The pressure exerted by blood on the walls of the arteries while it flows through them is known as blood pressure. When this pressure is consistently too high, it is referred to as high blood pressure medically known as hypertension. The normal blood pressure ranges between 90/60 mmHg and 120/80mmHg.
Categories To Define High Blood Pressure
1. A reading of systolic between 120-129 mmHg and diastolic less than 80mmHg is elevated blood pressure. Here usually no medication is recommended and only lifestyle changes are advised.
2. Stage 1 Hypertension: A reading of systolic between 130-139 mmHg or diastolic between 80-89 mmHg.
3. Stage 2 hypertension: Systolic reading 140 mmHg or higher and diastolic reading 90mmHg or higher.
4. Hypertensive Crisis: Systolic reading higher than 180 mmHg and/or diastolic higher than 120 mmHg. It requires urgent medical attention.
What Are The Causes Of High BP?
High blood pressure may or may not have a cause.
1. High blood pressure that arises without any reason is called primary/essential hypertension. Primary hypertension usually develops gradually over a period of time.
2. When there is an underlying cause of high blood pressure, it is referred to as secondary hypertension. Secondary hypertension can be a result of problems in kidneys and thyroid; tumors in the adrenal glands and congenital defects in the blood vessels. Secondary hypertension tends to appear suddenly.
What Are The Symptoms?
High blood pressure usually doesn’t cause any symptoms and is often detected during routine medical check-ups. High blood pressure is called ‘silent killer’ because it leads to a significant amount of damage to blood vessels and heart, without any apparent symptoms.
However certain symptoms that appear as a result of high blood pressure include headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, chest pain, nose bleedings, or blood spots in eyes. However, these symptoms are not specific to high blood pressure and may appear as a result of other health conditions also.
Risk factors for High Blood Pressure
The factors that put a person at risk of high blood pressure include a family history, increasing age, being overweight, excessive alcohol intake, tobacco use, stress, too much salt (sodium) intake, diabetes mellitus, sedentary lifestyle, and certain medications (cause drug-induced hypertension) that include certain anti-depressants, anti-inflammatory drugs, cold remedies, birth control pills, etc.
Lifestyle changes to manage high blood pressure?
Certain lifestyle changes can help manage high blood pressure effectively. These include:
1. Cut down your sodium and fat intake
2. Eat fruits and vegetables
3. Do regular exercise and reduce excess body weight in case of overweight people
4. Apart from these, one must quit smoking and limit alcohol intake to prevent long-term complications of high blood pressure.
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