Hypertension means the chronic elevation of blood pressure in the arteries. The heart pumps blood to the other organs of the body with every heart beat through the arteries. Blood pressure implies the force of blood that pushes up against the walls of the blood vessels. High blood pressure makes the heart work harder to pump the blood and this in turn leads to organ damage and the onset of many illnesses like: heart attack, stroke, heart failure, aneurysm, and renal failure. There are more and more people that are falling victim to hypertension. The major cause is due to fast paced lifestyles and unhealthy eating habits. Hypertension causes damage to the vital organs of the body and the preventive factor would be to be aware of hypertension causes and take preventive measures.
Hypertension causes have not been concretely ascertained but there are several contributing factors that are associated with the disease. Smoking is one factor that leads to hypertension as the chemicals that are taken while smoking harm the body immensely and hampers the blood flow. Other contributing factors are: being overweight, diabetes, a sedentary lifestyle, lack of physical exercise, high levels of salt intake, deficiency of calcium, potassium, and magnesium consumption. Also vitamin D deficiency, high levels of alcohol, stress, aging, birth control pills, heredity, genetic history, chronic kidney, and thyroid problems or tumors.
The purpose of treating the hypertension condition is to decrease the blood pressure in the body to less than 140/90mmHg especially in people suffering diseases like diabetes. In the human body the blood pressure readings are given in two numbers. One of the numbers (the one in top) is the systolic pressure and it measures the maximum pressure exerted by the heart when it contracts. The bottom blood pressure reading is called the diastolic reading and this means the pressure that is present in the arteries when the heart is resting. The pressure readings are measured in millimeters of mercury or mmHg. For example, 121 over 82 or 121/82 means that 121 is the systolic reading and 82 is the diastolic reading. The blood pressure is high if the systolic reading is 140 or more and the diastolic pressure reading is at 90 and above. The treatment of hypertension is very important for the purpose of reducing stroke and heart attack.
In order to avoid hypertension causes you need to make changes in your life like: stop smoking, eating healthier, using less salt and losing weight. There are many over the counter medicines that treat hypertension and they are: ACE inhibitors, beta blockers, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, alpha blockers, and peripheral vasodilators. They should be taken strictly on medical recommendation and under the supervision of a doctor. These drugs are prescribed depending on the severity of the condition. They help to successfully reduce blood pressure and you should go in for frequent medical examinations for the purpose of not allowing the problem to relapse.
Go to http://www.treating-hypertension.com if you want to understand more about this condition and learn about the morning hypertension.
