Hypertension

Hypertension is defined either as a consistent systolic blood pressure of 140 or greater or a consistent diastolic pressure of 90 or greater or both. Systolic blood pressure below 120 and a diastolic blood pressure below 80 are considered "optimal."

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a major risk factor for heart failure, stroke and kidney failure. High blood pressure often causes no symptoms and many people don't know that they have it. It is usually an incidental finding while consulting for other ailment or an emergency such as a heart attack or stroke.
Blood pressure is a reading of the pressure within your arteries. In general, high blood pressure means your heart must work harder to pump the same amount of blood, and the blood vessels throughout your body may be affected. Your blood pressure reading is taken with an inflatable arm cuff connected to a Sphygmomanometer, the pressure-measuring unit. There are two readings. The top number is systolic pressure, the peak pressure reached when your heart contracts and pumps blood out through the arteries. The bottom number is diastolic pressure, taken when the pressure falls to its lowest point as your heart relaxes and is refilled with blood.

The standard way of expressing blood pressure is in millimeters of mercury i.e. mm Hg. This unit of measurement refers to how high the pressure inside your arteries is able to raise a column of mercury. Normal systolic pressure is 120 mm Hg and normal diastolic pressure is 80 mm Hg. This is expressed as 120/80 mm Hg. Your blood pressure normally varies throughout the day; for example, it rises with activity and falls with rest. Because of such fluctuations, it's generally not considered as high blood pressure unless you have three successive elevated readings, each taken at different times under similar conditions. In general, it is considered high if your blood pressure consistently reads at 140/90 mm Hg or higher.

The higher your blood pressure, higher the risks of coronary artery diseases, congestive heart failure and stroke. High blood pressure is also responsible for many cases of kidney failure requiring dialysis and increases the risk of kidney failure in diabetics as well. Ignorance isn't bliss! Hypertension can go unnoticed for years, damaging your tissues and vital organs. It's one of the leading causes of heart attack, stroke, heart failure, kidney failure and premature death. It's easy to detect. And once you know you have it, you can always control it.
Your blood pressure is the force exerted by your heart and arteries to keep blood flowing well through your body. Your blood pressure is high when that force is excessive. This excess force makes your heart work harder than it should to pump blood to distant tissues and organs. If this pressure isn't controlled, your heart enlarges and your arteries become scarred, hardened and less flexible. Eventually, your overworked heart and hardened arteries may not be able to pump blood properly, which can lead to congestive heart failure, a stegration of fluid into the lungs. Damage to your arteries can trigger heart attack, stroke, kidney disease, loss of vision and shrinkage of the brain, which can cause memory loss and damage thinking processes.

What are the causes? Mostly hypertension has no known cause. It's called Primary or Essential hypertension. Major risk factors for Essential hypertension are;

Heredity, Obesity, Poor health habits such as increased gaining of weight, a high-fat and high-salt diet, lack of exercise.
Anxiety neurosis, depression, stress and strain.
Alcohol, Smoking.
Diabetes Mellitus.

In some victims Hypertension can be traced with underlying diseases such as kidney disorders or conditions that cause narrowing of the arteries. This is called Secondary hypertension.

What are the precautions? Have your blood pressure checked once a year. A one-time high reading, unless it's extremely high, doesn't necessarily mean that you have hypertension. Blood pressure varies throughout the day. It may be elevated just by the anxiety of being in the doctor's room. Prompt diagnosis is made only after multiple high readings.

Lose weight: Dropping excess pounds is the most effective non-drug method helps reducing blood pressure. Losing weight gradually result in a significant drop in your blood pressure.

Exercise: Doing mild to moderate exercises such as brisk walking or cycling on most days of the week can lower your blood pressure, particularly you will lose weight.

Alcohol: It raises your blood pressure even if you don't have hypertension and reduces your heart's pumping ability.

Smoking: Avoid smoking, tobacco chewing because it hardens the arterial wall. Avoid stress and strain, Sleep well.