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High Blood Pressure – The Basics of Hypertension

January 11th, 2009 | Add a Comment

Because it can damage your heart, kidneys, and brain, even though you feel no symptoms, high blood pressure is often referred to as “the silent killer.”

Blood pressure is the force exerted on the walls of your arteries by the blood circulating through your system. Your blood pressure is at its highest when the heart beats. This is called systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest, between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure.

The cause of high blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is relatively unknown. In fact, in 90 to 95 percent of the cases, doctors have no idea of the underlying cause. In the remaining cases, the disease can be traced to specific causes: heredity, kidney abnormalities, adrenal gland tumors, diabetes, chronic kidney disease, hormone abnormalities, use of birth control pills, pregnancy or a congenital narrowing of the aorta. In addition, the nicotine in cigarettes and other tobacco products causes your blood vessels to constrict and your heart to beat faster, which temporarily raises your blood pressure. Finally, in some people, alcohol will cause a rise in blood pressure.

The goal for any high your blood pressure treatment is, of course, to bring the condition under control. Treatment will depend on the severity of your particular cases, whether you have other health issues such as diabetes, and whether any organs have already been damaged.

Most treatment begins with a change in lifestyle. This primarily includes your eating and exercise habits. For example, if you’re overweight, your doctor will likely want you to lose your excess pounds. In those cases that are more serious or do not appear to be related to your lifestyle, your doctor may want to start you on medication.

Hypertension medications cover a wide span, depending upon your particular situation. Often your physician will start you off with a diuretic. Sometimes referred to as water pills because they flush excess water out of your system, diuretics also flush out sodium and do help to lower blood pressure. Other medications can assist in slowing down your heart beat, preventing the formation of a hormone that normally causes blood vessels to narrow, block calcium from entering the muscle cells of your heart and blood vessels, reduce nerve impulses to your blood vessels, and relax the muscles around your vessels.

High blood pressure is one of the ten (10) leading causes of death in the world. Based on studies, it will have a 60% increase by year 2025 when it will hit the third world countries worst. As always, if you’re concerned that you might have hypertension, consult with your physician before starting any medical treatment.

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