Why Is Hypertension An Important Issue In Low
The prevalence of hypertension varies across regions and country income groups. The WHO African Region has the highest prevalence of hypertension while the WHO Region of the Americas has the lowest prevalence of hypertension .
The number of adults with hypertension increased from 594 million in 1975 to 1.13 billion in 2015, with the increase seen largely in low- and middle-income countries. This increase is due mainly to a rise in hypertension risk factors in those populations.
Why Does Hypertension Matter For Your Health
“Hypertension is a word that just means that the pressure in the arteries is high, higher than normal,” Dr. Kay said. “The reason it’s important is because your blood pressure determines how much blood goes everywhere in your body. But it also determines how much stress many of your organs will face.
“Your heart is a muscle. Your heart muscle, if it has to pump against the high blood pressure, would do the same thing your biceps will do if you curl a heavy weight: it’ll grow. And that can cause it to get thick, and that thickness can actually be harmful. The heart muscle needs the right amount of blood pressure, not too much and not too little.
“Other organs are very sensitive to blood pressure as well, especially the brain and the kidneys. People with very high uncontrolled blood pressure for a very long period of time have a high risk of having a stroke or having kidney disease or even going on dialysis down the road.”
/8you May Lag Behind On Your Exercise Routine
Apart from diet, physical activity plays a crucial role in maintaining heart health and managing BP levels.
During the festive season, it is likely to lose track of your daily workout and you may cut back on your usual exercises. While you may think a few days of fitness break won’t do much harm, with all that feasting and pampering yourself with sweet treats, it may become more problematic than you think. That said, to keep your blood pressure healthy, you need to keep exercising on a regular basis.
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What Can I Do To Prevent Or Manage High Blood Pressure
Many people with high blood pressure can lower their blood pressure into a healthy range or keep their numbers in a healthy range by making lifestyle changes. Talk with your health care team about
- Getting at least 150 minutes of physical activity each week
- Not smoking
- Managing stress
Learn more about ways to manage and prevent high blood pressure.
In addition to making positive lifestyle changes, some people with high blood pressure need to take medicine to manage their blood pressure. Learn more about medicines for high blood pressure.
Talk with your health care team right away if you think you have high blood pressure or if youve been told you have high blood pressure but do not have it under control.
/5blood Pressure Levels Needs Regular Monitoring
High blood pressure or hypertension is one of the most dangerous conditions that can increase the risk of heart, brain, kidney and other diseases. As per the World Health Organization , an estimated 1.28 billion adults aged 30-79 years worldwide have hypertension.
There are many reasons behind why high blood pressure is popularly called a ‘silent killer’. Unlike diseases that are self-diagnosable and can be identified through early symptoms, hypertension can lead to sudden attacks and may even result in death. That said, here are some factors that make high blood pressure a serious illness, which needs special attention.
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What Do Blood Pressure Readings Mean
When a health worker wants to check your blood pressure, a manual sphygmomanometer with a stethoscope can be used. There are also electronic ones that are faster .
Normal blood pressure for both males and females are:
Males- 120/80 mmHg
Females- 110/70 mmHg
When the first number is greater than 130 mmHg, or if the second number is greater than 80, a person is said to have high blood pressure.
Note: Hypertension isnt diagnosed from just one blood pressure reading, it has to be repeatedly raised on blood pressure checks on different days before hypertension can be confirmed.
/8festive Seasons May Increase Your Chances Of Hypertension Risking Your Heart Health
Celebrating a festival is all about having no limitations and enjoying the day without any doubts and insecurities. But when it concerns people with pre-existing heart conditions and those prone to hypertension, then one may have to watch what they eat.
Your diet and your exercise routine plays an extremely important role in managing your blood pressure levels and keeping heart disease risks at bay. That said, while you may have big plans this festive season, here are some ways you can add to your woes, causing huge spike in your BP levels.
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/8stress May Be A Contributing Factor
There is a significant co-relation between stress and heart disease risks.
While festivals are the time you have the most fun, it is also a stressful phase. There’s a lot of planning, organizing and coordinating that goes into ensuring a perfect festive season. People may even experience sleepless nights, which only increases the level of cortisol in the body, the stress hormone that can also lead to weight gain.
According to the American Heart Association, “During stress, your body releases stress hormones into the blood that prepare the body for the âfight or flight response.â “Your heartâs beating faster and constricting blood vessels, which raises blood pressure temporarily,” it adds.
Having said that, it is important to manage and reduce your stress levels, making sure it doesn’t pose problems for your heart.
Stroke And Brain Problems
High blood pressure can cause the arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the brain to burst or be blocked, causing a stroke. Brain cells die during a stroke because they do not get enough oxygen. Stroke can cause serious disabilities in speech, movement, and other basic activities. A stroke can also kill you.
Having high blood pressure, especially in midlife, is linked to having poorer cognitive function and dementia later in life. Learn more about the link between high blood pressure and dementia from the National Institutes of Healths Mind Your Risks®external icon campaign.
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What Diet Helps Control High Blood Pressure
- Eat foods that are lower in fat, salt and calories, such as skim or 1% milk, fresh vegetables and fruits, and whole grain rice, and pasta.
- Use flavorings, spices and herbs to make foods tasty without using salt. The optimal recommendation for salt in your diet is to have less than 1500 milligrams of sodium a day. Don’t forget that most restaurant foods and many processed and frozen foods contain high levels of salt. Use herbs and spices that do not contain salt in recipes to flavor your food do not add salt at the table.
- Avoid or cut down on butter and margarine, regular salad dressings, fatty meats, whole milk dairy products, fried foods, processed foods or fast foods, and salted snacks.
- Ask your provider if you should increase potassium in your diet Discuss the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet with your provider. The DASH diet emphasizes adding fruits, vegetables, and whole grains to your diet while reducing the amount of sodium. Since it is rich in fruits and vegetables, which are naturally lower in sodium than many other foods, the DASH diet makes it easier to eat less salt and sodium.
Heart Attack And Heart Disease
High blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them less elastic, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart and leads to heart disease. In addition, decreased blood flow to the heart can cause:
- Chest pain, also called angina.
- Heart attack, which happens when the blood supply to your heart is blocked and heart muscle begins to die without enough oxygen. The longer the blood flow is blocked, the greater the damage to the heart.
- Heart failure, a condition that means your heart cant pump enough blood and oxygen to your other organs.
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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 drug pressure lowering medications are:
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors block the production 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 , 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 , 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, chlorothiazide.
It Follows A Person Through Their Life
Modern technological advancements have made our lives easier in so many ways, and they’ve helped create a society where people have to move very little to work, play, and live. Even many children spend hours a day at desks, riding buses, or sitting in front of a screen as high blood pressure rates among children continue to rise. These children become adults who may get desk jobs and this sedentary lifestyle continues. On top of this, the dietary habits that a child develops follow them into adulthood in the same way because how they ate as a child seems “normal,” even if it’s really unhealthy. Add to this lifestyle habits like poor stress management, smoking, or drinking excessively and it compounds the effects over the years so that by the time a person reaches the relatively young age of 30, a lot of damage has already been done.
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Why Is It Dangerous
Blood carries oxygen and other vital substances throughout the body. Every part of the human body needs to get something from the blood in order to function. Therefore, serious complications can arise if something inhibits the blood flow.
The heart is one of the most important organs, and one of the ones that suffers the most from high blood pressure. The disease naturally reduces the rate at which blood flows to the heart. That can stop the heart from properly pumping blood to the rest of the body in the event of heart failure or it can cause a heart attack if the heart is deprived of oxygen. Both of those cases can be fatal.
Our brains also need to get plenty of oxygen in order to function, and they rely on our blood to deliver it. A blockage in the arteries that lead into the brain can prevent brain cells from getting oxygen, which causes them to die. That process is known as a stroke, which can be fatal. Survivors tend to have lasting problems, because they can cause permanent brain damage.
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 Aaron Kay, MD, cardiologist with Franciscan Physician Network Indiana Heart Physicians in Lafayette. “Men tend to get it at a younger ages than women.”
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Why Is High Blood Pressure A Silent Killer
4.2/5High blood pressurehypertensionHigh blood pressuresilent killerread here
Untreated hypertension increases the risk of heart disease and stroke. These are the first and third commonest causes of death in the USA. Hypertension can also damage the kidneys and increase the risk of blindness and dementia. That is why hypertension is referred to as a “silent killer.”
Beside above, what happens if you don’t treat high blood pressure? If left untreated, high blood pressure — also called hypertension — can lead to a range of health problems, including heart disease and stroke. Knowing more about high blood pressure can help you prevent this condition from damaging your health, or the health of someone you love.
Similarly, it is asked, why is high blood pressure known as the silent killer quizlet?
Pressure is exerted by the left ventricle each time it contracts, and pressure is exerted by the blood as it flows thru the blood vessels. Hypertension is known as the “silent killer” because many it can be symptom free.
Can high blood pressure be treated completely?
Unfortunately people with this type of high blood pressure cannot be cured. The most effective ways to lower your blood pressure are to make lifestyle changes and take any medicines your doctor gives you .
How To Identify Secondary Hypertension
Indications of secondary hypertension include sudden onset of hypertension before 25 or after 55 years of age, hypertension that is difficult to control, hypertension that needs multiple antihypertensive drugs, hypertension associated with swelling of the legs, or protein leakage in the urine, low hemoglobin and kidney failure. But every hypertensive patient should not be suspected to be a case of secondary hypertension.
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Hypertension: Understanding A Silent Killer
Chronically high blood pressure or hypertension can cause damage to your blood vessels and internal organs including your heart. Currently affecting nearly half of adults in the United States, hypertension has been called a silent threat because the condition itself has no symptoms. However, the effect on your body can be life-threatening over time. Engaging in healthy lifestyle behaviors at all stages of life can help to decrease your risk.
What You Can Do about High Blood Pressure
The first thing you can do is visit your doctor for routine checkups. Even though high blood pressure rarely shows symptoms, the abnormal force of blood through the arteries, over time, can cause damage to your organs, including your heart, blood vessels and kidneys. Thus, chronic hypertension increases the risk for cardiovascular disease and other serious health issues.
Know your blood pressure and have it monitored. Regular physicals will determine if your blood pressure is within the healthy limits. A blood pressure of less than 120 over 80 is considered healthy. The top number, known as systolic pressure, often gets more attention when discussing the severity of high blood pressure. However, its important to keep both numbers in the healthy range. If necessary, your doctor will discuss treatment options and supportive health care. Meanwhile, a registered dietitian nutritionist can provide you with guidance on a healthy lifestyle to help lower your blood pressure.
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Why Is It Important To Know If You Have High Blood Pressure
Early detection of high blood pressure is very important. Often referred to as the silent killer because it may show no symptoms, high blood pressure puts you at an increased risk for heart disease, heart failure, and stroke, among other things. According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, in 2013, more than 360,000 deaths in the United States included high blood pressure as a primary or contributing cause.
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/8how To Keep Your Bp Levels In Check
During this festive season, do not neglect your diet. While you make treat yourself with a few delish items, do not go all in and risk your health. Cut back on your sugar intake and avoid processed meals. Make time for regular exercises, even if it mean taking a short stroll.
Regularly check your BP levels and if you’re on medication, take them regularly. Remember to reduce your sodium intake as it can increase your blood pressure to a great extent. Active drinkers should limit their alcohol intake.
Why High Blood Pressure Is Known As The Silent Killer
Would you be surprised if we told you that 1 in 3 adults has high blood pressure? Most people would, and it’s this surprise that exemplifies why high blood pressure is called the “silent killer.”
Many people think they eat well and exercise enough to prevent heart disease, but most people aren’t doing enough or they’re predisposed to heart disease because of genetics meaning they have to work even harder to keep heart disease away. The shocking nature of high blood pressure’s prevalence is just one reason that it earned its villainous reputation. Here are four reasons more you need to know about.
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What Are The Complications Of Uncontrolled Hypertension
- Chest pain, also called angina.
- Heart attack, which occurs when the blood supply to the heart is blocked and heart muscle cells die from lack of oxygen. The longer the blood flow is blocked, the greater the damage to the heart.
- Heart failure, which occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to other vital body organs.
- Irregular heart beat which can lead to a sudden death.
A Few Facts To Be Aware Of:
- Many people with high blood pressure dont even know they have it. Often the signs and symptoms are misunderstood.
- High blood pressure develops slowly over time and can be related to many causes.
- High blood pressure cannot be cured. But it can be managed effectively through lifestyle changes and, when needed, medication.
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