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What is hypertension?
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Also known as high blood pressure, hypertension is a condition in which the pressure of blood pumping against your artery walls is high enough to cause damage to your heart in the form of heart disease.
There are two numbers in each blood pressure reading. The top number is the systolic blood pressure, which measures the pressure of blood in the arteries when the heart is beating. The lower number, called the diastolic blood pressure, measures the force of blood in the arteries between heartbeats, while the heart is refilling with blood. Blood pressure is measured as millimeters of mercury, or mm Hg. According to the American Heart Association, a normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 mm Hg.
People with a blood pressure between 120/80 mm Hg and 139/89 mm Hg are considered to have prehypertension. Stage 1 hypertension is defined as blood pressure between 140/90 mm Hg and 159/99 mm Hg. Stage 2 hypertension is defined as blood pressure of 160/100 mm Hg or higher. Blood pressure of 180/110 mm Hg or higher is considered a hypertensive crisis and requires emergency treatment.
Hypertension develops over time, and a hypertensive person might not have any symptoms for years. Most people with hypertension never have symptoms, even when blood pressure is dangerously high. Some people with hypertension may experience headaches, nosebleeds or shortness of breath, but these symptoms do not always occur or may happen only in cases of extremely high blood pressure.
In many cases of hypertension, there is no known underlying cause. This is called primary hypertension. In other cases, hypertension may be one sign of an underlying disease or condition; this is called secondary hypertension. Secondary hypertension is usually more sudden and severe than primary hypertension.
There are various risk factors that may cause a person to develop hypertension. These may include the following:
- older age;
- black race;
- family history of hypertension;
- overweight/obesity;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- tobacco use;
- excessive dietary salt intake;
- lack of dietary potassium;
- lack of dietary vitamin D;
- excessive alcohol intake; or
- stress.
If left untreated, hypertension can lead to various other serious health problems, including:
- heart attack/stroke;
- aneurysm;
- heart failure;
- weakened/narrowed renal blood vessels;
- metabolic syndrome; or
- memory problems.
In addition to making lifestyle and dietary changes to reduce modifiable risk factors, prescription medications can help get blood pressure under control. There are several different kinds of BP medications. A patient with hypertension can discuss these treatment options with their doctor to determine which is best for them.
Additional information can be found at these websites:
www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-pressure/basics/definition/con-20019580