Health Resource Center
Hypertension & Heart Disease
Aug 20th 2008
Blood
pressure measures the force or pressure of the blood against the artery walls
as it is pumped around the body. The top number is called systolic blood
pressure and the bottom number is called diastolic blood pressure. Blood
pressure normally varies during the day and it is common to obtain different
readings at different times of the day. Blood pressure normally rises with
physical activity and stress. Doctors are most concerned with the average blood
pressure throughout the day and not with one isolated reading. Hypertension or
high blood pressure is when, on average, the blood pressure is above 120/80.
Elevations in both the systolic and diastolic readings are important risk
factors for cardiovascular illness (diseases of the heart and blood vessels).
Hypertension is the most prevalent treatable cardiovascular disease, affecting
nearly one in four adults or 140 million Americans. The diagnosis is made by
careful measurements of blood pressure on more than one occasion.
In most people (up to 95%), a specific cause of high
blood pressure cannot be identified and is attributed to genetics (essential or
primary hypertension). Other causes of high blood pressure (secondary
hypertension) are kidney disease and hormonal diseases such as thyroid
abnormalities. Hypertension is more prevalent in the elderly, the obese, the
diabetic population, and in those who smoke cigarettes or drink excessive
amounts of alcohol. Eating a diet high in salt may also worsen the problem.
High blood pressure is often called a silent killer
because it may cause no symptoms for long periods of time until complications
occur. It effects all ages and both sexes. If severe, symptoms may include
sweating, heart racing spells, headaches and chest pain. When your blood
pressure is high, the heart must work harder to pump blood through the body.
This can cause damage to your heart, including heart failure caused by damage
to the heart muscle and valves. In addition, elevated blood pressure may cause
heart rhythm abnormalities. Furthermore, hypertension increases stress on the
arteries and can cause the arteries to be prone to excess clotting. This may
lead to heart attacks and strokes. In addition, hypertension can cause damage
to other organs such as the kidneys.
If diagnosed, high blood pressure is well treated with
life style modifications such as smoking cessation, limiting alcohol, low salt
diets, exercise (please consult your doctor before beginning an exercise
program), weight loss, and stress reduction. In addition, medications are
highly effective in lowering blood pressure. Most patients will require more
than one medication to adequately control the blood pressure. Frequent monitoring
by your doctor will be necessary.
The good news is that with careful control of blood
pressure, complications can be avoided and patients can live long and fruitful
lives.
