What is Hypertension? And Why Should You Care?
High Blood Pressure has been called; "The silent killer," because it has no recognizable symptoms early on that can alert us to the danger.
The doctor's office takes readings so often for this very reason, and also because the levels can change over short periods of time due to various circumstances.
33% of all adults in the United States have this condition and if left untreated, it can lead to heart attack, stroke, and damage to vital organs of the body.
A person's age is an important factor, and the levels need to be monitored more often as one gets older.
This is greatly due to the natural accumulated effects of our lifestyles and diet added to possible hereditary and genetic predispositions.
Blood Pressure readings are a combination of two numerical readings; systolic pressure and diastolic pressure.
The systolic measurement is the pressure generated by the beating of the heart, while the diastolic measurement is the pressure that exists between heart beats.
The blood pressure measurement is a ratio of these numbers expressed in fractional form, with the systolic reading on top and the diastolic reading on the bottom.
A normal reading would consist of a systolic number less than 120 and a diastolic reading of less than 80.
A condition of pre-hypertension can exist if those numbers are between 1-9 points higher than 120/80 (121/81 - 129/89).
Stage 1 Hypertension is diagnosed when those levels are over 140/90, and Stage 2 Hypertension exists when the levels are over 160/100.
High blood pressure (HBP) is broken down into two broad categories; Essential Hypertension, and Secondary Hypertension.
Essential HBP, sometimes called primary, or idiopathic hypertension, is a condition with no known cause and has no cure as of yet.
Secondary HBP is when the elevated levels are caused by known conditions such as heart, kidney, circulatory and endocrine system complications, or pregnancies.
There are some common misconceptions about what hypertension is also.
For years, the primary focus was on the diastolic reading, with the reasoning that it was more indicative of potential problems.
If levels were high even when the heart was at rest, then it seemed logical to assume that there was greater cause for concern than if the levels were high during heart beats.
However in recent years it has been discovered that high systolic levels are no less significant, especially for older people.
This form is called, "Isolated Systolic Hypertension," (ISH) and it is common among older people.
In addition to all of the health risks already associated with HBP, ISH is also associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.
So, what is hypertension to you? You need to find out where you stand in terms of your risk factors and predispositions to this all too common health threat.
The doctor's office takes readings so often for this very reason, and also because the levels can change over short periods of time due to various circumstances.
33% of all adults in the United States have this condition and if left untreated, it can lead to heart attack, stroke, and damage to vital organs of the body.
A person's age is an important factor, and the levels need to be monitored more often as one gets older.
This is greatly due to the natural accumulated effects of our lifestyles and diet added to possible hereditary and genetic predispositions.
Blood Pressure readings are a combination of two numerical readings; systolic pressure and diastolic pressure.
The systolic measurement is the pressure generated by the beating of the heart, while the diastolic measurement is the pressure that exists between heart beats.
The blood pressure measurement is a ratio of these numbers expressed in fractional form, with the systolic reading on top and the diastolic reading on the bottom.
A normal reading would consist of a systolic number less than 120 and a diastolic reading of less than 80.
A condition of pre-hypertension can exist if those numbers are between 1-9 points higher than 120/80 (121/81 - 129/89).
Stage 1 Hypertension is diagnosed when those levels are over 140/90, and Stage 2 Hypertension exists when the levels are over 160/100.
High blood pressure (HBP) is broken down into two broad categories; Essential Hypertension, and Secondary Hypertension.
Essential HBP, sometimes called primary, or idiopathic hypertension, is a condition with no known cause and has no cure as of yet.
Secondary HBP is when the elevated levels are caused by known conditions such as heart, kidney, circulatory and endocrine system complications, or pregnancies.
There are some common misconceptions about what hypertension is also.
For years, the primary focus was on the diastolic reading, with the reasoning that it was more indicative of potential problems.
If levels were high even when the heart was at rest, then it seemed logical to assume that there was greater cause for concern than if the levels were high during heart beats.
However in recent years it has been discovered that high systolic levels are no less significant, especially for older people.
This form is called, "Isolated Systolic Hypertension," (ISH) and it is common among older people.
In addition to all of the health risks already associated with HBP, ISH is also associated with the development of Alzheimer's disease.
So, what is hypertension to you? You need to find out where you stand in terms of your risk factors and predispositions to this all too common health threat.