{"id":3572,"date":"2023-12-14T12:16:00","date_gmt":"2023-12-14T17:16:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/hypertension\/?p=3572"},"modified":"2023-10-27T21:09:06","modified_gmt":"2023-10-28T02:09:06","slug":"what-is-hypertension-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/mickeylieberman.com\/hypertension\/what-is-hypertension-2\/","title":{"rendered":"What is Hypertension?"},"content":{"rendered":"

\u00a0Hypertension<\/span><\/p>\n

Hypertension or high blood pressure is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Blood pressure is summarized by two measurements, systolic and diastolic, which depend on whether the heart muscle is contracting (systole) or relaxed between beats (diastole). This equals the maximum and minimum pressure, respectively.<\/span><\/p>\n

Normal blood pressure at rest is within the range of 100\u2013140mmHg systolic (top reading) and 60\u201390mmHg diastolic (bottom reading).<\/span><\/p>\n

High blood pressure is said to be present if it is often at or above 140\/90 mmHg.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hypertension is classified as either primary (essential) hypertension or secondary hypertension. About 90\u201395% of cases are categorized as “primary hypertension” which means high blood pressure with no obvious underlying medical cause.<\/span><\/p>\n

The remaining 5\u201310% of cases (secondary hypertension) are caused by other conditions that affect the kidneys, arteries, heart, or endocrine system.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hypertension puts strain on the heart, leading to hypertensive heart disease and coronary artery disease if not treated.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hypertension is also a major risk factor for stroke, aneurysms of the arteries (e.g. aortic aneurysm), peripheral arterial disease and is a cause of chronic kidney disease.<\/span><\/p>\n

A moderately high arterial blood pressure is associated with a shortened life expectancy while mild elevation is not.<\/span><\/p>\n

Dietary and lifestyle changes can improve blood pressure control and decrease the risk of health complications, although drug treatment is still often necessary in people for whom lifestyle changes are not enough or not effective.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hypertension is rarely accompanied by any symptoms, and its identification is usually through screening, or when seeking healthcare for an unrelated problem.<\/span><\/p>\n

A proportion of people with high blood pressure report headaches (particularly at the back of the head and in the morning), as well as light-headedness, vertigo, tinnitus (buzzing or hissing in the ears), altered vision, or fainting episodes.<\/span><\/p>\n

These symptoms, however, might be related to associated anxiety rather than the high blood pressure itself.<\/span><\/p>\n

On physical examination, hypertension may be suspected on the basis of the presence of hypertensive retinopathy detected by examination of the optic fundus found in the back of the eye using ophthalmoscopy.<\/span><\/p>\n

The severity of the hypertensive retinopathy changes is graded from grade I\u2013IV, although the milder types may be difficult to distinguish from each other.<\/span><\/p>\n

Ophthalmoscopy findings may also give some indication as to how long a person has been hypertensive.<\/span><\/p>\n

Hypertensive crisis<\/span><\/p>\n

Severely elevated blood pressure (equal to or greater than a systolic 180 or diastolic of 110\u2014sometimes termed malignant or accelerated hypertension) is referred to as a “hypertensive crisis”, as blood pressure at this level confers a high risk of complications.<\/span><\/p>\n

People with blood pressures in this range may have no symptoms, but are more likely to report headaches (22% of cases) and dizziness than the general population.<\/span><\/p>\n

Other symptoms accompanying a hypertensive crisis may include visual deterioration or breathlessness due to heart failure or a general feeling of malaise due to renal failure.<\/span><\/p>\n

Most people with a hypertensive crisis are known to have elevated blood pressure, but additional triggers may have led to a sudden rise.<\/span><\/p>\n

A “hypertensive emergency”, previously “malignant hypertension”, is diagnosed when there is evidence of direct damage to one or more organs as a result of the severely elevated blood pressure.<\/span><\/p>\n

This may include hypertensive encephalopathy, caused by brain swelling and dysfunction, and characterized by headaches and an altered level of consciousness (confusion or drowsiness).<\/span><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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