What Wikipedia Can’t Tell You About High Blood Pressure - Hypertension.

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Have you ever tried to learn about the Disease, that you are diagnosed with on Wikipedia ? 
I know, It’s boring…..!
It will take you to the ocean of Medical Vocabularies that will leave you confused; so ,finally, you’ll close the Tab.

Scratch that. Let us have real knowledge...
According to Google, 34.8% of the world's population is suffering from High Blood Pressure - Hypertension. 
I know what you thought - I want to know about it to protect me from that disease.
But, before that let’s learn about a few basic concepts of Blood pressure. 


What is Blood Pressure?
The lateral pressure exerted by the column of blood on the wall of arteries - this is written in my Physiology book. Yes, I'm a Doctor.
Let me simplify this definition for you. 
When the blood flows from blood vessels, it will exert some amount of pressure on the wall of vessels, exactly like the pressure of water on the wall of pipe - is called Blood Pressure. 

How Blood Pressure is measured?
Sphygmomanometer is the name of the device used to measure blood pressure.

The inflatable rubber cuff of it is tied to the patient’s arm, and the bulb is used to inflate the cuff.

The valve releases the pressure slowly and the stethoscope is used to listen to the heartbeat of the patient. 
The blood pressure reading could be seen on the Gauge.
As the heart beats, the blood flowing through the Arteries will cause rise in pressure, which is called Systolic Blood Pressure. 
This is followed by Diastolic blood pressure, when the heart is preparing for the next beat and the pressure in the Artery is Least. 
Systolic and Diastolic pressures are commonly stated as Systolic over(/) Diastolic - 120/80 means 120 mmHg is Systolic pressure and 80 mmHg is Diastolic pressure.
Yes, the unit in which blood pressure is measured in mmHg. 

How is blood pressure regulated?
The process of Blood pressure Regulation is too complex, even for some Doctors. 
Don’t worry, I simplified it for you.

I have told all the factors regulating Blood Pressure in a story form, I hope You’ll love it...
The blood that returns to Heart from Body is called Venous return. When it increases, obviously the heart needs to pump it out. More blood in a single beat means more blood pressure.So, with increase in Venous return - as in case of Exercise - blood pressure increases. 
The volume of blood pumped out of the heart in a minute is called Cardiac Output. You know that Cardiac Output increases when we exercise, so does the blood pressure..!
When the artery is elastic, it will get stretched; when the volume of blood flowing in it increases,so the effective blood pressure will be low;but when the arteries are stiff, it will not expand and the blood pressure reading will be high. The pressure that an arterial wall exerts on the blood is called Peripheral Resistance. When it is more, the blood pressure increases and vice versa. 
Overall blood volume in the body also plays a role. When body blood volume is more, the heart needs to circulate more blood in the system, which will result in it working at a higher pace. Hence, Blood Pressure will increase. 
These are the main Factors regulating Blood pressure. Other factors are Viscosity of the blood, Diameter of the blood vessel, and many more…
Now you have the general Idea about Blood Pressure, Let’s jump to the main topic - Hypertension (High Blood Pressure).

                                
 
                                    

Definition of High blood pressure: -  

Blood pressure more than 140/90 for a long time is called Hypertension.

Chronic Hypertension is the Silent Killer - causes Heart Failure, Aneurysm, Brain Stroke, Metabolic Syndrome etc in a longer run….

Classification of High Blood Pressure: - 



Category
Systolic Blood Pressure (mmHg)
Diastolic blood pressure(mmHg)
Normal
90–119
90–129
60–79
60–84
Prehypertension
(high normal, elevated)
120–129
130–139
60–79
85–89
Stage 1 hypertension
130-139
140–159
80-89
90–99
Stage 2 hypertension
>140
160–179
>90
100–109
Hypertensive crises
≥ 180
≥ 120
Isolated systolic hypertension
≥ 160
< 90 to 110
Isolated diastolic hypertension
< 140
≥ 90



Diagnostic Symptoms of Increased Blood Pressure: - 

  • Severe Headache
  • Confusion
  • Fatigue
  • Chest Pain


  • Visual impairment
  • Breathing problems
  • Irregular Heartbeat

Diet for High Blood Pressure: - 

DASH (Dietary Approaches To Stop Hypertension) is the diet designed by National Institutes Of Health specially for people with Hypertension. 
It decreases the sodium content in the diet and increases the amount of blood pressure lowering nutrients - Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium. 
The dietary guidelines include: - 
  • Grains: 6-8 servings/day.
  • Vegetables: 4-5 servings/day.
  • Fruits: 4-5 servings/day.
  • Dairy: 2-3 servings/day.
  • Nuts, seeds and Legumes: 4-5 servings/day.
  • Fats and oil: 2-3 servings/day
  • Sweets: 5 servings/ week.
  • Lean meat, poultry , fish: 6 servings of 1 ounce/day.


Complications due to High Blood Pressure: - 

  1. Blurred vision due to retinal damage
  2. Kidney failure due to glomerular injury.
  3. Stiff arteries. 

What causes Blood Pressure to stay High?

Two main factors that regulate Blood Pressure are Cardiac Output and Peripheral Resistance.

One of it or both could be elevated in Hypertension;Generally in old age, peripheral resistance is high and in young age , Cardiac output is elevated in Hypertensive patients.





Reasons for increased cardiac output: -

 

Increased Sodium in the body → Increase in Blood Volume → Increased Cardiac Output.
Anemia → Less Oxygen in the RBC → Heart needs to work more to supply Oxygen to all tissues → Elevation in Cardiac Output.
Hyperthyroidism → Metabolic rate of the body increase → Pumping of the Heart becomes fast and more effective → Cardiac output increases.
Kidney disease → Excretion of less water → More Blood Volume. 


Reasons for Increased Peripheral Resistance: - 
More Cholesterol deposits in arterial wall → Stiff Arteries → Increased peripheral resistance.
Constriction of Blood vessels by hormonal response (RAAS) of the body → More pressure exerted on the blood by vessels. 


Treatment of High Blood pressure: - 


Causes of Hypertension should be tackled to treat the disease. 
Increased Sodium → Restrict Sodium Intake
Anemia, Hyperthyroidism, Kidney disease  → Treat the disease
Increased body cholesterol → Decrease intake of fatty food and ,if serious, take lipid lowering drugs.
Disturbance of hormonal regulation → Drugs working on RAAS system 
Treatment depends on the patient’s overall health, age and other medicines that patient is taking. 
That’s all about Hypertension. Now, you are knowing almost 75% of everything under the name of Hypertension. 
Still want to know more? Leave a comment below…..