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Why Would My Blood Pressure Be High

Treatments For Sudden Rise In Blood Pressure

High Blood pressure: Why we shouldnt worry about the number

A rise in already high blood pressure requires immediate medical attention. You can expect to have intravenous therapy and tests to determine what caused the spike in your pressure. Once your pressure is stabilized to a satisfactory level, then your doctor will discuss further treatment. Depending on your current health condition and any issues aside from high blood pressure, your treatment will vary.For example, if there is fluid in your lungs, you will be treated with prescribed diuretics to remove the fluid. If there is damage to your heart, you will be prescribed specific heart medication. Medications you may be taking may need to be adjusted or changed to another type, depending on your test results. Any kidney damage or tumors may require surgery.

Do I Have High Blood Pressure

Anyone can have high blood pressure. Some medical conditions, such as metabolic syndrome, kidney disease, and thyroid problems, can cause high blood pressure. Some people have a greater chance of having it because of things they can’t change. These are:

  • Age. The chance of having high blood pressure increases as you get older, especially isolated systolic hypertension.
  • Gender. Before age 55, men have a greater chance of having high blood pressure. Women are more likely to have high blood pressure after menopause.
  • Family history. High blood pressure tends to run in some families.
  • Race. African Americans are at increased risk for high blood pressure.

High blood pressure often has no signs or symptoms, but routine checks of your blood pressure will help detect increasing levels. If your blood pressure reading is high at two or more check-ups, the doctor may also ask you to measure your blood pressure at home.

There are important considerations for older adults in deciding whether to start treatment for high blood pressure if it is above 130/80, including other health conditions and overall fitness. Your doctor may work with you to find a blood pressure target that is best for your well-being and may suggest exercise, changes in your diet, and medications.

What If Lifestyle Changes Dont Help Lower My Blood Pressure

If diet, exercise and other lifestyle changes dont work to lower your blood pressure, your healthcare provider will prescribe medications to help lower your blood pressure. Your provider will take into account other conditions you may have, such as heart or kidney disease and other drugs youre taking when prescribing medications to treat your high blood pressure. Be sure to follow your providers dosing directions exactly.

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Symptoms In Teens And People In Their Early 20s

Teenagers can develop high blood pressure due to obesity or an underlying medical condition.

Possible medical factors

  • endocrine disease, which affects the hormones
  • vascular disease, which affects the blood vessels
  • a neurological condition

These conditions may have symptoms of their own.

The symptoms of high blood pressure, if they occur, will be the same as for other groups.

A 2021 study notes that, while death rates from cardiovascular disease have fallen among older adults, the reduction has been less dramatic in those aged 1839 years. The author suggests there are lower rates of awareness, treatment, and management of high blood pressure in those aged 2039. With this in mind, they call for more effective identification of high blood pressure in these age groups to help reduce the risk of cardiovascular problems later in life.

When Youve Just Been Diagnosed

What Is High Blood Pressure and How Can You Prevent It?
Iâm fit and healthy, so why do I have high blood pressure?

For many people, there is no single specific cause of their high blood pressure. Your genes can play a role: youre more likely to develop high blood pressure if youre from an African-Caribbean or South-Asian background or people in your family have had high blood pressure.

You can lower your risk of high blood pressure by leading a healthy lifestyle. If you have high blood pressure, medicines and a healthy lifteyle will help to lower it.

  • to record the electrical activity of your heart
  • which is a type of ultrasound scan.

These tests help your doctor to:

  • see what your blood pressure is like outside of clinic, over a longer time period
  • see if your high blood pressure caused any damage in your body
  • find out if there is an underlying cause for your high blood pressure
  • get a better idea of your overall health and if theres anything that could mean certain treatments arent suitable.

You may need more detailed investigations, your doctor will discuss these with you. Find out more about if you have high blood pressure.

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Causes And Risk Factors

You may be at an increased risk for high blood pressure if you smoke, areoverweight, eat a diet thats low on produce and fiber and/or high in fatand salt, drink alcohol to excess, live with chronic stress or dont getmuch physical activity. Some causes of hypertension cannot becontrolledincluding your genes and your race . Aging also plays a role. Even if you do not have hypertensionby age 55 to 65, your lifetime risk for developing it is a whopping 90percent.

But doctors no longer consider hypertension inevitable or untreatable withage, saysSamuel Durso, M.D., director of the Division of Geriatric Medicine and Gerontology at JohnsHopkins.

In one Johns Hopkins study of 975 older women and men with hypertension,healthy lifestyle steps helped 40 percent stop taking blood pressuremedications. Other research has shown that lifestyle changes can lower therisk for hypertension in African-Americans and others at an increasedgenetic risk.

What Is High Blood Pressure Anyway

Letâs first begin with how the heart functions. With each beat, the heart pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body in an ongoing, life-sustaining cycle. The forceor pressureof that contraction is what keeps your blood flowing through your arteries and veins.

There are two types of pressure that get generated:

  • Systolic, which is the pressure when your heart beats

  • Diastolic, which is your blood pressure between beats

  • A healthy blood-pressure reading is written out like this: 120/80 mmHg , with the systolic number on top and the diastolic number below. Spoken out loud, youll hear: 120 over 80. Its only when your numbers spike higher than 129 and tick upward of 80 , that youre venturing into hypertensiona.k.a. high blood pressure territory.

    Your blood pressure goes up when youre active. It goes down when you chill out. Its highest in the morning when you wake up and lowest when you sleep. These types of fluctuations occur normally. However, when its continually above normal, you have a problem.

    Why? Because HBP can do A LOT of damage. It strains and stiffens your blood vessels, which can make your heart work harder than it shouldand that can lead to a range of heart disorders, some of them quite serious.

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    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.

    Treatments For Renal Artery Stenosis

    Why is my Systolic Blood Pressure High?

    Initial treatment for renal artery stenosis is often medication. The condition may require three or more different drugs to control high blood pressure. Patients may also be asked to take other medications, such as cholesterol-lowering drugs and aspirin.

    For a small number of people, an intervention such as angioplasty, often with stenting or surgery, may be recommended. With angioplasty, a catheter is inserted into the body through a blood vessel and guided to the narrowed or blocked renal artery. A balloon on the catheter is then inflated to open up the inside of the artery. A stent can then be placed to keep the area open.

    Surgery to bypass the narrowed or blocked portion of the artery and/or remove a non-functioning kidney may be needed for some patients. But this procedure is not often done.

    If you’re diagnosed with renal artery stenosis, it’s important to discuss the risks of the different treatments with your doctor. The side effects of blood pressure medications may include dizziness, sexual problems, headache, and cough. Complications of angioplasty include bruising, bleeding, additional kidney damage, and the possibility that the arteries can close again.

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    How Can I Be More Active

    • Check first with your healthcare provider before increasing your physical activity. Ask your provider what type and amount of exercise is right for you.
    • Choose aerobic activities such as walking, biking or swimming.
    • Start slowly and increase activity gradually. Aim for a regular routine of activity five times a week for 30 to 45 minutes each session.

    How Does Someone Know They Have High Blood Pressure

    According to Dr. Mitchell, “Many people with high blood pressure do not experience symptoms, which is why it is often called the ‘silent killer.’ However, there are some things that you can look for that may be indicative of high blood pressure. These include headaches, vision problems, shortness of breath, nosebleeds, and anxiety. If you experience any of these symptoms regularly, you must talk to your doctor about getting your blood pressure checked.

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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.

    When To Get Medical Advice

    Why Do I Have High Blood Pressure?

    See a GP if you notice blood in your urine. This does not always mean you have glomerulonephritis, but the cause should be investigated.

    If the GP suspects glomerulonephritis, they’ll usually arrange:

    • a blood test to measure your creatinine level
    • a urine test to check for blood or protein in your urine

    If you do have glomerulonephritis, further blood tests may be needed to help find out the cause.

    If your kidney problem needs to be investigated further, it may be recommended that you have:

    • an ultrasound scan this is to check the size of your kidneys, make sure there are no blockages, and look for any other problems
    • a biopsy this is to remove a small sample of kidney tissue, carried out using local anaesthetic to numb the area an ultrasound machine locates your kidneys and a small needle is used to take a sample

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    What Should I Do If I Have High Blood Pressure

    If you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, you and your healthcare provider will talk about your target blood pressure. Your provider may suggest that you:

    • Check your own blood pressure regularly with a home blood pressure monitor. These electronic monitors are available at most pharmacies or online.
    • Work on controlling anger and managing stress.

    You Shouldn’t Ignore White Coat Hypertension

    Some people experience white coat hypertension, when blood pressure is elevated in the doctor’s office but not in other settings. These patients need to monitor their blood pressure at home or wear an ambulatory blood pressure monitor that takes your blood pressure every 30 minutes for 24 hours.

    While white coat hypertension was formerly considered simple nervousness, recent research suggests otherwise.

    A study published in the journal Hypertension found that people with white coat hypertension are at a significantly greater risk for developing sustained high blood pressure than people who have normal blood pressure. One possible explanation is that people with white coat hypertension have a harder time managing stress and anxiety.

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    Symptoms Of Sudden High Blood Pressure

    Unlike traditional high blood pressure, where there are no visual symptoms until major damage has occurred, sudden high blood pressure alerts you immediately.

    • Weakness or numbness in arms, legs, face
    • Mentality changes such as anxiety, fatigue, confusion, restlessness

    In extreme cases of sudden high blood pressure, there may be bleeding from damaged blood vessels, blindness from ruptured retina nerves or vessels, and possibly seizures.

    Harmless Reasons Your Blood Pressure Measured High

    How High Is Too High For Blood Pressure? Cardiologist Explains

    Beautiful young female doctor is checking the blood pressure of the patient.

    If youve never had a problem with your blood pressure before, it can be jarring to hear that your reading measured higher than the normal cutoff of 120/80 millimeters of mercury .

    But you dont need to freak out just yet.

    Blood pressure is the force of your blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels. If your blood pressure is consistently high, it can damage those vessels, raising your risk of conditions like heart attack, stroke, or even erectile dysfunction, says the American Heart Association.

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    But normal blood pressure thats just temporarily highereven up to 15 to 20 points above usual is pretty much harmless, says Orlando Health Physicians Internal Medicine Group internist Benjamin Kaplan, M.D.

    In fact, there are a number of innocent things that can also be responsible for a fleeting BP spike. Here are 6 to consider if your reading seems weirdly high.

    1. Doctors freak you out.If you get nervous the second you step into your doctors office, your heart might start pounding.

    The body essentially reacts in a fight-or-flight manner, increasing the heart rate and getting ready to make a move, says Dr. Kaplan.

    Experts call the resulting increase in blood pressure white coat hypertension, which can cause your reading to spike by as much as 15 points, suggests a review published in Hypertension.

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    Maintain A Healthy Weight

    Being overweight is a risk factor for having high blood pressure, and your risk increases further if you are obese.

    There are two ways to check if you are overweight:

    • Body Mass Index â This is your weight in kilograms divided by your height in metres squared. In the UK, people with a BMI of between 25 to 30 are overweight, and those with an index above 30 are classed as obese. People with a BMI of 40 or more are morbidly obese.
    • Waist sizeâ Using a measuring tape place the tape round your waist between the bottom of your ribs and the top of your hip bone. The table below indicates how much your health might be at risk, your ethnicity should also be taken into account.
    Sex
    Over 80 cm

    The best way to tackle obesity is by reducing the amount of calories that you eat, and taking regular exercise. Your GP can provide you with further information and advice on how you can do this.

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    How Can You Manage Your High Blood Pressure

    Treatment of high blood pressure often starts with lifestyle changes, including decreasing salt in your diet, losing weight if necessary, stopping smoking, cutting down on alcohol use, and regular exercise.

    In addition to lifestyle changes, medications are often used to lower blood pressure. There are several types of medications that treat high blood pressure with each type of medication having benefits and risks that should be carefully weighed by you and your health care provider. Most people take more than one medication in order to bring their blood pressure down to their treatment goal.

    Your blood pressure medication should begin to work within days. However, because high blood pressure is a long-lasting medical condition that often has little or no symptoms, remembering to take your medications can be a challenge. Combination medicines, long-acting or once-a-day medications, may be used to decrease the burden of taking numerous medications and help ensure medications regularly. Once started, the medication should be used until your doctor tells you to stop.

    Controlling your blood pressure should be part of a healthy living plan and lifelong task. The damage that high blood pressure causes your internal organs does not cause any symptoms until serious damage has been done.

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    How To Prevent Sudden High Blood Pressure Problem

    In 2013, more than 360,000 deaths in the United States had high blood pressure as primary or contributing cause. Each year, the government spends an estimated $46 billion for workers missed days, health care services, and high blood pressure medications. Talk to your doctor about treatment for high blood pressure medications. In the meantime, there are precautions you can take right now.

    1. Avoid Stress

    Become involved in hobbies such as painting, exercise, and other physical activities to have a stress outlet and keep fit.

    2. Limit Caffeine Intake

    Talk with your doctor about your caffeine habits and stick to a plan to limit your daily intake.

    3. Quit Smoking

    As one of the biggest health risks, smoking can lead to serious heart and lung conditions and death.

    4. Eat Healthy Foods

    Avoid saturated fats and junk food to maintain healthy blood pressure levels.

    5. Reduce Sodium in Diet

    Added salt and salt found in food products can lead to high blood pressure as it increases the solute content in our blood.

    6. Exercise Regularly

    A healthy heart, and body, requires regular exercise daily for 20 to 30 minutes.

    7. Monitor Vitals

    It is important to keep an eye on your blood pressure, heart rate, and blood sugar levels, especially if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.

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