Blood
pressure is the amount of force exerted on the artery walls by the pumping
blood. The heart pumps blood around the body through the blood vessels.
High blood
pressure (hypertension) means that the blood is pumping at a higher pressure
than normal through the arteries, it exists where the pressure at which blood
is pushing against blood vessel walls is consistently above average. Blood
pressure is measured using an instrument called a sphygmomanometer.
In as many as
95% of reported high blood pressure cases in the U.S., the underlying cause
cannot be determined but several factors and conditions may play a role in its
development, some are:
1.
Smoking - smoking is such a powerful
risk factor in increasing high blood pressure.
2.
Overweight or obese - as body weight
increases, the blood pressure rises, being overweight increases the risk of
high blood pressure. Obesity is defined as having a body mass index (BMI)
greater than 30 kg/m (it can be calculated with this formula: weight (kg) /
[height (m)]2)
3.
Insufficient physical exercise – not
doing a regular body exercise can cause high blood pressure, it means there
will be high tendency to have excessive weight which is one of the risk factor
for high blood pressure.
4.
Too much salt in diet -high
consumption of sodium (salt) has tendency of increasing the blood pressure,
increase consumption of fast foods and processed foods contain particularly
high amounts of sodium which may contribute to high blood pressure.
5.
Alcohol consumption- taking more
than 2 drinks of alcohol per day in man and 1 in woman can increase it.
6. Stress – being under a lot of stress
can ginger high blood pressure.
7.
Older age – the older we become, the
risky we are to have high blood pressure due to some many factors like less
work or exercise, more time to be alone or at home without being involved in a
productive activity.
8.
Genetics – if it runs in the family,
it implies there is a risk of being victim.
9.
Family history of high blood pressure-
it has an important role to determine the risk of having high pressure. If the
father or mother has high blood pressure, it shows there is tendency to be
victim but if proper measure is taking it can be managed.
And
others that may not be included which can be traced to its causes.
Research has shown that
certain drugs can cause hypertension or make controlling hypertension more
difficult. These drugs include:
o The combined contraceptive pill
o Some nasal drops and sprays
o Some cough medicines, eye drops and
appetite suppressants
When a direct
cause for high blood pressure can be identified, the condition is described as secondary hypertension. Among the known causes
of secondary hypertension, kidney disease ranks highest.
If not managed over a
period of time it can ginger many illnesses, which may include -
o
Heart
attack
o
Heart
failure
o
Kidney
disease
o
Stroke
Control
or measure
The blood
pressure can be controlled by having an improved life style, taking for
instance someone smoking and drinking excessively can reduce the rate at which
the blood pumping is pushing the vessels walls, if he quits smoking and
drinking.
Likewise,
regular body exercises can help in controlling or preventing its causes.
Reducing
the sodium (salt) intake can also be of help in managing the blood pumping
rate.
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