It is estimated that nearly one billion people worldwide suffer from high blood pressure (also known as hypertension), but many of them won’t even realize it. So what is high blood pressure? Medically speaking, a patient can be diagnosed as having hypertension if their blood pressure reads 140 over 90 or higher over a period of time. Even if just one of those numbers is too high, they could also be diagnosed with hypertension.
What are the symptoms?
One of the dangerous aspects of hypertension is that there aren’t any symptoms. The only way for a patient to know for sure if they have it or not is to have their blood pressure measured regularly. Sometimes patients can complain of headaches if their blood pressure is particularly high, but there are usually no signs at all. Also, one single high reading isn’t enough to declare hypertension. Many readings need to be taken over a number of weeks before the condition can be confirmed.
What are the causes?
There are a few factors that can contribute to hypertension. The main causes are to do with a person’s lifestyle. Drinking too much alcohol and smoking are probably the more well-known causes, but also drinking too much caffeine and having too much salt in the diet can contribute. Also, if a patient is overweight, they are at a higher risk of having blood pressure problems. Constantly having little or no sleep is another known contributing factor.
Other factors can include a person’s age. Older people over 65 are more likely to develop hypertension as a result of their longer lifestyle catching up on them. If a person has a family history of hypertension, then this can make them a higher risk, as can being of African, Caribbean or Asian descent.
What are the treatments?
A lifestyle change is the main way to help avoid high blood pressure or lower it for diagnosed patients. Losing weight, maintaining a healthy diet (that is low in salt), exercising regularly, reducing caffeine and alcohol intake, stopping smoking and getting a good night’s sleep will all help to get that blood pressure reading down.
In the meantime, a doctor may want to prescribe one or more medications to stop the patient’s blood pressure getting any higher. Once the healthier lifestyle has taken effect, these can usually be stopped. One of the most common drugs is candesartan, but there are many available, and a doctor will be able to prescribe the best one for the patient in question.
Hypertension is quite a serious condition as it can put a strain on the heart and other organs. This can lead to a higher risk of conditions that are more life-threatening, such as heart disease, stroke, heart attack, heart failure, vascular dementia or kidney disease. The fact that there aren’t any symptoms makes it even more dangerous.
Regular testing and a healthy lifestyle are both the best prevention and treatment for hypertension. After all, this could save a person’s life in the long run.
