High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)

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What is High Blood Pressure?

  • Blood pressure is defined as the force of blood against your artery walls as it goes through your body.
  • Health problems may occur when blood pressure stays high for prolonged periods of time.
  • Uncontrolled high blood pressure may lead to heart disease and stroke.
Effects of High Blood Pressure
 
  • High blood pressure may affect your flow to the heart by harden your arteries. This reduces the amount of oxygen and blood that goes to your heart leading to heart disease. This effect may also cause chest pain, heart failure and heart attack.
  • High blood pressure can also burst or block the arteries that supply oxygen and blood to the brain leading to stroke.

Signs and Symptoms
 
  • High blood pressure usually has not warming signs or symptoms. This is why it’s very important to have regular follow ups with your doctor.

Who is at risk?
 
  • There are several factors that can increase the changes of high blood pressure, these include: age, sex, and race or ethnicity.
  • Risk factors may be decreased by eating a healthy diet, maintaining healthy weight, not smoking and being physically active.

How to Control Blood Pressure
 
  • Be compliant with medications as directed by your doctor.
  • Doing changes to your life style along with medication can help with the management of this condition.
  • Changes may include:
    • Diet: Eating a low salt (sodium), low fat and low cholesterol diet. Also high in fresh fruits and vegetables
    • Be active: Taking a 10 minute walk 3 times a day 5 days a week
    • Do not smoke: If you smoke quit as soon as possible.

If you or your loved ones are experiencing health issues, please contact your physician for further assessment and treatment.
References:  www.healthline.com, www.cdc.gov, www.mayoclinic.com