P R O F I L E - Ponkunnam Varkey More

CONTROLLING HYPERTENSION

In the contemporary stressful lifestyle, blood pressure is a common cause for most of the diseases. Blood pressure is the force of blood against the walls of arteries. This action is known as the the systolic pressure (as the heart beats) and the diastolic pressure (as the heart relaxes between the beats). The measurement is written with the systolic number on top and the diastolic number on the bottom. For example, a blood pressure measurement of 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) is expressed verbally as “120 over 80.” The normal blood pressure is less than 120 mmHg systolic and less than 80 mmHg diastolic(systolic/diastolic). Blood pressure is not constant and varies with age, activity, posture and environmental changes. A single reading of high blood pressure doesn’t mean much on its own; it should not be judged without a number of readings over a period of time.

If blood pressure is recorded consistently as 140/90 mmHg or higher at different occasions in an adult, it is considered as hypertension. High blood pressure makes the heart work harder than normal which in turn increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. It is dangerous as there are no warning signs or symptoms. Regardless of race, age, or gender, anyone can develop high blood pressure.

Both numbers in a blood pressure test are important. But the diastolic blood pressure has been and remains, especially for younger people, an important hypertension number. The higher the diastolic blood pressure the greater the risk for heart attacks, strokes and kidney failure. As people become older, the diastolic pressure begins to decrease and the systolic blood pressure begins to rise. A rise in systolic blood pressure will also increase the chance for heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure. The physician uses both the systolic and the diastolic blood pressures to determine the blood pressure category to take appropriate prevention and treatment measures.

Causes

A combination of genetic, lifestyle and environmental factors causes high blood pressure . These factors are heredity, overweight, post-menopause, smoking, alcohol consumption, over-eating salt and irregular lifestyle.

Most people with hypertension do not show any symptoms and are often detected on a routine medical examination. The common symptoms are headaches, especially in the early mornings, bleeding from the nose or gums, breathlessness on exertion, heart palpitations, anxiety, profuse sweating, tremors, pain in the calf or leg muscles, nausea, vomiting, muscular weakness, visual disturbances, difficulty in breathing while lying down and angina (chest pain). People with high blood pressure may also have untreated high cholesterol, which further increases their risk of heart attack and stroke.

Treatment

Blood pressure is measured by an instrument called sphygmomanometer using a stethoscope. All other tests are done to see the severity of effects of hypertension on the organs to rule out the causes of secondary hypertension and to plan the course of treatment.

It is important to take steps to keep the blood pressure under control. The treatment goal is blood pressure below 140/90 and lower for people with other conditions, such as diabetes and kidney disease. Adopting healthy lifestyle habits is an effective first step in both preventing and controlling high blood pressure. These are reducing weight, increasing physical activity (walking 30 minutes every day can help), following a healthy eating plan with adequate intake of fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy foods, choosing and preparing foods with less salt and sodium, quitting smoking and avoiding alcoholic beverages or drinking in moderation. If lifestyle changes alone are not effective in controlling the blood pressure there are many medicine to help.(KM)