Hypertension – Causes, Prevention and Treatment

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a persistent blood pressure above 90 mm Hg between the heart beats (diastolic) or over 140 mm Hg at the beats (systolic). The blood pressure varies naturally in response to stress and physical work load.Therefore the blood pressure shall be measured in a relaxed situation and several times before this diagnosis is certain.

Hypertension does not in itself give dramatic symptoms, but it is dangerous because it causes a highly increased risk for heart infarction, stroke and renal failure.

THE PREVALENCE OF HYPERTENSION
One out of six persons is hypertensive. Most persons suffering from hypertension is over the age of 35. Still 6% of teenagers are hypertensive and also 1% of every child.

THE SYMPTOMS AND CONSEQUENCES OF HYPERTENSION

Hypertension is often without symptoms. By mild hypertension, flushing and headache can occur.

More serious hypertension gives symptoms like: Fatigue, dizziness, palpitations, tachycardia (rapid heart rate) and nosebleeds.

Extreme hypertension gives morning headache, blurred vision, dyspnoea (breathing difficulties) and elevated values of certain components in the blood, like urea and serum creatinine.
Hypertension will in the long run hurt the blood vessels, and serious hypertension can do extensive damage to the blood vessels in a few months or years.

The damaged blood vessels will impair the blood flow. They can also rupture causing a bleeding or be clogged by a blood clot that shuts out the blood flow and causes tissue damage. These things can occur in the brain, causing a stroke, in the heart causing heart infarction or in the kidneys with renal failure as a consequence.

A renal failure will in the next turn cause the hypertension to aggarvate, partly because a damaged kidney will not manage to secrete water and salt well enough, and partly because a kidney that do not get enough blood will start a hormonal mechanism that induces the kidney to actively hold back salt and water.

THE MECHANISMS AND CAUSES OF HYPERTENSION

The direct mechanisms causing hypertension is one or more of these factors:

- An increased tension in the blood vessel walls.

- An increased blood volume caused by elevated levels of salt and lipids in the blood holding back water.

- Hardened and inelastic blood vessels caused by arteriosclerosis.

The primary causes behind these mechanisms are not fully understood, but these factors contribute to causing hypertension:

- A high consume of salt

- A high fat consume.

- Stress at work and in the daily life.

- Smoking.

- Over-weight

- Lack of exercise.

- Kidney failure.

LIFESTYLE MEASURES TO PREVENT AND TREAT HYPERTENSION

Lifestyle measures shall always be a component of the hypertension treatment. Sometimes such measures are enough to cure the condition. Those measures are:

- Reducing salt consume.

- Reduction of the consume of fat, and especially saturated fat.

- Weight reduction.

- Relaxing and stress reduction techiques, for example meditation and autogenic training.

- Regular exercise.

SPECIAL FOOD TYPES THAT REDUCE THE BLOOD PRESSURE

Research projects suggest that the following food types reduce blood pressure.

- Fish oil and fat fish. The working substances seem to be the omega-3 unsaturated fatty acids eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA). The effect from fish oil seems to cease when the fish oil supplements are stopped.

-Olive oil, especially olive oil of the quality extra virgin.

NATURAL SUPPLEMENTS TO HELP AGAINST HYPERTENSION

Natural supplements to treat hypertension exist. These supplements reduce blood pressure by lowering the cholesterol and lipid content in the blood, by preventing oxidation of tissue components by free radicals, and by helping damaged blood vessels to heal. Examples of ingredients having these effects are vitamin B3, inositol, turmenic extract and gum guggul extract.

They may also contain Ingredients giving a direct anti-hypertensive effect, like potassium, magnesium, calcium, vitamin C and fatty acids from marine sources.

MEDICAL TREATMENT OF HYPERTENSION

When lifestyle measures and supplements are not enough to cure the condition, medical treatment must be applied.

Diuretics, or medicines to increase the urine production, are used to decrease the water content in the blood vessels, and thereby reduce the pressure in the vessels. When the water content is lowered, the heart does not need to pump so hard any more, and this will also reduce the pressure.

Beta-adrenergic blockers are another group of medicines to treat hypertension. This group of medicines block the signals that hormones and neurotransmitters give to the vessel walls, and the vessel walls then relax. They also slow down the heart rate to give a lower pressure exerted by the heart upon the blood.

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How To Get Rid Of Hypertension

High blood pressure or hypertension is known as the silent killer because most people don’t know they have it and they can die without warning. It was listed as a primary or contributing cause of deaths in the United States. One in five Americans has hypertension or high blood pressure. This is very alarming as this disease is a traitor that can rob you of your life anytime without warning. You need to know how to get rid of hypertension before anything serious could happen to you.

To get rid of hypertension you should know the categories of blood pressure readings. Hypertension is a medical condition when the blood pressure is elevated or the blood travel through your arteries at a higher pressure than normal. The normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm Hg or lower, when your blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg or higher you have a hypertension. Any blood pressure reading in between 120/80 mm Hg and 139/89 mm Hg is a pre-hypertension stage. However, in people with diabetes and with kidney disease a blood pressure of 130/80 mm Hg or higher is already considered a high blood pressure or hypertension.

Can you tell if you have hypertension? Although some people experience drowsiness, headaches and blurred vision, the general population with hypertension has no symptoms and not aware that they have hypertension. This is the reason why most strokes due to hypertension have no signs before it occurred. It is important that you monitor you blood pressure regularly especially if you have hypertension in the past. To get rid of hypertension you should check your blood pressure to prevent stokes. Hypertension can damage your blood vessels causing strokes, heart attack and kidney failure.

There are preventive measures that you can do to get rid of hypertension and mostly it has something to do with your lifestyle. There are modifications in your lifestyle that you need to do to lower your blood pressure or get rid of hypertension. Some of these changes include:

  • Weight Loss. Being overweight is not encouraged if you have hypertension.
  • For smokers, you have to stop smoking as this will increase your risk of otherdiseases brought by hypertension like heart attack and strokes.
  • Watch what you eat to get rid of hypertension. Reduce your salt intake. Salt or sodium  aggravates your hypertension.
  • Fruits and vegetables high in potassium are recommended to lower blood pressure.
  • Have a regular exercise this will lower blood pressure and improves blood flow.
  • Limit or avoid alcoholic drinks. If you cannot avoid it limit it to 1-2 drinks a day
  • Avoid stress and try to relax, there’s nothing better than a stress free life.

Although you may be under medications, still, you have to modify your lifestyle to prevent and get rid of hypertension. But did you know that you can lower your blood pressure and get rid of hypertension naturally without the use of high-priced drugs and its harmful side effects? Lower your blood pressure, eliminate ghastly prescription-pill expenses and maintain a totally stress-free life visit Great Discovery-Health and Beauty

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Different Causes of Secondary Hypertension

Studies show that approximately 10% of hypertension cases are caused by other diseases. This is called secondary hypertension. In most cases of secondary hypertension, when the main cause of the disease is treated, the blood pressure returns to normal. Secondary hypertension is normally caused by the following:

o Chronic kidney failure

o Adrenal gland diseases or tumors

o Narrowing of the aorta

o Pregnancy

o Use of contraceptives (pills)

o Addiction to alcohol

o Thyroid problems

On the other hand, 90% of hypertension cases do not have a known cause and this is referred to as primary hypertension. Unlike secondary hypertension, primary hypertension does not have a specific cause. However, there are several factors that may lead to high blood pressure. These are the following:

o Obesity – This is a condition wherein a person’s weight is over 30% of what it should normally be. Obese people are advised to lose weight by exercising and maintaining a balanced diet. It is recommended that an obese person should lose weight until he or she is within 15% of the normal body weight.

o Inactivity – This is normally the cause of obesity that leads to hypertension.

o Heredity – The tendency of having high blood pressure also runs in the genes. If you have a relative or a family member that has hypertension, you are a potential candidate to have it as well.

o Age – Older people are more prone to hypertension because their arteries get harder over time. This is called arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries).

o Salt intake – Too much intake of salt can cause hypertension especially in people who have high sensitivity to sodium. An average person consumes at least 10 to 15 times more salt when eating fast foods or processed foods. Also, medicines like painkillers contain high amount of sodium that also cause high blood pressure.

o Alcohol intake – People who are sensitive to alcohol are more likely to have hypertension if they take more than 1 drink a day. This is because alcohol tends to increase the blood pressure.

o Use of contraceptives like pills – Birth control pills contains properties that increase blood pressure.

o Drugs – Stimulants like amphetamines, dietary pills and anti-allergy pills can also cause hypertension.

Consideration of the above factors can prevent both primary and secondary hypertension. Regular exercise and diet plus regular monitoring of your blood pressure are basically the most effective ways of preventing and treating hypertension. To obtain more information about ways to prevent and treat hypertension, it is best that you consult your physician.

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