Dubbed the Silent Killer because of the insidious way it works away in the background of someone's health. High blood pressure if left untreated and ignored can lead to lethal complications in a wide variety of illnesses.
In the United States of America alone their estimate to be 50 million sufferers of High Blood Pressure. It would appear in certain cases but there are greater percentage of sufferers of high blood pressure amongst the black community as opposed to those in the white or Hispanic community in the USA
The knock on effect of high blood pressure would appear to be worse for those within the black community. It would appear that the risks and incidences of high blood pressure increase proportionately with age with over three quarters of women and 4/6 of men over the age of 75 being classified as sufferers.
For those suffering with clinical obesity the incidences of high blood pressure rise by 200%.
In the United States, only an estimated two of three people with high blood pressure have been diagnosed. Of these people, about 75% receive drug treatment, and of these, about 45% receive adequate treatment.
Hypertension is calculated by way of registering two figures. The first figure is the highest and reflects the highest pressure in the arteries upon contraction of the heart during the process known as systole. As would appear logical the second figure relates to the process of contraction within the heart known as diastole.
Blood pressure is written as systolic pressure/diastolic pressure-for example, 120/80 mm Hg (millimetres of mercury). This reading is referred to as "120 over 80."High blood pressure is defined as a systolic pressure at rest that averages 140 mm Hg or more, a diastolic pressure at rest that averages 90 mm Hg or more, or both.
However, the higher the blood pressure, the greater the risks-even within the normal blood pressure range-so these limits are somewhat arbitrary. The limits were established because people with blood pressure above these levels are at increasing risk of complications.
In most people with high blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic pressures are high. The exception is older people who commonly have high systolic pressure (140 mm Hg or more) with normal or low diastolic pressure (less than 90 mm Hg).
This disorder is called isolated systolic hypertension. Blood pressure that is more than 180/110 mm Hg and does not produce any symptoms is " a hypertensive urgency.
There has been an additional condition recognized as malignant hypertension and this occurs when blood pressure readings are in excess of 210/120 mm Hg. This additional condition has only been known to occur in Approximately 1 out of every 200 incidences of high blood pressure.
However, it is several times more common among blacks than among whites, among men than among women, and among people in lower socioeconomic groups than among those in higher socioeconomic groups. Unlike hypertensive urgency, malignant hypertension may produce a variety of severe symptoms. If untreated, malignant hypertension usually leads to death in 3 to 6 months.
Because everyone is different not all of the changes listed below will apply. However, these are the most common problems associated with high blood pressure that most likely could have been avoided if only the patient kept these things in check or eliminated them completely. Not only will eliminating these things help reduce their blood pressure but it will also help their blood pressure medication work better.
The first thing is alcohol. People who drink alcohol in excess (over 2 drinks per day) have a one and a half to two times higher change of developing high blood pressure. When the alcohol consumption exceeds five drinks per day this number goes up significantly. Also, the correlation between alcohol and high blood pressure is dose related, meaning the more alcohol that is consumed the higher the blood pressure and the more likely the person is to have high blood pressure. By lowering the amount of alcohol consumption per day (under two drinks) a person can greatly increase his chances of lowering his blood pressure.
Next is smoking. Even though smoking does not significantly raise a person's blood pressure by itself, the risks of cardiovascular disease are greatly increased and this in turn will ultimately raise a person's blood pressure. Smoking itself will produce a slight temporary rise in blood pressure of about 5 mm hg but nothing significant. In actuality, smokers have a lower blood pressure than non smokers because the nicotine causes them to lose their appetite which in turn lowers their weight which then in turn lowers their blood pressure.
Coffee is another thing that contributes to high blood pressure in people who drink over 5 cups per day. The rise is slight in elderly people who already have high blood pressure but is still noticeable. It doesn't affect people who have normal blood pressure.
Salt is another contributing factor to high blood pressure. A person should have less than six grams of salt in their diet each day. People with high blood pressure already should have less than four grams of salt. A person should refrain from adding salt to their food which most likely already has more than enough salt in it.
Another contributing factor to high blood pressure is obesity. Obesity is what determines the overall rise in blood pressure as a person gets older. Obesity contributes to high blood pressure in several ways. It causes a greater flow of blood because more blood is needed to feed the extra tissues in the body. Also, obese people have greater stiffness in their arteries which also raises blood pressure. Also obese people's kidneys have a greater tendency to retain salt which in turn causes a rise in blood pressure. By lowering your weight in almost all cases your blood pressure will go down.
Finally, a regular exercise program of 30 to 45 minutes per day will help reduce your blood pressure for several reasons. First of all, if you're overweight you'll lose weight which in turn will lower your blood pressure. Also, exercise helps blood flow easier which also in turn will lower your blood pressure.
By following the tips above a person with high blood pressure has an excellent chance of lowering it significantly.
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