Understanding Hypertension: The Silent Killer

Millions of individuals are walking with ‘the silent killer’; Hypertension, that has bereaved a lot of homes. This killer can quietly damage the heart, blood vessels, kidneys, other vital organs, and still go unnoticed.

According to the World Health Organization (WHO), approximately 1.28 billion adults between the ages of 30-79, live with hypertension, and 50% of them don’t even know it. Some come to realise it when it is too late, and others die from its complications without knowing.

Hypertension does not walk alone, if left untreated, it opens doors for other serious life threatening diseases.

In this post, you will learn everything about high blood pressure, from its causes, symptoms, to complications and treatment.

What is Hypertension?

Hypertension is a synonym for High Blood Pressure. It is a medical condition in which the force of blood that pushes against the walls of your artery is always too high. Due to this force, the heart works harder to pump blood. After some time, your arteries become weaker and damaged.

Except you are checked, you will not know that you have high blood pressure, you may not even feel sick. This is why regular blood pressure check is non-negotiable for you.

 Categories of Blood Pressure

According to the American Heart Association and American College of Cardiology, Blood Pressure falls under four categories:

1. Normal Blood Pressure: This is the ideal blood pressure a person should have. It is below 120/80mmHg
2. Elevated Blood Pressure: In the category, the systolic pressure (top number) is between 120 to 129mmHg, while the diastolic pressure (bottom number) is not above 80mmHg.
3. Stage 1 Hypertension: This is when the top number is from 130 to 139mmHg, and the bottom number is from 80-89mmHg.
4. Stage 2 Hypertension: In this category, the top number is 140mmHg or above, and the bottom number is 90mmHg and above.
5. Hypertensive Crisis: if your blood pressure reading is above 180/120mmHg, you are in a hypertensive crisis.

Types of Hypertension

There are two main types of hypertension

1. Primary Hypertension

This type comes without any identifiable cause. It just develops gradually on its own over a period of years. It is also known as essential hypertension. Over 80% of individuals living with hypertension have primary hypertension.

2. Secondary Hypertension

This type is caused by an existing health condition like kidney diseases, hormonal disorder, etc. Treating the health condition can help to improve hypertension.

Other types includes:

• White coat hypertension: this is when the pressure is normal when you are at home, but high when you are checked at the hospital.
• Pulmonary hypertension: this is in the arteries of the lungs. It affects the right side of the heart.
• Malignant hypertension: it is a severe state of hypertension that causes damage to other organs of the body.
• Resistant hypertension: unchanged and uncontrolled hypertension even after taking multiple medications. 
• Masked hypertension: pressure is high at home, but normal at the hospital. This is the opposite of white coat hypertension.
• Isolated hypertension: this type is only seen in older people. In the blood pressure reading, the top number is high, while the bottom is normal.

Causes of Hypertension

The exact cause of hypertension has not been identified. However, several actions have been linked to causing High Blood Pressure. These factors include:

1. High intake of salt.
2. Genetics: if you have a family history of High Blood Pressure, you are more susceptible to experience it.
3. Stress
4. Obesity
5. Sedentary lifestyle: long periods of physical activity
6. Inadequate intake of magnesium, calcium, and potassium
7. Intake of hard drugs
8. Uncontrolled alcohol consumption
9. Birth control pills
10. Old age.

Symptoms of Hypertension

High blood pressure has been termed a silent killer, this implies that it does not have any peculiar symptoms. However, if you are experiencing any of this, you may be battling with hypertension.

1. Nausea and vomiting
2. Anxiety
3. Severe headache
4. Chest pain
5. Shortness of breathe
6. Dizziness or lightheadness 
7. Severe headaches
8. Nosebleeds
9. Blurred vision
10. Fatigue

Complications of High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is not an end in itself, It breeds other life threatening diseases.  If left uncontrolled, it leads to 

• Cardiovascular conditions like heart attack, heart diseases, aortic dissection, Peripheral Artery Disease (PAD), aneurysm, atherosclerosis, etc.
• Neurological issues like Stroke, Memory loss, cognitive impairment.
• Kidney diseases, and Kidney failure.
• Loss of vision
• Sexual Dysfunction: Low sex drive in women, erectile dysfunction in men.
• Metabolic diseases like diabetes.
• Pregnancy and childbirth complications.

Management and Treatment of High Blood Pressure.

High Blood Pressure cannot be cured, but it can be managed throughout one’s lifetime. Managing hypertension can improve the quality of your life; making you lead a normal life. It can also make you live longer without suffering its complications.

You can manage hypertension through the following:

Lifestyle Changes

In order to keep hypertension from becoming a crisis, modifying your lifestyle is very necessary. You have to;

• Manage stress: while you have a lot of activities lined up in a day, for the sake of your health, limiting stress is important. Take breaks when necessary, rest adequately, have up to 7-9 hours sleep during the night.
• Exercise regularly: engage in exercise for at least 150 minutes in a week.
• Maintain a healthy weight: always ensure that your weight is healthy enough not to lead to hypertension crisis. If your weight is unhealthy, you’ll need to lose some. You can visit our wellness center..
• Eat healthy diets: your diets should majorly contain fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low fat. Reduce your intake of salt, and sodium. Increase your intake of potassium.
• Limit alcohol: reduce the amount of alcohol that you consume.
• Quit smoking.

Medications

Alongside lifestyle changes, our professionals can prescribe certain medications that can help you manage hypertension. This will prevent it from developing into life threatening conditions.

 

Final Thoughts

Hypertension is a life-long condition that needs to be managed. You can prevent it by having a healthy lifestyle. However, if you are already hypertensive, there is no cause to worry. You can still lead a normal everyday life. At Lily Hospitals, we provide expert care and support to ensure that your condition does not degenerate into hypertension crisis, or develop into other diseases. Visit us today.