Are You Prone to High Blood Pressure?

Overview

About 60 percent of your health issues occur between the age of 30 to 45 and about 70 percent of those health problems can be prevented, if diagnosed on time. Most of the global studies identified three avoidable risk factors like smoking, high blood pressure (Hypertension or High BP), obesity or high BMI (body, mass index) for disease and death among adults. And, almost 50 percent of deaths are attributed to High BP. High BP is considered a silent killer as it is a serious condition that may lead to stroke, heart disease, heart and/or kidney failure, including other complications. It can be identified if regular body check-ups are done.

Most people are under the impression that if you don’t smoke and your BMI is in control, you cannot have high blood pressure. That certainly is not enough. Constant stress for a long time and having a family history of high blood pressure can trigger high BP. This means you can still be a victim of high blood pressure.

If the above figures and risk factors are telling you about your own health, read on to know more about High Blood Pressure and its effect on your life.

What is High Blood Pressure?

High Blood Pressure is a condition in which, the force of blood flow against your artery walls is so high that it may cause health problems sooner or later. Blood pressure is found out by both, the amount of blood the heart pumps and the amount of resistance to it in your arteries. When more blood is pumped in your heart and your arteries are narrow, you are suffering from high blood pressure. Uncontrolled high blood pressure raises your risk of serious health conditions that include heart attack and stroke.

What are the causes?

High blood pressure is of two types, primary (or essential) hypertension, and secondary hypertension.

Primary Hypertension

For many, mostly adults, there is no identifiable cause of high BP. This type is called primary (or essential) hypertension, which tends to develop slowly over many years.

Secondary Hypertension

For some, high blood pressure is caused by an underlying condition. This type is called secondary hypertension. Secondary hypertension tends to appear suddenly and cause higher blood pressure compared to primary hypertension. Many conditions and medicines may cause secondary hypertension, such as

• Kidney Surgery 
• Thyroid problems
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Congenital heart disease
• Adrenal gland tumors
• Certain blood vessels defects you are born with (congenital)
• Illegal drugs like amphetamines and cocaine
• Medicines like cold remedies, birth control pills, over-the-counter pain relievers, decongestants, and some prescription medications.

Does High BP have any symptoms?

High blood pressure generally develops over many years, and it may eventually affect nearly everyone. You may suffer from high blood pressure, for years without showing any symptoms and despite no visible symptoms; it can damage your blood vessels, atrial flutter , heart, kidneys and other parts of the body. Fortunately, high BP can be detected. And, if you have high blood pressure, talk to your doctor online to control it.

However, a few with high blood pressure may show symptoms like shortness of breath, nosebleeds or headaches. But these symptoms are not specific and may generally occur when high BP has reached a serious, life-threatening stage.

How is Blood Pressure Measured?

If have normal blood pressure, you can talk to a doctor to maintain it that way. And, if you have a high BP, you may need a treatment plan to help you prevent damage to any of your body organs. But, how do you measure your BP to know if it is high or normal? Regular health check-up is the key to check your status. So, go for a health checkup periodically.

When BP is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) and shows two readings, systolic pressure, and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is maximum pressure during a heartbeat and diastolic pressure is the lowest pressure between a heartbeat. The reading is written as systolic above the diastolic, for example, 120/80 mm Hg. Anything above 120/80 mm Hg considered as High blood pressure and below that is normal blood pressure. High blood pressure is defined as per a person’s age too. For those who are above 60 years, 150/90 is considered High BP.

What are High Blood Pressure Triggers?

A bad/unhealthy lifestyle like unhealthy diet, sedentary lifestyle, continuous tension or pressure, family history of High BP and being obese/overweight (a high BMI) are some of the factors that trigger High BP. Unhealthy lifestyle includes:

• Fatty food
• Consuming excess salt
• Smoking and excessive drinking
• Inactive lifestyle
• Constant stress
• Potassium deficiency

How to prevent it?

Blood pressure usually rises with age. A healthy lifestyle can help you delay or prevent this increase in blood pressure. Significant actions include, following a healthy lifestyle, regular heart health check-ups and, if have high BP, adhering to the treatment plan. People with high BP can take precautionary steps to control it and diminish their risk of related health conditions.

Conclusion

Your personal medical history, family history including lifestyle and behavior choices is the key to manage or delay high blood pressure.  You should discuss with your doctor about your blood pressure is you are above 30 years. You should also schedule regular health checkups. You can also avail a comprehensive Heart Health Package offered by some local healthcare provider.