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Hypertension: Symptoms, Causes, Diagnosis, And Treatment


What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure or hypertension is when our body bold pressure rises up to abnormal levels. It is calculated by how much blood has passed through our blood vessels and the amount of resistance our blood goes through while being pumped by the heart.

 One of the causes of high resistance can be narrowed or inelastic arteries. 

 Hypertension is one of the most common diagnoses in the adult population.

 Hypertension has a longer course than other diseases. It might not have any symptoms at first but still damage our vessels and major organs like heart, brain, kidneys, and eyes.

 So early diagnosis is very important to prevent damages to our bodies. Having regular checkups is advised for adults especially those over the age of 45.

What are the symptoms of hypertension?

Hypertension usually doesn't have many symptoms for many years. It may take many years for the symptoms to be noticeable by us. Even if we notice any symptoms those symptoms can be attributed to many other medical conditions.

Hypertension symptoms may include:
  • headaches
  • shortness of breath
  • nosebleeds
  • flushing
  • dizziness
  • chest pain
  • visual changes
  • blood in the urine
These symptoms do not occur to everyone with hypertension. But if they occur they could mean serious complications and may require medical attention. Regular measurement of blood pressure is the most important thing to diagnose hypertension.

Causes of Hypertension 

Causes of hypertension can be divided into two. Primary hypertension and secondary hypertension.

Primary Hypertension
This type of hypertension develops with no identifiable cause. but there are some factors that are believed to contribute to high blood pressure. These factors are:

Genes: Some people have inherited a gene that may contribute to high blood pressure 

Physical Factors: Changes to our body might be a factor for hypertension. For example, our blood vessels lose their elasticity as we age which causes the resistance to increase in the blood vessels causing blood pressure to rise.

Environmental Factors: Some lifestyles may predispose us to hypertension. these include a sedentary lifestyle, obesity, and so on.

Secondary Hypertension

This type of hypertension has a faster course than primary hypertension. It might also be more severe. The causes are:
  • kidney disease
  • obstructive sleep apnea
  • congenital heart defects
  • problems with your thyroid
  • side effects of medications
  • use of illegal drugs
  • alcohol abuse or chronic use
  • adrenal gland problems
  • certain endocrine tumors
How to Diagnose Hypertension
Hypertension

Diagnosing hypertension is very easy. We just need to take blood measurements. High blood pressure upon measurement is a strong indication of hypertension, but we don't diagnose hypertension with just one-time measurement.

Your doctor might request more testing if your blood measurement is high persistently to rule out any other conditions and complications. These tests include:
  • Urine Tests
  • Cholesterol level
  • Ultrasound of the heart and kidneys
  • ECG
And other tests might be done based on your symptoms.

High blood pressure is done by taking to your systolic pressure and diastolic pressure readings.

Five categories of blood pressure readings
  • Healthy: less 120/80
  • Elevated: Systolic between 120-129 and diastolic is less than 80.
  • Stage 1 hypertension: Systolic 130-139 and diastolic 80-89
  • Stage 2 hypertension: Systolic above 140 and diastolic is above 90.
  • Hypertensive crisis: Systolic above 180 and diastolic is above 140. It requires immediate attention.
Treatment of Hypertension

If hypertension is not severe simple lifestyle changes might be helpful to control high blood pressure. For secondary hypertension treating the underlying condition is important.

Medications
  • Beta-blockers
  • ACE inhibitors
  • Diuretics
  • Calcium channel blockers
  • Angiotensin II receptor blockers

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