Hypertension
Hypertension is generally a silent condition. Many people wont experience any symptoms. It may take years or even decades for the condition to reach levels severe enough that symptoms become obvious. Even then, these symptoms may be attributed to other issues.
of severe hypertension can include:
- flushing
According to the American Heart Association , contrary to popular thought, severe hypertension doesnt typically cause nosebleeds or headaches except when someone is in hypertensive crisis.
The best way to know if you have hypertension is to get regular blood pressure readings. Most doctors offices take a blood pressure reading at every appointment.
If you only have a yearly physical, talk with your doctor about your risks for hypertension and other readings you may need to help you watch your blood pressure.
For example, if you have a family history of heart disease or have risk factors for developing the condition, your doctor may recommend that you have your blood pressure checked twice a year. This helps you and your doctor stay on top of any possible issues before they become problematic.
There are two types of hypertension. Each type has a different cause.
Signs Of High Blood Pressure And Stages Of Hypertension
Posted by Dr. Chris
Heart attacks and strokes are the leading causes of death in the United States and high blood pressure is one of the main factors that contributes to these conditions. With 1 in 3 American adults suffering with hypertension , it is understandable why this condition is a major public health concern. It is estimated that as many as 20% of adults with hypertension do not even know that they have an elevated blood pressure.
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If Your Hypertension Is Resistant
It may take time for you and your doctor to work out a successful lifestyle and medication plan to lower your blood pressure.
Its very likely that youll find a combination of drugs that works, especially since new medications are always under development.
If your hypertension is resistant, its important that you keep working with your doctor and stick with your medication plan.
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Hypertensive Crisis: When You Should Call 911 For High Blood Pressure
A hypertensive crisis is when blood pressure rises quickly and severely with readings of 180/120 or greater.
The consequences of uncontrolled blood pressure in this range can be severe and include:
- Pulmonary edema
- Eclampsia
An elevated reading may or may not be accompanied by one or more of the following symptoms:
- Severe headache
- Severe anxiety
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Quitting Smoking And Limiting Alcohol
If youre a smoker and have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, your doctor will most likely advise you to quit. The chemicals in tobacco smoke can damage the bodys tissues and harden blood vessel walls.
If you regularly consume too much alcohol or have an alcohol dependency, seek help to reduce the amount you drink or stop altogether. Drinking alcohol in excess can raise blood pressure.
If you have risk factors for hypertension, you can take steps now to lower your risk for the condition and its complications.
Definition Of Stage 2 Hypertension
In this study, stage 2 hypertension was diagnosed according to the 10th edition of the International Classification of Diseases or if systolic BP was 140mmHg or diastolic BP was 90mmHg during a regular health-screening program. The follow-up ended when the participant was diagnosed with stage 2 hypertension, died, or when the study ended . During the follow-up, 18 deaths were reported, all of the cases that occurred before death were included in the results. Thus, the mortality during the follow-up period had little affect on the results of this study.
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Rates Of High Blood Pressure Control Vary By Sex And Race
Uncontrolled high blood pressure is common however, certain groups of people are more likely to have control over their high blood pressure than others.
- A greater percentage of men have high blood pressure than women .3
- High blood pressure is more common in non-Hispanic black adults than in non-Hispanic white adults , non-Hispanic Asian adults , or Hispanic adults .3
- Among those recommended to take blood pressure medication, blood pressure control is higher among non-Hispanic white adults than in non-Hispanic black adults , non-Hispanic Asian adults , or Hispanic adults .3
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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High Blood Pressure Symptoms
The scary part about blood pressure is that it most often presents without any symptoms – until it causes often irreversible and sometimes life threatening damage.
While some people experience nonspecific symptoms like headaches and lightheadedness most people wont feel any differently with high blood pressure. This is a huge argument for getting regular doctor check ups to make sure silent and preventable disease arent sneaking up on you.
What Is White Coat Hypertension
White coat hypertension is when a childs blood pressure readings are high at the doctors office , but normal outside of the office .
This is pretty common in kids. By some estimations, between 30 and 40 percent of kids who have high blood pressure in the office actually have white-coat hypertension.
White coat hypertension is still a risk. Everyones blood pressure changes from time to timeits lower when youre asleep, for examplebut if a childs blood pressure continually rises when shes anxious , it can be sign of high blood pressure at other times and potentially cause the same kinds of damage that standard hypertension causes.
White coat hypertension is diagnosed by taking the childs blood pressure outside of the doctors office. This can be done in different ways:
- Some parents feel comfortable doing it at home.
- Sometimes we make arrangements for a school nurse to check the childs blood pressure.
- Your childs doctor might recommend that she wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitoring devicea blood pressure cuff attached to a small device that sits on her belt , and measures her blood pressure at regular intervals over the course of 24 hours. This device is about the size of a deck of cards and is usually tolerated very well.
If your child is diagnosed with white coat hypertension, her doctor may still want to follow her, since some children with white coat hypertension will develop actual hypertension in the future.
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Newly Diagnosed With Stage
Once you came to know that you are having stage-2 hypertension, instead of becoming panic and make the condition worst try to manage it smartly to bring it to the target number, here are some tips.
- You should know your BP has raised over 160/100 mmHg.
- You should know the significance of the BP reading and confirm the treatment.
- If you are a smoker, quit smoking to help treatment and avoid complications.
- Check your BP often until your BP reaches your target value after that once every three months.
- Start following hypertension therapeutic lifestyle modification to support hypertension medication treatment.
- You should immediately start hypertension medication treatment. Combination therapy is the best choice for stage-2 hypertension.
- Discuss with your doctor to choose a best first line combinational antihypertensive drugs.
- Based on doctor’s assessment, know your target blood pressure and strive to achieve it.
High Blood Pressure In Pregnancy
Gestational hypertension is high blood pressure that develops in pregnancy during or after the second trimester and goes away once the baby is delivered. This can be particularly dangerous for both the fetus and the mother.
These women are at increased risk for a dangerous condition called pre-eclampsia. It can also create risks for the baby she is carrying by preventing enough blood flow to the fetus – in a condition called placental insufficiency.
Women with gestational hypertension are monitored more frequently and may require medications to help control their symptoms.
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Hypertensive Urgency Vs Emergency
If the patient has severe BP elevation and does not have signs or symptoms indicating target organ damage or dysfunction they are considered a hypertensive urgency.1 Antihypertensive drug therapy should be increased in these patients.1
If the patients severe BP elevation is accompanied by new or worsening target organ damage it is considered a hypertensive emergency. 1 Patients who have a hypertensive emergency should be admitted into an intensive care unit. An agent should be administered to reduce BP levels, and the patients BP should be continuously monitored.1 If left untreated, the median survival rate is 10.4 months.5
How Serious Is Your Hypertension
Doctors classify hypertension according to systolic pressure and diastolic pressure readings and the effects various levels can have on your health.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a health condition that affects about one in three American adults. But not everyone who has hypertension has high blood pressure to the same degree. Doctors use four hypertension categories to help classify how likely your blood pressure level is to affect your health: prehypertension, stage 1, stage 2, and hypertensive crisis.
Normal Blood Pressure
Blood pressure is measured by taking two different measurements of the pressure within your arteries: systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure, the first or top number of the blood pressure reading, is the highest level of pressure in your arteries, which occurs when your heart muscle contracts and forces a burst of blood into the aorta. Diastolic pressure, which is the bottom number, is the pressure that exists within your arteries between heart muscle contractions, which is when your heart is filling with blood.
If your blood pressure reading is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury or mm Hg , you have normal blood pressure. This means that your systolic pressure is less than 120 mm/Hg and your diastolic reading is less than 80 mm/Hg.
Prehypertension: When Blood Pressure Is Above Normal
Stage 1 and Stage 2 Hypertension
Hypertensive Crisis: A High Blood Pressure Emergency
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What Are The Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure
Most people who have high blood pressure do not have symptoms. This is why its sometimes called the silent killer. It is very important to have your blood pressure checked regularly.
Some people experience headaches, nosebleeds, or shortness of breath with high blood pressure. However, those symptoms can mimic many other things . Usually, these symptoms occur once blood pressure has reached a dangerously high level over a period of time.
What Medications Are Used To Treat High Blood Pressure
Four classes of high blood pressure medications are considered first line when starting treatment. Sometimes other medications are coupled with these first-line drugs to better control your high blood pressure. First-line, pressure-lowering medications are:
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors block the production of the angiotensin II hormone, which the body naturally uses to control blood pressure. When angiotensin II is blocked, your blood vessels dont narrow. Examples: lisinopril , enalapril or captopril.
- Angiotensin II receptor blockers block this same hormone from binding with receptors in the blood vessels. ARBs work the same way as ACE inhibitors to keep blood vessels from narrowing. Examples: metoprolol , valsartan or losartan.
- Calcium channel blockers prevent calcium from entering the muscle cells of your heart and blood vessels, allowing these vessels to relax. Examples: amlodipine , nifedipine , diltiazem .
- Diuretics flush excess sodium from your body, reducing the amount of fluid in your blood. Diuretics are often used with other high blood pressure medicines, sometimes in one combined pill. Examples: indapamide, hydrochlorothiazide or chlorothiazide.
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How To Understand High Blood Pressure Readings
Two numbers create a blood pressure reading. Systolic pressure indicates the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats and pumps out blood. Diastolic pressure is the reading of the pressure in your arteries between beats of your heart.
Five categories define blood pressure readings for adults:
- Healthy: A healthy blood pressure reading is less than 120/80 millimeters of mercury .
- Elevated: The systolic number is between 120 and 129 mm Hg, and the diastolic number is less than 80 mm Hg. Doctors usually dont treat elevated blood pressure with medication. Instead, your doctor may encourage lifestyle changes to help lower your numbers.
- Stage 1 hypertension: The systolic number is between 130 and 139 mm Hg, or the diastolic number is between 80 and 89 mm Hg.
- Stage 2 hypertension: The systolic number is 140 mm Hg or higher, or the diastolic number is 90 mm Hg or higher.
- Hypertensive crisis: The systolic number is over 180 mm Hg, or the diastolic number is over 120 mm Hg. Blood pressure in this range requires urgent medical attention. If any symptoms like chest pain, headache, shortness of breath, or visual changes occur when blood pressure is this high, medical care in the emergency room is needed.
A blood pressure reading is taken with a pressure cuff. For an accurate reading, its important you have a cuff that fits. An ill-fitting cuff may deliver inaccurate readings.
Deterrence And Patient Education
Hypertension is a chronic disorder and requires long-term care and management. Detailed education regarding lifestyle modification and pharmacological therapy is the key to success for better control of blood pressure and to prevent complications. Weight management, physical activity, limiting alcohol/tobacco/smoking is a critical strategy to decrease cardiovascular risk.
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High Blood Pressure Diet
Diet probably has the largest impact on the development of high blood pressure for most people as it controls both salt intake and weight management.
Eating too much salt is a major contributor to hypertension. Many well done studies demonstrate that lowers blood pressure and increasing salt intake elevates blood pressure
Regardless of what is causing your hypertension, significantly reducing the salt you consume can help it.
What’s The Difference Between Blood Pressure And Pulse
While your blood pressure is the force of your blood moving through your blood vessels, your heart rate is the number of times your heart beats per minute.
- They are two separate measurements and indicators of health.
- For people with high blood pressure , theres no substitute for measuring blood pressure.
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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.
Who Is At Risk For Hypertension
One in three adult Americans have hypertension. If left untreated, high blood pressure can cause heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and atrial fibrillation. At high risk are those over the age of 65 with existing conditions such as diabetes or a family history of high blood pressure.
“There is a tendency to more hypertension in African-Americans,” said Ghaith M Nahlawi, MD, cardiologist with Franciscan Physician Network Specialty Clinic Lafayette. “Men tend to get it at a younger ages than women.”
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Does High Blood Pressure Increase Heart Rate
Heart rate and blood pressure do not necessarily increase at the same rate. A rising heart rate does not cause your blood pressure to increase at the same rate. Even though your heart is beating more times a minute, healthy blood vessels dilate to allow more blood to flow through more easily. When you exercise, your heart speeds up so more blood can reach your muscles. It may be possible for your heart rate to double safely, while your blood pressure may respond by only increasing a modest amount.