Summary: Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against
the walls of arteries. Poor handling of high blood pressure gives rise to
serious health complications, such as stroke and heart attack. The present blog
talks about high blood pressure, its symptoms, complications, the risk factors
and the tips to prevent it.
Before
knowing about high blood pressure, it is essential to know about blood
pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against the walls of the
arteries. High blood pressure occurs when this force becomes too high. High
blood pressure is also known as hypertension. The more blood your heart pumps and
the narrower are your arteries, higher becomes your blood pressure. Process of
checking of blood pressure is the same in the persons of every age group—be it
child, teen, adult or aged.
Some
people may show symptoms of high blood pressure, while some may not show any
symptoms. But, even
without any symptoms, blood vessels and heart keep on getting damaged. Poor
handling of high blood pressure over years gives rise to serious health
complications, such as stroke and heart attack.
Symptoms
of High Blood Pressure:
- Severe headaches
- Severe anxiety
- Shortness of breath
- Nosebleeds
- Blurred vision
- Swollen Abdomen
- Fatigue
- Oedema
- Chest Pain and Angina
- Dizziness, fainting and
headaches
High blood pressure exerts excessive pressure on the
walls of artery. This pressure damages the blood vessels. If the situation is
not controlled even at this level, organs also start getting damaged. In fact,
higher is the blood pressure and longer it remains ignored, greater damage it
does.
Health
Complications Arising out of High Blood Pressure
·
Heart Attack or
Stroke: High
blood pressure makes arteries hard and thick. This is a condition known as atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis may lead to serious health complications, such as
stroke, heart attack, etc.
·
Heart Failure: It becomes difficult for
heart muscles to pump blood against the higher pressure in blood vessels.
Resultantly, heart muscles become thick. The thickened heart muscles fail to
pump enough blood to cater to body’s needs and requirements. Eventually it
leads to heart failure.
·
Aneurysm: High blood pressure make
blood vessels weak. It causes
bulge in the blood vessels forming an aneurysm. If any rupture occurs in
aneurysm, it becomes life-threatening.
·
Trouble with
Memory or Understanding: Poor control of
high blood pressure negatively affects the body’s ability to think, learn and
remember.
·
Metabolic
Syndrome: This syndrome is not about a single disorder. Rather, it is a cluster of
syndrome that includes increased waist circumference, high triglycerides,
reduction in good cholesterols (High Density Lipoprotein) and high insulin
level. These conditions may give rise to diabetes, heart disease and stroke.
The Risk Factors
·
Family History: If one person in a family is diagnosed with high blood
pressure, other members also become susceptible to it.
·
Heavy Drinking: Drinking too much alcohol negatively affect blood pressure and
damages heart. A woman should not take more than one drink in a day. In case of
man, more than twice drinks a day is not moderate.
·
Age: Risk of high blood pressure becomes more with age. Men are at more risk than women. While
women develop high blood pressure after 65 years of age, men can develop it in
early middle age, or till the time they reach the age of 45.
·
Sedentary Lifestyle: People who lead a sedentary lifestyle, are more likely
to develop high blood pressure than the people who lead active lifestyle. Very
less or no physical activity also increases the risk of becoming overweight.
·
Tobacco Consumption: Apart from raising blood pressure temporarily, the
chemicals in tobacco damage the lining of the artery walls. Resultantly, artery
becomes narrow.
·
Obesity: The more you put weight, the more blood you require to supply
oxygen and nutrients to the tissues. Since volume of blood circulated through
the blood vessels increases, pressure on artery walls increases.
Tips to prevent High Blood Pressure: Lifestyle changes can help prevent high blood pressure. Some
of these changes are given below:
Ø Take Healthy Foods: Take vegetables, fruits, whole grains, fish, poultry and
low-fat dairy foods. Stay away from saturated fat.
Ø Decrease Salt Intake: 1500 milligrams a day is sufficient for the people of 50 years
or older and the individuals who have hypertension, diabetes or CKD (Chronic
Kidney Disease). Otherwise healthy people can take 2300 mg per day or less. You
should avoid restaurant foods to minimize the intake of salt.
Ø Maintain a Healthy Weight: If you are obese, cut your calories’ intake and maintain a
healthy weight. It will lower your health complications by controlling your
high blood pressure. Losing even 2-3 kilograms will lower the risk of blood
pressure.
Ø Keep Active Lifestyle: Active lifestyle will help you lower your blood pressure, keep
your weight under control, lower your stress and minimize your risk of several
health complications.
Ø Limit Alcohol: If you are not disciplined, when it comes to taking alcohol, it
is time to introspect. Take alcohol in moderation. Even if you are otherwise
healthy, consumption of alcohol in excess will raise your blood pressure.
Ø Quit Smoking: Consumption of tobacco damages blood vessel walls and contribute
to the hardening of the arteries. In order to ward off these complications,
quit smoking.
Ø Control Blood Pressure
During Pregnancy: If you are a pregnant woman with
high blood pressure, discuss with your doctors the measures to control it.
Ashish Jha