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How to Treat High Blood Pressure - Pulmonary Hypertension
High Blood pressure is the silent killer!... and
a symptom of heart disease, it's also a warning your health and life are
at risk. Nearly one if three Americans has high blood pressure.
Imagine that your arteries are pipes that carry blood from your heart
to the rest of your body. High blood pressure (also called hypertension)
occurs when your blood moves through your arteries at a higher
pressure than normal.
High blood pressure or hypertension means high pressure
(tension) in the arteries. The arteries are the vessels that carry
blood from the pumping heart to all of the tissues and organs
of the body. High blood pressure does not mean excessive emotional
tension, although emotional tension and stress can temporarily
increase the blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80;
blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is called “pre-hypertension”,
and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered high blood
pressure. The systolic blood pressure, which is the top number,
represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts
and pumps blood into the arteries. The diastolic pressure, which
is the bottom number, represents the pressure in the arteries
as the heart relaxes after the contraction. The diastolic pressure,
therefore, reflects the minimum pressure to which the arteries
are exposed.
An
elevation of the systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure increases
the risk of developing heart (cardiac) disease, kidney (renal)
disease, hardening of the arteries (atherosclerosis or arteriosclerosis),
eye damage, and stroke (brain damage). These complications of
hypertension are often referred to as end-organ damage because
damage to these organs is the end result of chronic (long duration)
high blood pressure. Accordingly, the diagnosis of high blood
pressure in an individual is important so that efforts can be
made to normalize the blood pressure and, thereby, prevent the
complications. Since hypertension affects approximately 1 in 4
adults in the United States, it is clearly a major public health
problem.
Whereas it was previously thought that diastolic blood pressure elevations were a more important risk factor than
systolic elevations, it is now known that for individuals older than 50 years of age systolic hypertension represents a greater
risk.
As many as 50 million Americans have high blood
pressure, or "hypertension," which is the medical term
for it. In fact, if you have found out about your high blood pressure,
you are one step ahead of many Americans. Millions don’t
know they have high blood pressure. Because high blood pressure has no warning sighs, it is often
called the "silent killer." People may not find out
they have it until they have trouble with their heart, brain,
or kidney.
When high blood pressure is not detected and treated, it can
cause:
- The heart to get larger, which may lead to heart failure.
- Small blisters (aneurysms) to form in the brain’s blood
vessels, which may cause a stroke.
- Blood vessels in the kidney to narrow, which may cause kidney
failure.
- Arteries throughout the body to "harden" faster,
especially those in the heart, brain, and kidneys, which can
cause a heart attack, stroke, or kidney failure.
In fact, high blood pressure plays a role in about 700,000 deaths
a year from stroke, and heart and kidney disease. The illnesses
brought on by uncontrolled high blood pressure cost Americans
billions of dollars each year. It’s easier and wiser to
treat your high blood pressure right from the start.
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