Attempting to Establish a Basic Understanding of High Blood Pressure
Hypertension means a great different things to different people.In medical terms, hypertension refers to high blood pressure, regardless of the cause.
Because it usually does not cause symptoms for many years-until a vital organ is damaged-it has been called "the silent killer." If left uncontrolled or untreated then High Blood Pressure can cause a variety of illnesses all of which could kill if left to their own devices.More than 50 million Americans are estimated to have high blood pressure.
In the USA initial investigations would seem to highlight that within the black community 32% off the community how to high blood pressure as opposed to 23% within the White and Hispanic communities. For blacks it would also appear the adverse consequences of high blood pressure were worse.
There is no doubt about that at high blood pressure does increase as we age with the figure is called 75% of women and 66% of men over the age of 75 being treated for high blood pressure. For those suffering with clinical obesity the incidences of high blood pressure rise by 200%.
It is a staggering figure that possibly only two thirds of the potential high blood pressure sufferers in the US have been diagnosed.Of these people, about 75% receive drug treatment, and of these, about 45% receive adequate treatment.
When blood pressure is checked, two values are recorded. The higher value reflects the highest pressure in the arteries, which is reached when the heart contracts (during systole). As would appear logical the second figure relates to the process of contraction within the heart known as diastole.
The traditional way of reporting blood pressure figures is calculated in millimetres of mercury and described as the systolic over the diastolic (120 over 80 etc). If the blood pressure readings were greater than a systolic pressure of 140 mm Hg and a diastolic pressure off greater than 90 mm Hg than to suffer was deemed to be suffering from high blood pressure.
However, the higher the blood pressure, the greater the risks-even within the normal blood pressure range-so these limits are somewhat arbitrary.The limits were established because people with blood pressure above these levels are at increasing risk of complications.
In most people with high blood pressure, both systolic and diastolic pressures are high.The exception is older people who commonly have high systolic pressure (140 mm Hg or more) with normal or low diastolic pressure (less than 90 mm Hg).
The term for this condition is "isolated systolic hypertension". Where the blood pressure is in excess of 180/110 mm Hg and there is an absence of associate symptoms then the entire condition is referred to as a hypertensive urgency."
There has been an additional condition recognized as malignant hypertension and this occurs when blood pressure readings are in excess of 210/120 mm Hg. This has only been found to occur in about one half of one percent of all sufferers.
For some apparent reason that is not necessarily had an adequate medical explanation the incidences of malignant hypertension are increased within the black community and those within the lowest socioeconomic groups. Unlike hypertensive urgency, malignant hypertension may produce a variety of severe symptoms. If untreated, malignant hypertension usually leads to death in 3 to 6 months.
Scott James writes regularly on High Blood Pressure issues and more information on the above can be found atHigh Blood Pressure and also at http://www.livingwithhighbloodpressure.net/treatment.html
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