Hypertension Is A Very Dangerous Condition For Which There Is Normally Simple Solution
In the last few years alterations to the diet and lifestyle in many western countries have produced a growth in the number of individuals suffering from high blood pressure.
High blood pressure (otherwise known as hypertension, or more accurately arterial hypertension) can be a dangerous condition which seldom has any symptoms and which, if left undetected and untreated, can cause stroke, heart attack, heart failure, arterial aneurysm or renal failure - any one of which is a serious life-threatening condition.
So exactly what is high blood pressure and precisely what causes it?
The arteries within the body are constantly filled with blood which produces a normal 'background' pressure against the walls of the arteries. When your heart pumps newly oxygenated blood around the body it pushes this blood into the arteries which momentarily raises the pressure exerted on the walls of the arteries during each beat of the heart. These two pressures are known as the systolic pressure (the higher pumping pressure of the heart) and the diastolic pressure (the reduced 'background' pressure).
Normal levels of blood pressure vary from one person to the next but, usually, systolic pressure should be around 120 mm Hg and diastolic pressure should be about 80 mm Hg. This is normally written as a pressure of 120/80.
If your blood pressure starts to rise and then stays above 120/80 then you are said to be 'prehypertensive' and, despite the fact that this is not serious in itself, it is an indication that you may be at risk of developing hypertension and all of the problems which are associated with it. As soon as your blood pressure rises to, and remains at, a level of 140/90 or higher you are suffering from hypertension and steps need to be taken to reduce your blood pressure.
So just what causes your blood pressure to rise and remain at a high level?
Well, there are several factors involved here and to begin there is a group over which you have little, or no, control. This group includes a low birth weight, several genetic factors, certain types of diabetes (in particular type 2 diabetes) and your age (with increasing age the arteries tend to become fibrous and lose their elasticity, producing a reduced cross-sectional area for the blood to flow through).
The second group of factors is far more within your control and includes leading a sedentary lifestyle, large levels of salt and saturated fats in your diet, excess weight, smoking tobacco, excessive alcohol consumption, stress and working in specific occupations like motorway maintenance or flying.
Most of these factors are of course treatable and, in most cases, a simple adjustment to your eating habits and the addition of a bit of exercise into your daily diary is all that is needed to cure the problem. However, the difficulty is that, without any real symptoms, most people do not know that they are suffering from hypertension in the first place.
So how do you solve the problem?
Well, fortunately, the answer to this particular question is fairly simple. All you need to do is to pop into your doctor's office regularly (a couple of times a year will be sufficient) and ask him/her to check your blood pressure for you. The process is pain free, simple and quick and will give you peace of mind and possibly save your doctor a lot of time, work and expense down the road when you are forced to drop by his office once hypertension has set in.
If you are not too keen on calling in to see your doctor then a very good alternative today is to check your own blood pressure. A wide range of easy to operate and relatively inexpensive blood pressure monitors are available nowadays, allowing you to maintain a check on your health, and that of your whole family, in the privacy and comfort of your own home.
