What is Hypertension?
Hypertension is sustained rise in blood pressure or an elevation of the blood pressure. There are various causes. But the disease is generally divided into primary and secondary hypertension. In primary hypertension, there is no known cause. This condition is also called essential hypertension. There is no major cause of this hypertension. You just find out that an individual has hypertension. For the secondary hypertension, it is attributed to the secondary causes such as smoking, obesity, alcohol, sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, among others. Other diseases like renal diseases can also give rise to hypertension. Modifiable risk factors includes smoking, drinking, alcoholism, obesity, etc. When such patients abstain from alcohol, their blood pressure reduces. Stress can also be a risk factor for hypertension and so it is advisable for people to avoid stressful conditions.
Symptoms: Recurring headache, sleeplessness, dizziness, nosebleeds, blurred visions, palpitations etc
Management:
To manage hypertension, we should start with knowing the cause, Is it something we can modify? Like in hypertension induced by drinking, smoking, lack of exercise, among others. If it is, then you do your best to modify the cause. Like if it is dietary for example, you reduce salt intake, reduce intake of high calorie foods, and so on. If despite all these, the elevated blood pressure is not coming down, we resort to medication and drugs. And we have a whole range of drugs for that. Hypertension is generally called the silent killer. Therefore to be on the safe side, the patient is advised to regularly check his or her blood pressure every month.
Prevention:
Reduce intake of pastries and salt; exercise regularly, do regular blood check up. If you are a smoker, it is important that you quit smoking and also reduce your alcohol consumption rate. Maintaining a healthy weight and being physically active goes a long way to prevent hypertension.
