High blood pressure has been a thorn in the flesh of quite a number of people for many generations and many people are seeking to know all about it in a bid to prevent it since the condition cannot be healed. Blood pressure, which is generated in the heart by the smaller vessels of blood’s resistance to the flow of blood and the heart’s pumping, is necessary for blood circulation. The circulation is needed for the nutrition of key body organs such as the brain, kidney, liver and kidneys to help them obtain nutrients and vital oxygen needed for life. Whenever there is contraction in the heart systolic pressure is produced and whenever there is relaxation diastolic pressure is produced. Diastolic pressure and systolic pressure are quite instrumental in determining whether a person is at risk of getting a stroke or heart attack. A doctor will measure both pressures and usually blood pressure in young people stands at 130/80. Blood pressure is termed high when it measures 160/100.
Hypertension is known to affect one out of every six persons with serious repercussions such as damage to the blood vessels, the formation of blood clots which could ultimately cause kidney failure, stroke or a heart attack. High blood pressure has two variations; primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. It is not possible to cure the former but it can be managed through the restriction of cholesterol intake, fat, salt stopping smoking, losing weight antihypertensive drugs and managing stress. The drugs that are normally taken for this are beta blockers, ACE inhibitors diuretics and channel blockers for calcium. The latter variation is not so common and accounts for ten percent of cases. It is caused by identifiable disorders like arteriosclerosis, Cushing’s disease and hyperthyroidism. Secondary hypertension is usually done by treating the cause of the disease.
There are several causes of the high blood pressure condition and among these is the age factor. Older people are more prone to getting hypertension compared to the younger people. Blood pressure usually increases with the amount of body weight and hence obese people are usually at risk of getting the condition. Hypertension can run in the family as well thus if there was someone in the lineage with the disease it could attack a younger generation. Diets also matter and people who constantly eat food rich in sugar and fat are at great risk of getting high blood pressure or a related disease. People who indulge in 3 and above glasses of alcoholic beverages are more likely to be hypersensitive. Then there is the issue with race; it has been established that black people are more prone to hypersensitivity as compared to white people. Stress should be avoided as well if one is keen to keep hypertension at bay as it is a major cause of the disease. Also referred to as the ‘silent killer’ Hypertension should be avoided at all costs by shunning anything that might cause it.