High Blood Pressure Is A Very Dangerous Condition For Which There Is Usually A Simple Answer
In recent years changes in diet and lifestyle in most western countries have resulted in an increase in the number of people with high blood pressure.
High blood pressure (which is otherwise called hypertension, or more properly arterial hypertension) is a dangerous condition which rarely shows any symptoms and which, if not detected and treated, can result in stroke, heart attack, heart failure, arterial aneurysm or renal failure - any one of which represents a serious life-threatening condition.
So precisely what is hypertension and just what causes it?
The arteries of the body are constantly filled with blood which exerts a normal 'background' pressure on the walls of the arteries. When your heart pumps freshly oxygenated blood around the body it forces this blood into the arteries which briefly raises the pressure exerted on the artery walls with every beat of the heart. These two pressures are called the systolic pressure (the higher pressure as the heart pumps) and the diastolic pressure (the lower 'background' pressure).
Normal blood pressure differs from one person to the next but, on average, systolic pressure ought to be about 120 mm Hg and diastolic pressure ought to be around 80 mm Hg. This is generally shown as a blood pressure of 120/80.
Whenever your blood pressure begins to rise and then remains above 120/80 then you are said to be 'prehypertensive' and, although this is not in itself serious, it is an indication that you may be at risk of developing hypertension and all of the problems which are associated with it. If your blood pressure rises to, and maintains, a level of 140/90 or above you are said to be suffering from hypertension and steps should be taken to lower your blood pressure.
But just what causes your blood pressure to rise and stay at a high level?
Well, there are numerous factors involved here and the first is a group over which you have little, if any, control. This group includes a low birth weight, various genetic factors, some forms of diabetes (especially type 2 diabetes) and your age (as we grow older our arteries display a tendency to become fibrous and lose their elasticity, producing a reduced cross-sectional area through which the blood can flow).
The next group of factors is far more within your control and includes leading a sedentary lifestyle, large quantities of salt and saturated fats in the diet, excess weight, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, stress and working in specific occupations such as flying or motorway maintenance.
Most of these factors are treatable and, in many cases, a quite simple adjustment to your diet and the addition of a bit of exercise into your daily diary is all that is needed to cure the problem. The difficulty however is that, with few, or no, symptoms, the majority of people do not know that they are suffering from hypertension to start with.
So how can you go about curing the problem?
Well, fortunately, the answer to this question is fairly simple. All you need to do is to call in at your doctor's office on a regular basis (for most of us about twice a year should do the trick) and ask him/her to check your blood pressure. The process is pain free, simple and quick and will give you peace of mind and possibly save your doctor a lot of time, work and expense later on when you are forced to drop by his office once high blood pressure sets in.
If you are not too keen on visiting your doctor then an excellent alternative today is to simply monitor your own blood pressure at home. A wide range of simple to operate and reasonably inexpensive blood pressure monitors are available now, allowing you to maintain a check on your own health, as well as the health of of your entire family, in the privacy and comfort of your own home.