Overview
Have you ever experienced morning headaches, vision changes, and buzzing in the ears? It might be an indication of Hypertension commonly named High Blood Pressure. Oftentimes, the symptoms collide with other conditions like the weakening of eyesight or ear problems and it goes unnoticed. As per CDC, around 116 million people in the US have hypertension or high blood pressure. Hypertension can lead to severe health issues and can have an impact on heart health as well. Various Clinical Research Organizations in Texas are conducting Hypertension Clinical Trials to find a potential treatment option.
In this blog, we will be discussing Hypertension, its symptoms, its effect on daily life activities, and how it affects other body systems.
What Is Hypertension or High Blood Pressure?
If we break down the word hypertension, hyper is a prefix that refers to over or beyond, and tension means strain. When combined, hypertension means straining beyond limits. So, when the blood pressure is abnormally high it causes strain on the blood vessels resulting in an excessive load on the heart. Hypertension or high blood pressure can lead to severe complications including heart attack and stroke, if not treated in time.
Why is Hypertension a Problem?
The answer to this is straightforward. When your blood pressure is abnormally elevated, your heart has to put in extra effort to pump blood throughout the body. With the high pressure in arteries, they become weak and might bleed leading to a stroke. Over time, the blood vessels harden, this also occurs due to increasing age.
Hypertension or high blood pressure expedites this process. The damage to blood vessels leads to the hardening and narrowing of arteries because it impedes blood flow. This may also lead to atherosclerosis where the deposits of cholesterol, blood cells, and fatty substances choke the arteries.
With the constantly increasing workload on the heart, the heart muscles start to thicken, and over time this leads to a reduced ability to pump blood throughout. This can lead to heart failure. It damages other organs as well ultimately.
Causative Factors of Hypertension or High Blood Pressure
An amalgamation of factors is involved in causing hypertension. Some of which are:
- Obesity,
- Eating habits (high salt intake),
- Sedentary lifestyle,
- Smoking, and
- Alcohol consumption.
In many cases. Hypertension occurs as a result of underlying health conditions:
- Diabetes,
- Kidney disease,
- Sleep apnoea,
- Glomerulonephritis,
- Hormonal imbalance,
- Lupus, and
- Scleroderma.
What are the Common Symptoms of Hypertension or High Blood Pressure?
Hypertension or High Blood Pressure is commonly called a ‘’silent killer’’. Many times a person is not aware of the condition because the symptoms may not show up. For this very reason, it is advised to keep a check on your blood pressure to avoid severe complications.
Some of the typical symptoms are:
- Blurred vision,
- Morning headaches,
- Buzzing in the ears,
- Fatigue,
- Nausea,
- Vomit,
- Confusion,
- Anxiety,
- Chest pain, and
- Tremors.
How Does Hypertension or High Blood Pressure Impact Health?
Hypertension or high blood pressure can lead to severe health issues as the heart is the major organ that supplies blood to the rest of the body. It puts extra strain on the eyes, kidneys, and blood vessels, posing a great risk to the whole system. It can also cause sexual dysfunction, erectile dysfunction in men, and decreased libido in women.
Some of the other changes in general health are:
- Strokes,
- Aneurysms,
- Enlarged left heart,
- Heart failure,
- Transient ischemic attack,
- Kidney sclerosis,
- Optic neuropathy,
- Retinopathy,
- Choroidopathy,
- Memory loss,
- Blindness, and
- Pregnancy complications.
How Does It Affect Daily Life?
As discussed above, hypertension or high blood pressure can quietly vandalize the body for years before actually showing up. Thus, uncontrolled hypertension can impair the quality of life and can cause other severe complications. Hypertension or high blood pressure can reduce the productivity levels of an individual to a great extent.
What Measures that Prevent Hypertension ?
It is important to note that hypertension or high blood pressure is a manageable condition. Various techniques can be adopted to ensure a healthy lifestyle with minimal disease burden.
Some of the ways that can be of help are:
- Healthy diet: It is the key to a healthy life. Incorporating vegetables, fruits, protein, potassium, and fiber can help keep blood pressure levels normal and prevent diseases.
- Physical activity: of any sort can prove to be beneficial in maintaining your blood pressure. A 30 minutes walk daily or 5 times a week coupled with a healthy diet can produce promising results.
- Maintain a good weight: Being overweight and obese can be harmful to your general well-being. It is essential to calculate your BMI (body mass index) and work towards achieving it through a healthy diet and exercise plan.
- Avoid smoking: It is the leading cause of hypertension. Avoid smoking, and if you do not, do not start.
- Get adequate sleep: Adequate sleep regulates other body systems. It is essential to have at least 8 hours of sleep to help your heart, brain, and other organs relax.
- Reduce salt intake: Salt is considered harmful for people diagnosed with hypertension. By limiting the amount of fast food and packaged food, as it is high in sodium content.
- Limit sugar intake: Packaged foods have hidden sugar content, make sure you read the contents and decide wisely.
Potential Treatment Options for Hypertension or High Blood Pressure?
While treating hypertension, your doctor looks at many factors that help devise a definite treatment plan. These factors include the type of hypertension and its causes.
Some of the treatment choices are:
Medications:
- Beta-blockers: These help in slowing down your heartbeat and reduces the amount of blood pumped with each beat. this lowers your blood pressure.
- Diuretics: High sodium content and excess fluid in the body can raise your blood pressure. Diuretics assist the kidneys in removing excess sodium and water from the body. with the removal of excess water and salt, your blood pressure starts to lower.
- ACE Inhibitors: Angiotensin causes constriction of blood vessels and artery walls. The ACE inhibitor prevents the body from producing this chemical. Resultantly, it relaxes blood vessels and reduces blood pressure.
- Angiotensin-II Receptor Blockers: ARBs block angiotensin from binding to the receptors. Without angiotensin, the blood vessels will not constrict. In this way, blood vessels relax and lower blood pressure.
- Calcium Channel blockers: These block calcium from entering the cardiac muscles of your heart. this results in less forceful heartbeats and lower blood pressure.
- Alpha-2 Antagonists: This medication alters the nerve impulses that help the blood vessels tighten. In turn, it relaxes blood vessels and reduces blood pressure.
Dietary Modifications to Lower Hypertension
With medications, some dietary alterations can help to improve the overall health of an individual and potentially reduce blood pressure. Incorporating fruits, and vegetables, lowering salt intake and including a healthy exercise routine assists in managing hypertension or high blood pressure.
Outlook
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a common health issue in the United States. Hypertension often presents with no symptoms. Therefore it is essential to keep a check on your blood pressure levels to avoid severe complications. The good news is, that hypertension or high blood pressure can be managed with lifestyle modifications and dietary changes like incorporating vegetables and fruits in your diet, limiting salt intake, and increasing daily physical activity. To learn more about the condition and its management, consider reaching out to Paid Clinical Trials in Texas.
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