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What is Hypertension and What can You do About It?

November 12th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects many people in this country every year, and can increase the risk of other medical conditions like heart attack and stroke. Because hypertension is a potentially serious and even life threatening condition, it is important to understand what hypertension is and what you can do to reduce your risk of getting diagnosed with this condition. If you are hit with a diagnosis of high blood pressure at some point in your future, you need to know what your treatment options are to get your blood pressure back under control.

There are two types of hypertension that can be diagnosed, and each will come with its own risk factors and treatment choices. It is important to understand what your hypertension is, so that you can find the best treatment plan for you. The first type is called primary hypertension, which occurs in approximately 90-95% of all hypertension cases. With primary, or essential, hypertension, the cause is usually not known and the condition will develop over a number of years.

The other type is called secondary hypertension, and this condition can usually be related to a preexisting condition. Kidney abnormalities and congenital heart defects are two of the common culprits in secondary hypertension. By understanding what hypertension is and what the various categories are, you are on the road to determining the best treatment options for you. In the case of secondary hypertension, the treatment will often involve “fixing” or treating the underlying cause. In primary hypertension, treatment must be focused on lowering the blood pressure through medication and/or lifestyle changes.

What is Hypertension Treatment?

Once you understand what hypertension is and the type that you are diagnosed with, it is time to move onto a treatment plan. Even if you are feeling completely healthy, it is important to bring the blood pressure down to reduce the risk of other medical conditions. Your doctor may decide to put you on a medication that will help to manage your blood pressure numbers. There are many different types of blood pressure medicine available, so chances are excellent that you will find one that you tolerate well and that is effective for your condition. This medication will probably need to be taken for the rest of your life, since high blood pressure is not cured with medication, but merely managed.

Lifestyle changes involving diet, exercise, weight maintenance and quitting unhealthy habits are also a part of hypertension treatment. Your doctor can make specific recommendations for you in terms of these changes and which ones may benefit you the best. By learning what hypertension is and the best ways to treat it, you will be on your way to lower blood pressure readings and a healthier cardiovascular system.

There Is A Close And Positive Relationship Between Water Drinking And Hypertension

November 6th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Blood pressure when it gets out of control can lead to hypertension and in fact it will create a condition in which the force of blood rushing within the arteries while wending its way through the human body will become abnormally high. Thus, much like you can only have certain amount of air in a tire, blood too can only fill the arteries up to a certain extent and once this capacity is exceeded your body will be in trouble and damage begins to be done to your body, often without your even being aware of it.

Ruins The Arteries

As a matter of fact, hypertension can ruin your arteries and lead to several life-threatening conditions such as suffering from strokes or even other heart diseases.

The main trouble with suffering from hypertension is that you won’t notice any real symptoms and thus it acts like a silent killer. However, water drinking and hypertension are closely related to each other because other than quitting smoking and abstaining from drinking alcohol, it is only through water drinking that hypertension can be controlled and drinking adequate amounts of water will also provide relief from high blood pressure in a simple and effective manner.

In addition, when your body does not have enough water in it, blood pressure gets negatively affected which only goes to show that there is indeed a very close connection between water drinking and hypertension. And, it is just as easy to see that as long as you drink adequate amount of water, you can ensure that your heart remains healthy and the kidneys will also be able to clean up the blood more effectively.

In fact, there would be a major risk to your health were the kidneys not to get sufficient amount of water as that would cause an increase in blood pressure and in addition, the kidneys would also mistakenly believe that the body was low on water and thus would signal to the brain to constrict the arteries and veins and this would have a negative effect and further contribute to even more hypertension.

Since heart disease is a consequence of hypertension and also a leading cause of death in the US and elsewhere in the world, you need to be more aware about the benefits of water drinking and hypertension and thus remembering to drink adequate amount of water would go a long way in helping to combat hypertension effectively.

In any case, the medical fraternity is also much concerned about the connection between water drinking and hypertension and several studies are being conducted as to what the true picture is as far as water drinking and hypertension goes. Hopefully, as more and more in-depth research is conducted on the topic, sooner rather than later will we come to know for sure just how does water drinking help with hypertension.

What Is Stage 2 Hypertension?

October 31st, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Also known as late high blood pressure (HBP), secondary hypertension or severe high blood pressure, stage 2 hypertension is a serious condition which requires medical care and continuous monitoring. The causes of HBP is not known in the majority of cases (more than 90%); however, stage 2 hypertension is generally caused by excessive use of alcohol, leading a highly stressful life, smoking, high fat diet, sedentary life style and excessive salt consumption.

The symptoms of this type of hypertension widely vary from person to person. These include feeling fatigued, sudden dizziness accompanied with persistent headaches, flushing, etc.

What Are The Dangers Associated With Stage 2 Hypertension?

This disease is a killer; not so much because it is very serious right from the very beginning, but because people tend to ignore it until it is too late. Hypertension is your warning bell that says, “Hey, your heart is under pressure and you need to look into it.” However, most people choose to completely ignore these warning signs with fatal consequences.

Some of the initial consequences that result from leaving hypertension untreated are gradual damage of kidney cells leading to complete renal failure, damage of the retina leading to serious vision impairment, and the most grim of all damage of arterial walls which leads to their thickening which in turn lead to strokes and heart attacks. The heart works under tremendous pressure and the additional effort subsequently causes congestive heart failure and death.

What Can You Do To Reverse It?

There is no cure for hypertension therefore once you develop it you need to keep a constant watch on it so you will know when it crosses the danger levels. As soon as you learn about you would need to immediately improve your life style by including a brief window of at least 20-30 for exercise on daily basis, adopt a healthier diet, lower or completely eliminate salt, stop smoking and consuming alcohol, among others.

You would also need to have your medication as per doctor’s instructions and check your blood pressure at regular intervals.

Stage 1 Hypertension

October 25th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

There are actually a few different stages of hypertension that a person can develop, one of the most common which is known as stage 1 hypertension. Stage 1 hypertension basically refers to the earliest stages of hypertension, also known as primary hypertension. The major predisposing factors here include stress, anxiety, genetics, excessive alcohol intake, and diabetes.

It is important that anyone experiencing any of these symptoms speak to their doctor and if necessary get proper treatment as soon as possible, in order to prevent their condition from getting worse and to gain relief from their symptoms.

When it comes to the management of stage 1 hypertension, early management involves making a serious change to your lifestyle. First you need to alter your diet, and make sure you avoid any fatty or sugary foods as these are going to do damage to your already poor health and make your condition even worse. You want to make sure that you are eating a healthy, well balanced diet, and this means filling it with lots of fresh fruits and vegetables and drinking enough water, at least six to eight glasses a day.

There are also certain medications that are available for stage 1 hypertension, but it should be known that such medications are not suggested for long term use and instead should only be used temporarily to provide relief of symptoms. You will also need to be aware that there are certain side effects which may be experienced as a result of taking these medications and so you will want to be more educated on this before starting on any of these drugs.

Once you have been diagnosed with hypertension there will also need to be additional testing done in order to determine how severe your condition actually is and whether any complications have occurred to your health as a result. You will need to work closely with your doctor so they can determine the best method of treatment for you and ensure you are making proper improvement.

Sleep Apnea Hypertension

October 19th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Hypertension and heart failure are strongly linked with sleep apnea, and so the issue of sleep apnea hypertension is one of great seriousness. In order to become more educated on the topic of sleep apnea hypertension it is important that you first be aware of the symptoms commonly associated with the condition.

This includes sleepiness for one, which is actually considered as being the cardinal symptom of sleep apnea hypertension. Although in some cases the drowsiness and fatigue is quite mild, in most cases it is so serious that it is almost debilitating. Driving and traveling may become impossible because of the dangers that they pose and sleep can overtake a person, even in the middle of a conversation.

It is therefore imperative to properly and promptly deal with your sleep apnea hypertension, and this means making an appointment to get in and see your doctor. They will perform a few specialized tests which will help them to make a proper assessment and diagnosis of your condition.

From here they will be able to conclude the severity of your sleep apnea hypertension condition and start you on the treatment method most suitable to your particular condition. There are actually a few different treatments that are presently available for sleep apnea hypertension.

Treatment

Together you and your doctor will be able to come up with a well suited treatment plan for your condition, but one of the first and most important things a hypertensive person can do, even just on their own without the need for advice from their doctor, is make a change in their lifestyle.

You want to cut out fatty, sugary and other unhealthy foods from your diet and increase the amount of fresh fruits and vegetables that you consume. You also need to make sure you are drinking enough water, at least six to eight glasses a day.

Causes

October 13th, 2008    Subscribe To Our Feed

Investigators of secondary hypertension claim there are many known conditions that can cause secondary hypertension. Regardless of the cause, the result is an elevated arterial pressure due to an increase in cardiac output or systematic vascular resistance, or both.

When cardiac output is elevated it is usually due to either increased neuro-humoral activation of the heart or increased blood volume.

Renal Artery Stenosis

This can cause narrowing of the vessel stenosis. The reduced lumen diameter increases the pressure drop along the length of the diseased artery, which reduces the pressure at the afferent arteriole in the kidney.

Chronic Renal Disease

Medical investigators of secondary hypertension have discovered that when this condition occurs the kidney cannot excrete normal amounts of sodium which leads to sodium and salt retention.

Primary Hyperaldosteronism

The increased secretion of aldosterone causes renal retention of sodium and water and as a result, blood volume and pressure both increase.

Stress

Emotional stress causes the sympathetic nervous system to activate, and an elevated blood pressure is the result. So just try relaxing in life and do not worry about the things you can not control. Investigators of secondary hypertension praise the power of positive thinking.

Sleep Apnea

Investigations of secondary hypertension also indicate that if you snore, you probably have it. This condition is often caused by being overweight but can have other causes such as an airway obstruction that can be treated with surgery.

Hypothyroidism

This is a thyroid hormone that is released in the body that causes an increase in blood pressure.

Pheochromocytoma

Secreting tumors in the adrenal medulla can lead to very high levels of circulating catecholamines, causing an increase in arterial pressure.

Preeclampsia

This condition usually develops during the third trimester of pregnancy, causing hypertension by increasing blood volume.

Aortic Coarctation

This is a congenital defect that obstructs aortic outflow leading to an elevated blood pressure.

Treatment

Investigations of secondary hypertension have shown that patients are best treated by controlling or removing the underlying disease or pathology, although they still may require anti-hypertensive drugs.

A thorough investigation of secondary hypertension reveals both the underlying disorder that is causing the high blood pressure and the hypertension itself. Remember that by taking a positive approach to every situation, it is like giving yourself medicine.

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Silent illness: Pulmonary hypertension is a rare disorder that's hard to diagnose (Deseret Morning News)
Katy Doak was 4 years old when she unexpectedly fainted, the first hint that something was seriously wrong with her.

People in rural area more prone to hypertension (The Times of India)
VIRUDHUNAGAR: A World Bank aided pilot project in two districts of Tamil Nadu, aimed at preventing cardiovascular diseases, has found that people in rural areas, especially those aged above 30 years, are becoming more prone to hypertension, resulting in heart ailments.

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