Symptoms and Treatment of Hypertension
November 10, 2009
What is hypertension?
Blood pressure is the force created on the walls of the arteries when blood flows through the blood vessels. When the pressure becomes high, it is called Hypertension.
If the pressure is too high, the heart finds it hard to pump blood and that may result in heart attack, stroke, heart failure or renal failure. Therefore, it is very important that pressure is maintained at a normal level.
The blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). The normal level for blood pressure is below 120/80 where 120 is the peak pressure in the blood vessels and 80 is the minimum pressure. Pressure between normal and 139/89 is called pre-hypertension and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered hypertension.
What causes hypertension?
The exact cause of hypertension is not known, but it seems that factors like smoking, tension, overweight, lack of physical activity, high level of salt intake, aging, thyroid problem, etc. are some of the causes that contribute to high blood pressure.
People with pre-hypertension mostly do not know that they have high blood pressure because there are no real symptoms. But those with very high blood pressure may feel severe headache, fatigue, dizziness, nausea, problem with vision, breathing problem, chest pain and sometimes blood in the urine.
Hypertension can be treated medically or by changing lifestyle or a combination of the two. Lifestyle change means losing weight, giving up smoking, eating healthy food and reducing salt intake.
Medical treatment is to take drugs like ACE inhibitors, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers, etc. Diet should include potassium rich food like apricots, bananas, melons, oranges, tomatoes, potatoes and whole grains.
Fresh fruits should be taken as these are low in sodium, rich in potassium and fiber. After the blood pressure comes down, frequent checkups should be done and precautions taken to prevent relapse.
How to prevent hypertension?
Hypertension can best be prevented by adjusting lifestyle so that proper diet and exercise are maintained. Reduce salt intake, reduce stress and give up smoking. If there is any prescribed medicine, it should be taken regularly and a check kept on it in consultation with the physician.
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