Everything You Should Know About Hypertension

Hypertension, or just another name for high blood pressure, is a condition wherein your blood pressure increases beyond average. This can further result in severe health complications, thereby increasing the risks of secondary health complications. Blood pressure is a pressure that depends on the resistance offered by the blood vessels.

Causes Of High Blood Pressure

The causes of high blood pressure can be divided into two different categories – Primary and Secondary.

Primary Hypertension 

Also called essential hypertension, primary hypertension develops over time. Most of the people suffer from this kind of high blood pressure. While researchers are still unclear about the underlying mechanism that leads to primary hypertension, most believe that it is the output of a combination of three different factors – genes, environment, and physical changes.

Secondary Hypertension 

Secondary hypertension often results quickly and can turn out to be relatively severe with due course of time. Common conditions resulting in secondary hypertension are inclusive of the following:

• Congenital heart defects
• Use of illicit drugs
• Kidney diseases
• Certain endocrine tumors
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Alcohol abuse or chronic use

Symptoms That You Might Be Prone To Hypertension 

While for some, it may show symptoms before its onset, it remains a silent condition for most of us. Some of the commonly associated symptoms are 

• Shortness of breath
• Chest pain
• Headaches
• Blood in the urine
• Dizziness
• Visual changes
• Nosebleeds
• Flushing

Such symptoms are in immediate need of medical assistance.

Stages Of Hypertension

Hypertension can be categorized into the following 5 stages –

1. Healthy: A healthy heart exhibits a blood pressure reading, which lies below 120/80 ml of Mercury (mmHg).
2. Elevated Blood Pressure: The blood pressure systolic range lies between 120 and 129 mmHg while the diastolic range dips below 80 mmHg. Usually, none of your doctors would prescribe you medications for elevated blood pressure. Still, they may ask you to follow specific lifestyle changes.
3. Stage 1 Hypertension: Stage 1 hypertension is characterized by a systolic range lying between 130 and 139 mmHg and the diastolic range falling between 80 and 89 mmHg.
4. Stage 2 Hypertension: Stage 2 hypertension is characterized by a systolic range lying beyond 140 mmHg while the diastolic range dipping below 90 mmHg.
5. Hypertensive Crisis: The hypertensive crisis is characterized by a systolic range rising beyond 180 mmHg and the diastolic range dipping below 120 mmHg. All those who suffer from this medical condition are in immediate need of urgent medicine alteration. The most common symptoms associated with this hypertension stage are shortness of breath, chest pain, visual changes, headaches, etc.

How Can You Treat Hypertension?

Your medical practitioner will consider your medical history and lifestyle before suggesting any hypertension treatment or high blood pressure. These factors are identified as follows –

Treatment Options For Primary Hypertension

If you are diagnosed with primary hypertension, your doctor may ask you to make specific lifestyle changes. If this isn’t enough alone, you may then be prescribed certain antihypertensive medications.

Treatment Options For Secondary Hypertension 

Suppose your doctor detects some other secondary form of medical condition to be the root cause of your hypertension. In that case, he may first redirect his focus in treating that medical condition. For all those suffering from persistent hypertension, your doctor may ask you to change your lifestyle and prescribe you with medications to lower your blood pressure to normal levels.

Conclusion

The best way to avoid high blood pressure is to keep track records of your readings at regular intervals. This can provide sufficient information to your doctor even before your medical condition advances.
   
Disclaimer: This article is issued in the general public interest and meant for general information purposes only. Readers are advised not to rely on the contents of the article as conclusive in nature and should research further or consult an expert in this regard.