What is blood pressure?

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Blood pressure is the pressure of your blood on the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps it around your body. Your blood pressure naturally goes up and down all the time, adjusting to your hearts needs depending on what you are doing. A  blood pressure reading under 120/80mmHg is considered in the optimal / normal range and readings above 140/90mmHg are considered to be high more commonly known as Hypertension

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What is hypertension?

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Hypertension or "high blood pressure"is a chronic common condition that may cause long term damage to the heart, brain, kidneys, eyes and blood vessels. It is caused by the blood pressure in the arteries being persistently elevated

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Types of hypertension

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1. White coat hypertension - elevated blood pressure readings only in a stressful setting such as a doctors office

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2. Essential hypertension - most common type with no specific cause, can sometimes be improved by a healthier lifestyle and medication

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3. Secondary hypertension - Result of an underlying disorder or abnormality of the kidney, major arteries, adrenal glands or other organs

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Symptoms of Hypertension:

At time, it may be difficult to diagnosis hypertension as the symptoms are not easy to point out. Hypertension symptoms are very common so they often get missed. Some of the symptoms are:-

• Constant headache or sudden bouts of headache

• Shortness of breath

• Nosebleeds

• Dizziness

• Vision problems

• Blood in urine

• Irregular heartbeat

As you can see, these are not very specific symptoms. Many of these do not occur until one has had high blood pressure for a long period of time.

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Causes of Hypertension

 

Let us examine the different causes of hypertension. It is very hard to find the primary cause of hypertension as it develops gradually over the years and as the arteries narrow down. This type of hypertension is known as Primary or Essential Hypertension.

Another cause of hypertension, known as Secondary Hypertension, which is caused when people have some underlying health conditions, such as kidney problems, thyroid problems, and obstructive sleep apnea. Another secondary cause can be the use of certain medications , such as birth control pills, decongestants, and some prescription drugs.

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In today’s challenging times, hypertension is becoming a very common condition. Although medications are available for treatment, but the best way to control high blood pressure is through significant lifestyle changes. More importantly, one should exercise and eat healthy on a daily basis to avoid these conditions.