Hypertension is a condition in which the blood pressure is persistently high, it is a serious health risk because it may cause heart attacks, strokes and damage to the eyes and kidneys. Normal blood pressure in adults is 120/80 mmHg, the number above is the systolic pressure while the number below is the diastolic pressure.
The systolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts while the diastolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is relaxed. The systolic pressure is normally higher than the diastolic pressure, when one or both is higher than normal one is said to have high blood pressure or hypertension.
Normal blood pressure is not constant but may become raised by anger, cigarette smoking and exercise, these do not cause persistently raised pressures. Hypertension is diagnosed when several blood pressure readings remain high over a period of time.
WHAT IS A BLOOD PRESSURE CHART?
A blood pressure chart is a chart that categorizes hypertension from mild to very severe, the chart is very easy to interprete. Click on the link below:
www.vaughns-1-pagers.com/medicine/blood-press
Hypertension is more common in blacks than in whites, blood pressure also rises with age, about 60% of adults more than 65yrs have hypertension.
WHAT CAUSES HYPERTENSION?
Hypertension can be primary or secondary but majority of hypertension is of the primary type and the cause is usually unknown. There are several causes of secondary hypertension and these include kidney diseases, thyroid conditions, contraceptive pills etc. Secondary hypertension is usually curable.
WHAT ARE THE SYMPTOMS AND SIGNS?
Most cases of hypertension are aymptomatic until complications occur in the target organs. Some of the symptoms of hypertension include dizziness, headache, nose bleeding, fatigue etc.
The target organs that is usually affected by hypertension include; the heart, kidneys and eyes, whwn there is end organ damage the signs depend on the organ affected.
HOW IS HYPERTENSION DIAGNOSED?
Hypertension is diagnosed by the use of an instrument called sphymomanometer. A doctor will usually take a detailed history, do a thorough physical examination and order some laboratory investigations in order to discover the cause where possible and also to determine which target organs are damaged.
To diagnose hypertension the blood pressure is measured twice with the patient sitting and then standing for about 2 minutes on 3 separate days, the average of these readings is used for diagnosis and the hypertension chart is used to categorize the hypertension.
There is an entity called "white coat hypertension" in which blood pressure is elevated when measured in the hospital but is normal when measured at home.
In the history your doctor will like to know the duration of hypertension if you have been diagnosed previously, he may also want to knowif there are any symptoms suggestive of heart disease or other coexisting disorders, your social history will also be relevant because exercise levels, tobacco smoking, use of stimulant drugs etc may also cause a rise in the blood pressure.
Your dietary history will focus on salt intake and use of stimulants like coffee, tes and dark sodas, your doctor will also want to take your height, weight and waist circumference.
WHAT LABORATORY INVESTIGATIONS ARE NECESSARY?
A newly diagnosed hypertensive patient will need to be investigated in order to detect target organ damage and to know the cardiovascular risk factors. The tests include: urinalysis, spot urine:creatinine ratio, serum urea,electrolytes and creatinine, fasting blood sugar, lipid profile and ECG. The results of these tests will determine if other more sofisticated tests are required.
CAN HYPERTENSION BE CURED?
Primary hypertension has no cure, however some cases of secondary hypertension can be cured. The risk of developing complications of hypertension can be reduced by controlling the blood pressure, lifestyle modifications, drugs and other non-drug measures can be used to control the blood pressure.
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