Risks factors related to Hypertension

 Hypertension is a chronic medical condition in which blood pressure is abnormally high. Blood pressure is the force exerted by circulating blood on the vessels’ walls and its value is affected by a variety of factors.

 There are two different measures of blood pressure: systolic pressure, which depends on the force with which the heart pumps blood into the arteries, and diastolic pressure, which depends on the size and condition of the arteries. Normal values for systolic and diastolic pressures are 120 and 80 mmHg respectively (written as 120/80). A blood pressure that is higher than 140/90 is called high blood pressure or hypertension, while a blood pressure between 120/80 and 139/89 is a medical condition called pre-hypertension.

The risk of high blood pressure with Hypertension

 Both pre-hypertension and high blood pressure usually don’t cause symptoms. But they can lead to serious health complications, including heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure. That’s why it is important to check one’s blood pressure regularly and take appropriate treatment measures when blood pressure is higher than normal.

 High blood pressure can be caused by a variety of factors, including certain medical problems (such as thyroid or kidney disease), certain medications (such as corticosteroids), and hormone therapy in women. However hypertension often doesn’t have a specific cause: this condition is called essential hypertension, and is mainly related to a number of unhealthy lifestyle habits. Obesity and overweight, smoking, alcohol abuse, eating to much salt (sodium) and not enough potassium and not getting enough exercise are all well known risk factors for essential hypertension. Other risk factors include male gender, age over 45 in men and over 55 in women, as well as a family history of high blood pressure.

 While hypertension due to specific diseases or medications can be effectively resolved by treating the underlying condition (e.g. chronic kidney disease or thyroid disease) or by withdrawing, whenever possible, the culprit medication (e.g. corticosteroids), essential  hypertension must be treated with specific anti-hypertensive drugs and by changing lifestyle habits. There are many different classes of medications available for the treatment of hypertension, including diuretics, beta-blockers, ACE inhibitors and vasodilators. It is the task of the doctor to decide what class or classes of drugs are most effective for each individual. In any case, it is important to note that the medical treatment of hypertension is always long-term and may involve the combined use of different types of anti-hypertensive drugs.

 Important lifestyle changes to treat high blood pressure include: adopting a healthy diet with low salt (sodium), fat and cholesterol, getting enough exercise, quitting smoking, limiting alcohol consumption and losing weight if obese or overweight. The best results are obtained by combining all these lifestyle changes, rather than adopting only one of them.

 We have made available in our resources section some Healthcare tools for your to calculate your BMI (Body Mass Index) easily with our BMI Calculator. You may also have a look at our weight loss calculator.

Because hypertension is a chronic condition which requires long-term treatment, people suffering from high blood pressure should get adequate international health insurance.