What is Hypertension?
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition where blood pressure is above normal limits (130/80 mmHg or more).
This condition can cause various life-threatening health complications if left untreated.
In fact, this disorder can cause an increased risk of heart disease, stroke, and even death.
The term blood pressure itself can be described as the force of blood circulation against the walls of the body’s arteries, which are the main blood vessels.
The amount of pressure that occurs depends on the resistance of the blood vessels and how intensely the heart works.
A person can experience high blood pressure if the heart pumps too much blood and the arteries become narrower.
Hypertension can be detected by routine blood pressure checks. This is recommended to be done annually by all adults.
Blood pressure readings are taken in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The results of the examination will be divided into two numbers, namely:
- The first number or systolic represents the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart contracts or beats.
- The second or diastolic number represents the pressure in the blood vessels when the heart rests between beats.
A person can be said to have hypertension if the systolic blood pressure reading from two consecutive measurements shows a result greater than 140 mmHg, and/or the diastolic blood pressure reading shows a result greater than 90 mmHg.
Symptoms of Hypertension
A person who suffers from hypertension will experience several symptoms, including:
- Headache ;
- Nosebleed;
- Vision problems;
- Chest pain;
- Ringing in the ears;
- Shortness of breath; and
- Arrhythmia.
For severe hypertension, symptoms can include:
- Fatigue;
- Nausea and/or vomiting;
- Confusion;
- Feeling anxious;
- Chest pain;
- Muscle tremors; and
- Presence of blood in the urine.
Hypertension Risk Factors
Indeed, the risk factor for developing hypertension is directly proportional to age.
A person who is older is more likely to experience hypertension.
Some other risk factors that can increase the occurrence of hypertension are:
- Be over 65 years of age.
- Often consuming foods high in salt.
- Experience being overweight or obese.
- Having a family history of the same medical condition.
- Lack of consumption of fruits and vegetables.
- Not being physically active or rarely exercising.
- Consuming too much food or drink containing caffeine.
- Have a smoking habit.
- Drinking a lot of alcoholic beverages.
- Stress. High levels of stress can temporarily increase blood pressure.
- Have certain chronic conditions, such as kidney disease, diabetes, or sleep apnea.
It is also important to understand that sometimes pregnancy can also cause high blood pressure.
In addition, this disorder can also occur in children, usually caused by kidney or heart problems.
The influence of a bad lifestyle also worsens this problem. Also, be aware of the following 9 Causes of Hypertension in Your 20s.
However, you can reduce or even prevent the risk of hypertension by changing your lifestyle to be healthier and regulating your diet regularly.
Make sure to fulfill your body’s nutritional intake to stay healthy, drink water every day, and exercise regularly.
Also, complete it by consuming supplements or vitamins to keep the body healthy.
Causes of Hypertension
Hypertension is divided into two types, namely primary and secondary hypertension. Here is an explanation of the causes of this hypertension:
1. Primary Hypertension
Often, the cause of hypertension in most adults cannot be identified.
Primary hypertension tends to develop gradually over many years and eventually gets worse if left untreated.
2. Secondary Hypertension
Some people have high blood pressure because they have an underlying health condition.
This type of hypertension tends to occur suddenly and causes higher blood pressure than primary hypertension.
Various conditions that can cause secondary hypertension include:
- Obstructive sleep apnea (OSA).
- Kidney problems.
- Adrenal gland tumor.
- Thyroid problems.
- Congenital defects in blood vessels.
- Medications, such as birth control pills, cold medicines, decongestants, and over-the-counter pain relievers.
- Illegal drugs.
Hypertension Diagnosis
The doctor will ask questions about your medical history and perform a physical examination.
After that, the doctor uses a pressure gauge to measure blood pressure.
Blood pressure measurement results are divided into four general categories:
- Normal blood pressure is blood pressure below 120/80 mmHg.
- Prehypertension is a systolic blood pressure ranging from 120–139 mmHg, or a diastolic blood pressure ranging from 80–89 mmHg. Prehypertension tends to get worse over time.
- Stage 1 hypertension is systolic pressure ranging from 140–159 mmHg, or diastolic pressure ranging from 90–99 mm Hg.
- Stage 2 hypertension is considered more severe. Stage 2 hypertension is a systolic pressure of 160 mmHg or higher or a diastolic pressure of 100 mmHg or higher.
- Hypertensive crisis. Blood pressure readings are higher than 180/120 mmHg. This is an emergency situation that requires immediate medical attention. If you get this result when measuring your blood pressure at home, wait five minutes and retest. If you experience symptoms of hypertension, it is a good idea to get checked at the hospital immediately.
If the results are still unclear, the doctor will usually perform several supporting examinations to confirm the diagnosis. The methods can be through:
- Outpatient monitoring. The goal is to check blood pressure regularly for 6 to 24 hours.
- Cholesterol test. To check for conditions that can cause or worsen high blood pressure.
- Blood sugar test. The goal is to detect insulin resistance which can cause high blood sugar levels, and contribute to the development of hypertension.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) . This is done by measuring the electrical activity of the heart and finding out how fast or slow the heart is beating.
- Echocardiogram. This non-invasive test uses sound waves to produce detailed images of the beating heart. It shows how blood moves through the heart and the heart valves.
- Thyroid function test. The goal is to assess the function of the thyroid gland which can affect blood pressure.
- Urine test. Its function is to identify the presence of protein, blood, or other substances that can indicate hypertension, including kidney damage.
Hypertension Treatment
Some people with hypertension must take medication for life to regulate their blood pressure.
Once under control, you can reduce the dose of medication or stop taking it.
The following two things are the main steps in treating hypertension:
1. Changes in lifestyle
There are several lifestyles you need to follow to increase your chances of recovery. Among them are:
- Maintain a healthy weight.
- Reduce or quit smoking.
- Consume healthy, balanced, nutritious food that is low in salt.
- Limit consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- Do low-intensity physical activity regularly.
- Manage stress well, for example by doing activities that you enjoy.
- Taking high blood pressure medication regularly.
- Limit caffeine consumption, especially from coffee.
- Monitor your blood pressure at home and have regular check-ups.
Hypertension sufferers also need to control their weight. Because obesity or being overweight can trigger hypertension.
2. Taking medication
The drugs that doctors generally give to people with hypertension include:
- Medication to remove excess salt and fluid in the body through urine. Because hypertension makes sufferers susceptible to high salt levels in the body.
- Types of drugs to widen blood vessels so that blood pressure can decrease. You need to know that hypertension makes sufferers susceptible to blockages in blood vessels.
- A drug that works to slow the heart rate and widen blood vessels.
- A type of blood pressure-lowering drug that functions to make the walls of blood vessels more relaxed.
- Renin-inhibitors inhibit the enzyme that works to raise blood pressure. If renin works excessively, blood pressure will rise uncontrollably.
One of the hypertension drugs that doctors can prescribe is furosemide.
Well, before consuming Furosemide, it’s best to ask this doctor first.
Apart from taking medication, you can also treat hypertension through relaxation therapy.
For example, meditation therapy or physical exercise such as yoga.
However, hypertension treatment will not run smoothly if it is not accompanied by lifestyle changes.
Examples include adopting a healthy diet and lifestyle, as well as exercising regularly.
High Blood Pressure Medication Recommendations
Here are some medicines that you can use to treat high blood pressure or hypertension:
- Tensiphar 5 mg 10 Tablets. This drug contains lisinopril which is useful for treating hypertension, congestive heart failure, acute myocardial infarction, and angina pectoris.
- Clonidine 0.15 mg 10 Tablets. Is a drug that can help overcome hypertension, reduce the effects of severe pain due to cancer, and as a therapy for severe dysmenorrhea.
- B-Beta 5 mg 10 Tablets. Contains the active substance Bisoprolol which can lower heart rate and lower blood pressure.
- Amlodipine 5 mg 3 Strips (10 Tablets/Strip) – Routine Medication. Useful as a first-line treatment for hypertension and to control blood pressure in most patients.
- Candesartan 8 mg 10 Tablets. An antihypertensive drug that works by widening blood vessels so that blood flow becomes smooth and blood pressure will decrease.
- Bisoprolol 2.5 mg 10 Tablets. Is a drug that is useful for treating hypertension, angina, and chronic heart failure.
Hypertension Prevention
There are several steps that can be taken to prevent hypertension, namely:
- Eat healthy foods, such as fruits and vegetables.
- Limit salt intake (to less than 5g daily).
- Reduce excessive caffeine consumption.
- Quit smoking.
- Exercise regularly.
- Maintain weight.
- Reduce consumption of alcoholic beverages.
- Limit your intake of foods high in saturated fat.
- Eliminate/reduce trans fats in the diet.