Hypertension, referred to as high blood pressure, HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. It was previously referred to as nonarterial hypertension[citation needed], but in current usage, the word “hypertension”[citation needed] without a qualifier normally refers to arterial hypertension.

Hypertension: Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

One of the most dangerous aspects of hypertension is that you may not know that you have it. There are generally no symptoms of high blood pressure, so you usually don’t feel it. In fact, nearly one-third of people who have hypertension don’t know it. The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to get your blood pressure checked on a regular basis. This is especially important if you have a close relative who has high blood pressure.

Causes of Hypertension

Race. African-Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure than their Caucasian counterparts.

Gender. Men run a greater overall risk for developing high blood pressure than women do. However, women who are postmenopausal, especially if 20 pounds or more overweight, are at risk for developing high blood pressure.

Primary, or essential, high blood pressure accounts for 95% of all cases of hypertension.3Secondary high blood pressure, which is caused by another disease or medicine, is less common.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy

Mitral stenosis

Mitral regurgitation

The other major type of hypertension, termed Secondary Hypertension, has an identifiable cause. It is due to disease. For example, kidney (renal) hypertension is due to high blood pressure within the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys. The underlying cause is kidney disease or conditions like atherosclerosis, which narrow or block the renal arteries. Secondary hypertension may also result from hormonal imbalances, particularly in the kidney’s adrenal glands.

Experts believed that this system evolved millions of years ago to protect early humans during drought or stress by retaining salt and water and narrowing blood vessels to ensure adequate blood flow and repair injured tissue. With industrialization, however, this system wreaks havoc on modern humans by intensifying the effects of high-salt diets and sedentary lifestyle. Of particular importance in these harmful responses are the hormone aldosterone and a peptide (which are components of proteins) called angiotensin II.

Treatment of Hypertension

The goal of treatment is to reduce blood pressure so that you have a lower risk of complications.

There are many different medicines that can be used to treat high blood pressure. Such medicines include:

Alpha blockers

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)

Calcium channel blockers

Beta blockers. These medications reduce the workload on your heart, causing your heart to beat slower and with less force. When prescribed alone, beta blockers don’t work as well in blacks — but they’re effective when combined with a thiazide diuretic.

Originally posted 2009-11-01 08:35:59. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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It’s true that it’s easy to ignore high blood pressure early due to its lack of obvious symptoms but there’s no real excuse for it. Inexpensive digital blood pressure monitors are now widely available and many pharmacies offer blood pressure machines for their customers.

But if you do happen to be out of touch with your blood pressure there are a number of disturbing symptoms of advanced and dangerous levels of hypertension that you must pay attention to before your high blood pressure can get totally out of hand and put you in a critical health situation.

Three telltale symptoms of advanced high blood pressure can be:

- Blurred vision, other sight problems or sensitivity of the eyeballs to touch or light pressure

- Breathing difficulties upon any exertion

- Prolonged and/or acute mental or physical stress

There are plenty of other signs and symptoms that could indicate you are suffering hypertension. These include:

- Unexpected nosebleeds for no obvious reason

- Experiencing exhaustion despite having sufficient rest

- Experiencing confusion

- Buzzing in the ears

- Feeling of pain or tightening in the chest area

- The presence of blood in urine

- Chronic or severe headaches

- Palpitations or irregular heartbeat

These are just some of the possible symptoms and signs of a dangerous level of hypertension. It’s important to note that these symptoms can have numerous possible causes but must never be ignored, especially when a blood pressure check is so easy to do.

If you or a loved one experience any of these symptoms you should head immediately to the doctor for a checkup or even to the emergency room if the symptoms are severe. High blood pressure is very treatable, either pharmaceutically or through natural methods and lifestyle changes.

You diet plays a significant role in maintaining healthy blood pressure. Rather than focusing on specific foods you simply cannot go wrong with a varied diet of whole, natural foods high in fruits, vegetables, and grains and low in fat and sugar.

Salt intake can also play an important role in determining your blood pressure. The problem starts when your balance of sodium, magnesium and potassium goes out whack due to a diet of processed foods that are high in salt and low in the other minerals. Under these circumstances, consumption of a large amount of salt makes your blood pressure shoot sky high and even has the potential to kill you in extreme cases. The easiest approach to maintaining healthy sodium levels is to avoid salty foods and to never add extra salt to your food. There is plenty of sodium that exists naturally in many foods. Again, you won’t go wrong with a natural diet free of most processed foods.

To help prevent or reverse high blood pressure you need to learn to maintain a balanced diet. Cholesterol and saturated fats will clog the arteries and your heart will have to put in an immense amount of work to pump blood through your system, thereby creating high blood pressure. At the same time, if you are overweight, losing a little bit of weight will help to ease your current blood pressure level. Start an exercise regimen – even simply walking 30 minutes a day will help – and adhere to it. In addition to strengthening your heart, exercising will help to burn away cholesterol and saturated fats, easing the potential for blockages of the arteries.

Another important way to benefit your blood pressure is to learn some of the simple ways to relieve stress. Chronic stress is recognized as one of the major factors leading to hypertension and is often connected with heart disease. You don’t necessarily need complex solutions like yoga or meditation. Simple pleasures like listening to music or relaxing in a hot tub are equally beneficial and increase both your mental and physical well-being.

Hypertension is implicated in many other deadly diseases and health conditions. So if you can learn to maintain healthy blood pressure you can avoid many future health problems and suffering.

Originally posted 2009-11-05 07:52:47. Republished by Old Post Promoter

Related posts:

1. Hypertension – Symptoms, Causes and Treatment
2. Hypertension Symptoms and Natural Hypertension Treatments
3. What Causes High Blood Pressure, Symptoms and Treatment