About Hypertension

Le Voleur asked:


I just wondered if atherosclerosis in the extremities (arms/legs) also has hypertension as a symptom. I know this is one clue to cardio-athersclerosis, but is this true of cases in the arms/legs and blockages leading to strokes?

Michele

Songbird asked:


Is there any truth about this? I have heard from several people that its bad for people with hypertension to sleep at day time or to siesta. I tried searching online but I couldnt find answers. Thanks

James

weeblespiasecki asked:


I am 26 weeks prego and i normally have lower blood pressure but it is slightly above normal for the average person now.

Franklin

Jan Oliver asked:


Thousands of Americans have hypertension and don’t even know it. In order to understand high blood pressure, you need to understand what causes it and how to interpret hypertension statistics.

The heart, designed to be an efficient hardworking pump, sends thousands of gallons of blood coursing through your body daily and beats about 90,000 times in order to do this. It works to push blood through the arteries with the pressure where necessary. The walls of the arteries also push to aid the flow of blood through the body and to supply nourishment and oxygen to the most distant regions. Sometimes the arteries suffer from blockages and tight constrictions. Blood pressure readings measure how hard the heart has to work to accomplish its task.

When you have a health care professional take your blood pressure, they put a cuff on your arm. The cuff, when filled with air, creates a pressure that cuts the supply of blood. As the air pressure in the cuff releases, the health care professional records the number where they first hear blood moving through the veins. That’s the systolic pressure or the top number. Systolic pressure is the maximum pumping pressure of the heart and comes from the heart contracting.

The second number, is determined as the pressure in the cuff lowers and is taken when the health care professional no longer hears the heart beat. This is the diastolic pressure. This is the pressure that occurs when the heart relaxes and is the bottom number of the blood pressure reading.

Sometimes blockage in the arteries makes the heart work harder. Sometimes stress and pressure create adrenaline and other stress related hormones that constrict some of the blood vessels in preparation for fight or flight. The constriction makes the heart work harder and if stress continues over a long period of time, creates changes to your body. Sometimes aging causes changes to the vessels’ elasticity and makes the heart pump harder. As women enter menopause, their estrogen levels, often believed to aid in the control of blood pressure, also drops.

The normal range for blood pressure is quite broad.

Normal blood pressure’s systolic number is less than 120 mm Hg and the diastolic number less than 80 mm Hg. Mm Hg is the measurement of the amount of pressure and uses the pressure exerted by a column of mercury as its standard. Unless the pressure is abnormally low and causes symptoms such as passing out, or is suddenly low, any numbers lower than 120/80 are within the normal range.

Prehypertension, the time when blood pressure control could be as simple as increasing exercise starts when the systolic numbers are between 120 and 139. The diastolic number is 80-89 when prehypertension exists. When people realize they have the start of hypertension, not only should they monitor their blood pressure more closely but they can also change diet and lifestyle to improve the reading. People with prehypertension caused from stress often don’t have permanent changes to the blood vessels.

Stage 1 hypertension exists when the top number is between 140 and 159 or the diastolic or bottom number is 90 to 99.

The most dangerous level or stage 2 high blood pressure has a systolic level higher than 160 or the diastolic level higher than 100. These levels, maintained for any period of time create changes that lead to stroke, kidney failure, an enlarged heart, heart failure, aneurisms and other damage to the body. That’s why it’s important to check your blood pressure frequently if you see notice that you are at risk of hypertension. Keep these explanations in mind the next time you check your hypertension statistics.



Chester

Mark M asked:


I’m looking for statistics here, not just generalizations or guidelines. For one or more end results (death, hospitalization, MI, whatever seems appropriate), I would like to know the relative risk as a function of, say, systolic BP. [I have a few more questions that will help to shed some light on why I’m asking, but I think this one question stands alone pretty well.]

Randy

MejoJohn asked:


A patient suffering from hypertension the force of the blood against the walls of the artery becomes very strong. It is considered to be a silent killer because its symptoms are not visible until it increases to a very high level. The patient may not even be aware of the presence of the disease which may cause damage to the walls of the artery and kidneys. This is the main cause for which people can be easily be attacked by atherosclerosis and heart stroke, which is considered  to be one of the most deadly disease. 

The hypertension may be caused by a diverse number of reasons and it is not easy to point at one particular cause of hypertension. Some of the common factors which are causes of the blood pressure are obesity, alcohol addiction, stress and more intake of salt.

It is a disease which just comes without any warning and you will not have any clue of damage in the mild hypertension, but sometimes the high blood pressure can almost lead to a number of regular upsets in your body which can even upset your daily routine like severe headache, nausea and vomiting. One of the most severe cases is the hypertensive crisis that just rises very rapidly and as a known fact any rapid change in our body is extremely dangerous. Incase this is not treated immediately it can cause damages to our eyes, brain and kidneys.

Many people become aware of the presence of the disease only after their visit to the doctor. The doctor examines the systolic and the diastolic blood pressure. The systolic pressure is the measure of the pressure exhibited by the blood against the heart walls once the pumping has been completed. On the other hand the diastolic pressure of the heart measures the pressure of the blood against the artery walls in between the heart beats. When the heart relaxes and is filled with blood, it is only then that the reading is taken.

On the blood pressure measurement device the first reading is the systolic measurement and it is usually above 140.On the other hand the second reading is the diastolic measurement of the high blood pressure which is usually above 90. The normal blood pressure reading for an adult who has completed 18 years of age has a systolic pressure of 119 and a diastolic pressure of 79 or below.

Incase you are patient of hypertension then it is quite obvious that you will be advised to follow a change in your dietary plans and you would be asked to change your lifestyle to an extent. You would be required to be more disciplined eating less oily food, less salt and many other things which have to be incorporated in your regime. You will also be advised to take up low fat and low fat saturated foods. You also need to have a control on your alcohol, caffeine and nicotine consumption.



Arlene

Juliet Cohen asked:


Benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) is a rare but potentially serious condition. Benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) is a disease of the brain. Benign intracranial hypertension is characterised by increased pressure in the brain without any evidence of any brain pathology by imaging studies. Benign intracranial hypertension is also characterised by normal cerebrospinal fluid (CSF - the fluid that surrounds the entire central nervous system, including brain and spinal cord) content. Symptoms of benign intracranial hypertension may include headache, nausea, vomiting, pulsating intracranial noises, singing in the ears, double vision, loss of visual accuracy, and even blindness. It is most common in women between the ages of 20 and 50. BIH affects women 9 times as often as men.

The condition is associated sometimes with the use of tetracycline, nalidixic acid, nitrofurantoin, phenytoin, lithium, and amiodarone, and the overuse of vitamin A.Gender is a major risk factor for BIH. Before puberty, boys and girls are affected equally. Obesity is a risk factor as well, considering that the incidence rises sharply with women 20% or more above their ideal weight. Many treatment is the relief of symptoms of raised intracranial pressure and the prevention of progressive optic nerve damage. Excess cerebrospinal fluid may be removed by repeated spinal taps, shunting or a type of surgery called optic nerve sheath fenestration that allows the excess fluid to escape. Steroids may be prescribed to reduce swelling of brain tissue.

Benign intracranial hypertension (BIH) Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Weight reduction is very important this condition.

2. Treatment of underlying condition; stopping any causative medication.

3. The intracranial pressure may be controlled by serial lumbar puncture.

4. Pprednisolone to relieve headache and papilloedema.

5. Acetazolamide or other diuretics are effective at lowering the intracranial pressure.

6. Surgical treatment also recommended some cases of BIH.

7. Cerebrospinal fluid reduction medications alos helpful this condition.



Claude

jessenukmuay asked:


I’m thirty years old, and have always had an active lifestyle, I was diagnosed with hypertension earlier this year and I am now under medication. This had never been an issue until now.

Megan