The lives claimed by heart disease are innumerable. All over the world, the disease has spread much fear and tension. Though a part of it could be accredited to the lifestyle we pursue, there are many other factors to consider when we talk about the ailment. One of them would be high blood pressure.
The more we eat or stress, the more it goes out of hand. Though you might have gathered a lot of info about the ailment, we present our article which will briefly explain the condition, its symptoms diagnosis, and treatment plans.
What Is Considered High Blood Pressure? Understanding The Silent Killer
Blood is pumped in and out of the heart through arteries. When blood gushes through the walls of the arteries, it flows with a certain pressure which could be further divided into diastolic and systolic pressure. While the former denotes the pressure used by arteries to transport blood all over the body, the latter could mean the pause or stop it takes in between.
A healthy heart rate could be 72 beats per minute. It could increase or decrease when we engage in physically strenuous activities. Pressure is measured in mercury levels in a device made for this purpose. The normal pressure in a human body is 120/80; the highest range of pressure could be 120 and the lowest is 80.
Anything beyond these levels for instance 140/90 could be considered abnormal in multiple senses and is a dangerous level to be in. Now one could say they have high blood pressure when this number exceeds the speed of their blood flow. If the heart starts pumping blood faster, it usually causes it to malfunction.
What Are The Symptoms And Causes Of High Blood Pressure?
Being the silent killer, it is seldom that hypertension or high blood pressure could show any symptoms that would stand out. However, you could know you have high blood pressure when:
- You get sudden headaches
- Eye problems that lead to blurry vision
- Feeling heavy in the chest area after doing any work
- Finding it difficult to catch your breath for a while when climbing steps or walking for 5 minutes.
There could be other symptoms affecting the individuals suffering from high blood pressure other than this including sweating profusely. The causes of these symptoms can be attributed to
1. Genetics
It is as obvious as it seems. One might know that a genetic predisposition to high blood pressure could make you vulnerable to the condition, especially in recent family.
2. Age
As our age increases our chance of developing high blood pressure increases.
3. Lifestyle Factors
Your sedentary lifestyle and poor habits like smoking could multiply your chances exponentially.
4. Other Conditions
Medical conditions like kidney disease could lead to an increase in one’s blood pressure and so does the medication one takes for it.
Diagnosis And Tests
When these symptoms are identified in a person, they are usually subjected to normal pressure tests that identify their diastolic and systolic pressure. When this is found to be more than what is normal(120/80), the patient is then given a detailed blood test. The pressure tests could be taken in short intervals for a long period to come to this conclusion.
Furthermore, the detailed tests could include a complete blood count test to identify the number of RBCs and WBCs, a lipid panel to find the levels of cholesterol, a blood glucose test to know if there’s any abnormal sugar presence, a renal function test to know the functioning of the kidney and electrolyte levels which determines the potassium and sodium levels. Once the tests show a significant degradation you should be allowed to take other tests to understand the cardiac output.
Management And Treatment
To manage the symptoms and treat them you need to do the following:
1. Lifestyle Modification
This includes the adoption of a DASH diet which is specially prepared to deal with hypertension. It involves quitting alcohol, smoking, and oily food substances.
2. Medication
Diuretics to help relieve the pressure during digestion, beta-blockers, ACE, and Calcium Channel blockers could help with vasoconstriction and relieve the pressure.
3. Regular Treatment
Regular monitoring of blood pressure levels and taking oneself to a doctor could be beneficial in such cases. As is common with the elderly, one should have a pressure machine at home. Having an on-call doctor and medications at your reach would be a fine idea.
4. Exercise
There is no easy way to say this as exercise remains key when it comes to controlling blood pressure.
What Can I Do To Prevent Or Manage High Blood Pressure?
Apart from genetic factors, you could control most of your lifestyle habits that can lead to ailments like these. A few of them are:
- Eating Mindfully– Cutting off cholesterol with oil and salt content could make a major difference in your pressure and weight levels.
- Regular Health Checkups– If you think you have a history of medical conditions in your family, you might want to check it regularly.
- Manage Stress– Tension is one of the primary causes of hypertension and therefore engaging in yoga and meditation could be helpful.
- Limit Caffeine Intake– Most of us cannot live without coffee but caffeine in copious amounts can lead to cardiovascular problems.
- Limit Processed Food– It is better to eat healthy food prepared at home so that you can control the levels of oil and fat in it. Moreover, eating fried food and drinking sodas can also cause problems
Find More:- How To Boost Your Blood Circulation| Why It’s Important!
Sum Up
High blood pressure is one of the most growing concerns. However, it is something we need to take care of in the long run. This is because it is diabolic and opens many vicious doors to health. Our article has encapsulated all the symptoms, causes, and preventions to deal with the disease.
Additionally, we also have given the tests and diagnostic processes one needs to undergo if they are identified with the diseases. As most doctors suggest, blood pressure has a lot to do with stress, diet, exercise, and sleep. Therefore taking care of these elements is as necessary as ever.
References:
- How much physical activity do adults need? (2020).
https://www.cdc.gov/physicalactivity/basics/adults/index.htm - Wenger NK, et al. (2018). Hypertension across a woman’s life cycle.
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6005390/ - High blood pressure. (2020).
https://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health-topics/high-blood-pressure - High blood pressure. (n.d.).
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-pressure
