Sunday, February 13, 2011

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)


High Blood Pressure, аƖѕο called 'Hypertension', іѕ one οf tһе major cardiovascular diseases worldwide. It is also known to be the silent killer by the medical practitioners as it risks life without any warning. It can be present in all ages, from infancy to adulthood. Five percent of the childhood population has higher than normal blood pressure.

High Blood pressure has nothing to do with tension or anxiety. It relates to the pressure of the blood within the blood vessels and arterial walls as it flows through them. There can be a variety of reason your walls constrict which causes a higher pressure, over time this can cause problems that are related to high blood pressure. A periodic check-up for blood pressure is essential to monitor the health and to prevent the worsening further. Normal blood pressure of a person is less than 120/80 mmHg and a blood pressure of 140/90 or above is considered high.

High blood pressure puts a strain on the heart causing atherosclerosis(thickenning of vessels), resulting damage to heart, coronary artery disease, kidney failure, stroke, eye damage. High blood pressure damages the arteries, increasing risk of them narrowing or hardening. This may cause loss of blood flow to the heart and consequently a heart attack.

Some of the most common reasons observed for the cause of High Blood Pressure are chain smoking, heavy consumption of alcohol, mental stress, obesity, genetic factors, consumption of contraceptive pills, pain relievers, thyroid disease, diabetes, and kidney problem etc...Obesity also causes high blood pressure because the heart has to work harder to pump blood around the body.

Some of the common symptoms of high blood pressure are  throbbing headaches often at the back of the head, palpitation, weariness, sleeplessness, fast heart beat, discomfort, reddishness on face and ears, panicky, short tempered nature, giddiness, nose bleeding, dizzyness, blurred vision, and maybe shortness of breath and tightness in the chest on exertion as a result of secondary effects upon the heart.

Whether or not you are taking antihypertensive drugs, proper diet is nonetheless the crucial factor for high blood pressure. The medical community has always placed emphasis on this, in order to treat disorders occurring in key internal organs. If you have bad eating habits then it contributes significantly to unhealthily high blood pressure levels, even in middle age, when blood pressure levels typically rise as part of the aging process.

Good intake of food, vegetables, low fat dairy products and other fibre-rich food items will help your pressure level to be on the safer side. Lowering your Sodium eating habits helps in controlling you blood pressure. Cook with more herbs and spices. Heavy drinkers must reduce their alcohol intake, those who are overweight must slim down and smokers must stop smoking. Regular exercise and dietary salt restriction is recommended for everyone with High Blood Pressure .

Unfortunately many people do not know that they have High Blood Pressure until it causes problems within the body such as a stroke, or heart attack. The best bet is when you experience an unusual symptom, get it checked out by a physician as soon as possible. It may be nothing, but it also may be an indication of something serious.

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