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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Causes of Primary Hypertension

Lack of physical activity: Most of the causes for primary hypertension are caused by the lifestyle factor. The lack of physical activity could, first of all, increase cholesterol levels. Rising cholesterol levels narrows the blood vessel, thus increasing the pressure of blood flow – hypertension.

Adrenal tumors that are causes of secondary hypertension are pheochromocytoma, primary aldosteronism, and Cushing’s syndrome. The last two types of adrenal tumors require complicated treatment, which unfortunately is not always effective in lowering blood pressure while removal of the pheochromocytoma has a better chance of treating hypertension.

Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension

Hypertension is only determined through a blood pressure measurement equipment and reads the systolic and diastolic of the blood. There is actually no identified sign of hypertension; rather, it varies from one person to another. Some people report to have experienced headaches, fatigue, dizziness, blurring of vision and facial flushing.

Other symptoms such as fatigue, nervousness, palpitations, racing or irregular heartbeats, chest pain suggest hypertension caused by other conditions. Bleeding in the retina, also known as retinal hemorrhage, or from the nose (Epistaxis) may be indicative of high blood pressure. Cramping in the leg while walking, excess perspiration, nausea, vomiting, frequent urination, shortness of breath and restlessness are other possible symptoms of hypertension. In rare cases, the high blood pressure may cause heart attacks, kidney failure or brain swelling, which can lead to drowsiness and coma. Disturbed levels of consciousness such as sleepiness and even seizures in severe cases of hypertension, may occur.

Treatment of Hypertension

Drugs used in the treatment of hypertension include thiazide diuretics, beta blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, and calcium channel blockers. The newer ACE inhibitors and calcium channel blockers were promoted as being better for the treatment of hypertension than the older thiazide diuretics and beta blockers, however this was mostly marketing hype since the newer drugs were on patent and made more money for the drug companies. However the studies showed that, at least compared to thiazide diuretics, the newer drugs weren’t as good, even they cost much more.

Thiazide diuretics. These medications act on your kidneys to help your body eliminate sodium and water, reducing blood volume. Thiazide diuretics are often the first — but not the only — choice in high blood pressure medications. Still, diuretics are often not prescribed. If you’re not taking a diuretic and your blood pressure remains high, talk to your doctor about adding one or replacing a drug you currently take with a diuretic.

Originally posted 2009-11-07 06:42:50. 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

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Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is caused by the pressure due to excessive pumping of the heart..It is one of the leading causes of death in the world today. In addition to being a deadly condition, hypertension can also cause damage to vital organs like the liver, brains, kidneys and the heart. Unfortunately, people suffering from hypertension may not even be aware of that condition till it becomes too serious a problem. Blood pressure measure always has two readings, one taken when the heart is beating and the other when the heart is at rest. The normal values for these two readings are 140 and 90 respectively.

Causes of Hypertension: There are two types of hypertension. One occurs due to the increase in the pressure of the heart while beating., mostly due to old age. This type of hypertension called essential hypertension or primary hypertension. This condition can be controlled with the proper precautions, and many people with essential hypertension may live for eighty years or more. The other called Malignant hypertension occurs due to the disorders of any of the vital organs, such as the brain, the liver and the kidneys. Hormonal imbalances can also cause hypertension in some cases. These are very fatal and need to remedied urgently. Malignant Hypertension is also called Secondary Hypertension

Hypertension Symptoms: Some of the common symptoms of hypertension are: ? Giddiness, Dizziness and a Feeling of Instability. ? Palpitations. ? Insomnia (inability to sleep well). ? Digestive problems and Constipation.

Treatment of Hypertension:

Hypertension, like any other physical disorder needs to be treated by a physician. Yet, hypertension, not being a disease but only a condition can be controlled through diet, exercise and adjustment of lifestyle. There are several claims about “cures” for hypertension through use of herbal medicines and other remedies. I do not like to go into the merits of these claims.

But there is a simple method which does not involve use of any drugs or remedies. This technique called Slow Breathing can bring down your blood pressure quickly and almost effortlessly. This method has medical recognition – FDA approved, easy to use and practicable by all. This method has been used and endorsed by such institutions of repute as the Harvard Medical School, The Mayo Clinic, Rush-Presbyterian Hospital and the American Heart Association. Studies published in the Journal of Human Hypertension and numerous other respected medical journals reveal that:

Breathing slowly and deeply (less than 10 breaths per minute) for 10 to 15 minutes a day while extending exhalation results in significant reductions in blood pressure. That’s because gentle, slow breathing acts like a natural safety valve to relax muscle tension, especially in the chest area, allowing constricted blood vessels to open and relieve pressure on the heart.

It literally takes a load off your chest!

I hope you found the information given in the article useful. You can have a Free Audio Demo at: http://www.usfreeads.com/1715920-cls.html

Originally posted 2009-10-28 06:22:00. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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If this is the case for you and you are diagnosed with this condition then you are at risk of a heart attack, stroke and even kidney disease. All of these can be fatal! In saying this, it doesn’t mean things cannot be reversed. Yes you can do something about this! First off you need to see your doctor to check out these high blood pressure symptoms or signs. Once you have been told that you are in the high catergory then you may need to go on medication straight away to bring it down. Once on medication though, you usually stay on it. You should try to avoid this.

Taking medication in itself maybe ok as it helps lower you blood pressure, which is important, but what you should be doing is trying to get it down by living a healthier lifestyle. Lose weight, quit smoking, cut out added suger and salt, exercise and try to cut back on stress. Ok, so the stress factor may be harder than you think but once you are healthier you will also feel better in other ways as well.

Some people have been known to show some form of symptom that can include fatigue, dizziness, headaches, blurred vision, nausea but of course these could also be signs of many other conditions. So I suppose the one important thing to remember apart from keeping fit and healthy is regularly visiting your doctor. Having check ups to keep on top of things. It isn’t just high blood pressure symptoms that should be a concern to you but many other factors that can contribute to bad health. This is true especially as we age. Check ups and preventative measures are always the best option to living a full healthy life.

As I said before many people won’t know that they have high blood pressure as it is not a major visible condition but there are signs to look out for that can contribute to this. Take a good look at yourself and your life style and please go to the doctors for regular check ups. Life is too important to let slip away just because we live busy lives. Our work and families deserve us to be healthy.

Originally posted 2009-12-02 06:43:02. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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Causes of High Blood Pressure

Studies show many different kinds of secondary high blood pressure where the primary causes may be quite different from the continuing causes. An example is a rare disease known as coarctation of the aorta, a disease of the large artery carrying blood out of the heart. In this condition, the aorta is tightly constricted a few inches beyond its origin and then expands to its normal diameter. Undoubtedly, blood pressure must rise above the constriction and fall below it, just as it does when one compresses a hosepipe. Yet, if this constriction is removed surgically and the normal continuity of the aorta is restored, blood pressure usually takes several years to fall to normal level. The initial case of high blood pressure is the constriction, but the continuing cause is probably complex changes in circulating hormones, which function to maintain blood flow through the kidneys despite the obstruction, which may persist for a long time even after the obstruction, has gone.

Pressure in a hose can be regulated either by controlling the rate at which fluid passes through it or by widening it. Pressure inside your arteries can cause the muscles that line the walls of the arteries to thicken. Your blood pressure is at its highest when the heart beats, pumping the blood. When the heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. Still, for most of your waking hours, your blood pressure stays pretty much the same when you are sitting or standing still.

The last cause is one in which you have absolutely no control over. It is genetics. On its own, genetics doesn’t cause high blood pressure, but it feeds all the other causes. Think of it as fertilizer so to speak. If you have a family history of high blood pressure, then your very prone to getting it yourself. With the right genes you can have a high fat and sodium diet, never exercise, drink tons of coffee and stress out on a daily basis, yet still have a reasonably low blood pressure. With the wrong genes, even a little too much salt may be enough to kick your blood pressure into a dangerous range.

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure has no symptoms. But if you feel a dull ache in the back of your head when you wake up one morning, or you have few more nosebleeds than normal, you could have a high blood pressure. Headaches, nosebleeds, and dizziness are also common warning signs and symptoms of high blood pressure, but these do not occur until high blood pressure has reached a more advanced stage. However, many people even with the highest blood pressure readings do not feel any of these symptoms.

Palpitations, tension headaches and hyperventilation are symptoms of anxiety and so are common in people who are anxious or frightened. If they already have these symptoms and are then unfortunately found to have high blood pressure, then the diagnosis may confirm their fears and reinforce the symptoms. Others may get palpitations for the first time after they have been told that they have high blood pressure. They are not caused by high blood pressure itself, but by fear of it and what the diagnosis means. The symptoms usually disappear, although not always immediately, with adequate explanation of what a diagnosis of high blood pressure really means.

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is considered a modern day disease that can lead to heart disease and stroke. As soon as symptoms are apparent, the proper treatment should be sought immediately. Hypertension, if left untreated, can cause the heart to enlarge due to the increased force necessary to pump blood against the greater resistance in your vessels. It is often called “the silent killer”. It affects nearly 50 million Americans

High Blood Pressure Treatment

Complimentary Therapies – Right medication will curb the level of blood pressure. Living a life with the right practice and involvement will help you to get better relief. It is advisable to join any meditation group or even you can buy books that teach you meditation. In spite of increasing the level of blood pressure, meditation will put an end to the trouble. Moreover, meditation will make your mind to achieve balance pose and position.

Acupuncture combined with electric stimulation or electro-acupuncture can lower elevations of blood pressure in human beings. When the research was conducted for the first time, acupuncture needles were inserted on the inside of the forearm just above the wrist, but to no avail. Researchers then started adding electric stimulation to the needles, which means that electric would start flowing from the needles to the body.

Originally posted 2010-01-06 06:47:41. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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What is Hypertension?

Commonly referred to as high blood pressure, hypertension is a medical condition characterized by the elevation of blood pressure. There are different kinds of hypertension but the most common is the arterial hypertension. This condition could also be classified into two – essential and secondary.

Essential hypertension refers to the condition when there is no specific medical cause that could explain the occurrence. On the other hand, secondary hypertension is caused by secondary conditions like kidney malfunctions or adrenal tumors. When not treated immediately, this condition could become persistent and could cause a lot of other ailments especially those that concern the heart. It has known to be the common risk strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm. It is also said to be the leading cause of chronic renal failure. As an effect of hypertension, a person who frequently suffers such is known to have lesser life expectancy.

Though medicine poses specific ranges of blood pressure that are considered to be at the level of hypertension, the condition is still relative to a person. Sometimes, hypertension is dependent on how a patient can sustain certain blood pressures. When the blood pressure rises 50 percent above what is known to be the normal to a person, it already calls for a treatment.

Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension

Hypertension is only determined through a blood pressure measurement equipment and reads the systolic and diastolic of the blood. There is actually no identified sign of hypertension; rather, it varies from one person to another. Some people report to have experienced headaches, fatigue, dizziness, blurring of vision and facial flushing.

One of the misconceptions of hypertension is its association with stress, mental tension and anxiety. These conditions may affect the flow of the blood but those could not alone cause the imbalance condition of the blood flow. However, accelerated hypertension is closely associated with somnolence, confusion, visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting.

Being in a hypertension condition is not permanent; and it could not be severe enough to cause symptoms. Symptoms only surface when signs of end-organ damage are determined or are possible; otherwise, the condition is still considered accelerated hypertension. Malignant hypertension, on the other hand, is caused by increased intracranial pressure. These could be diagnosed through retinal examination.

Another misconception is that hypertension is known to be only experienced with people in old age. However, this condition could also occur in children and teenagers. Obesity in children is known to be a factor of developing the occurrence of such phenomenon. The detection and intervention in childhood hypertension could be determined though early evidence of the development of atherosclerosis. Aside from that, temperature could also affect the condition in children especially that they are in the height of an active lifestyle.

Complications of Hypertension

Hypertension , as mentioned earlier, could cause a lot of complications. Alone, it is not considered as illness since it is temporary. However, this condition increases the risk in developing other health conditions. Complications include cerebrovascular accidents or strokes, heart attack, heart failure, damage to the retina of the eye and renal failure.

Originally posted 2009-10-30 06:44:09. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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Originally posted 2009-11-01 08:36:02. Republished by Old Post Promoter

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