Educate your patient about Hypertension 

What is hypertension?                               

Hypertension is also known as high blood pressure occurs when the blood pressing on the inside of the artery (blood vessels) is higher than normal. Untreated hypertension can have serious consequences including a higher risk for heart attack, or strokes, or kidney problems. Compared with people with high blood pressure, people with uncontrolled high blood pressure are….

Three times more likely to develop coronary heart disease. Seven times more likely to have a stroke.

 Because people with hypertension do not feel sick, it is sometimes referred to the (silent killer).

What causes hypertension?

About 90-95 % of the cases oh high blood pressure has no known cause. But we do know that there are some things that increase your chances of developing this disease. These are called risk factors.

Risk factors you can control

Obesity – people with a body mass index of 30 or higher are more likely to develop high blood pressure Eating too much salt Alcohol Lack of exercise Stress

 Risk factors you can not control

Race-African Americans develop high blood pressure more often than Caucasian. Age –The older you get, the greater your chance of developing high blood pressure. Heredity –A tendency to have high blood pressure runs in families.

 High blood pressure usually has no symptoms. That is why it is called the 'silent killer'

 Measuring blood pressure:

There are two numbers referred to when measuring a person’s blood pressure, the systolic or top number measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats. The “Diastolic” or bottom number measures he pressure while your heart rests between rests. In a blood pressure of 120/80 mmHg (millimeter of mercury), the 120 is the systolic and the 80 is the diastolic.

Normal blood pressure is below 120/80 mm Hg. Blood pressure of 120-139/80-89 is considered “prehypertension”. If you are an adult and your blood pressure is 140/90 mm Hg or higher, you have high blood pressure. If you have diabetes or kidney disease, your doctor will want your blood pressure to be lower than 130/80 mm Hg .If your blood pressure goes above this threshold and stay there, you have high blood pressure.

What can be done to treat hypertension? 

Hypertension is treated with lifestyle changes first, then with medication if that is not enough. Lifestyle changes to help lower your blood pressure include,

Weight reduction: Many people with high blood pressure are also overweight. Often when people lose weight, their blood pressure drops automatically. By losing weight you will help your blood pressure and help yourself stay healthy in other ways, too. Sometimes eating less sodium can help lower blood pressure. If this might help you, your doctor will recommend a low-salt diet. This means you will have to avoid salty foods and Cut down on how much salt you use in cooking and at the table. Decrease your caffeine intake Physical activity: Should be part of your daily program. A minimum of 30 minutes is of physical activity on most days of the week is recommended. Learning to control your stress through counseling Quit smoking

What about drug treatment?

There are many types of medication that are used to teat hypertension, there are referred to as ‘antihypertensive ‘. Most of these medications are just taken once a day and have few side effects.

If you need to take medication for hypertension, you will need to take them for the rest of your life; also many people will need more than one of these medications to get their own goal blood pressure.

Many types of these medications are available for controlling blood pressure. Some get rid of excess fluid and salt. Others open up narrowed blood vessels. Still others prevent blood vessels from constricting and narrowing.

Here are some drugs to treat high blood pressure.

Diuretics Angiotensin –Converting Enzyme (ACE) Inhibitors Angiotensin-2 Receptor Antagonist Beta Blockers Calcium Channel Blocker Alpha blockers

 

For more information please ask your doctor

 

Pushpa, MSN


Friends Of Cure My Hypertension

»crosslinked«

Be Sociable, Share!

Tagged with: • • •

Filed under: Signs of Hypertension • Treat Hypertension • Types of Hypertension

Like this post? Subscribe to my RSS feed and get loads more!