High blood pressure (hypertension)

Alternative Names

High blood pressure, HBP, HTN, Hypertension

What is High blood pressure (hypertension)

High blood pressure is a condition that occurs when the force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough. It can lead to heart disease.

Blood pressure can be described as a ratio between the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure. You can have hypertension for years without any symptoms and it can affect everyone

There are 2 types of hypertension:

• Primary (essential) hypertension. The exact cause of it is unknown. This type of high blood pressure can develop gradually over many years.
• Secondary hypertension often appears suddenly and causes higher blood pressure than does primary hypertension.

Signs and symptoms

There are usually no symptoms of hypertension, but if your blood pressure is extremely high, you may experience such symptoms as:

• Severe headache
• Fatigue or confusion
• Vision problems
• Chest pain
• Difficulty breathing
• Irregular heartbeat
• Blood in the urine
• Pounding in your chest, neck or ears

Possible complications

Left untreated hypertension can lead to serious diseases including:

• Atherosclerosis: narrowing of the arteries
• Stroke: haemorrhage or blood clot in the brain
• Aneurysm: dangerous expansion of the main artery either in the chest or the abdomen, which becomes weakened and may rupture
• Heart attack
• Heart failure: reduced pumping ability
• Kidney failure
• Eye damage

What causes

The cause of primary (or essential) hypertension is still unknown.

Secondary hypertension is caused by an underlying problem such as kidney disease or hormonal disorders.

Other factors that can lead to hypertension include:

• age (blood pressure usually increases with age)
• diet
• excessive alcohol consumption
• lack of exercise
• obesity
• sleep apnea
• stress

Prevention

Prevention of hypertension is possible by adopting a healthy lifestyle. You should maintain a healthy weight. Regular exercises are also effective in the prevention of high blood pressure. You should follow a healthy eating plan determined by your doctor. Your diet should be consisting of fruits, vegetables and low-fat dairy foods. It is important to note that a lot of salt and sodium in food are harmful. Alcohol consumption is not recommended.

Treatment

There is a list of some medicines used to treat hypertension:

• Angiotensin- converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors
• Angiotensin || receptor blockers (ARBs)
• Diuretics (often recommended as the first line of therapy for most people who have high blood pressure)
• Beta-blockers
• Calcium channel blockers
• Alpha-blockers
• Alpha-agonists
• Renin inhibitors
• Combination medications