Hypertension and You

Because hypertension is such a common medical condition with very few symptoms, it’s very easy for people to ignore their diagnosis and avoid treatment. However if hypertension is left untreated, it can lead to severe health problems, including premature death. This is why it is important to treat hypertension and to keep it under control.

The true definition of hypertension, or high blood pressure, has been studied over the years by doctors and scientists through various experimentations. What they have come up with is that the hypertension results vary from country to country, region to region.

According to the dictionary, hypertension is defined as: A medical condition, in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated, or a number of 140/90 or higher.

There are other conditions that need to be taken into consideration when defining hypertension but some of these considerations need to be discarded. For example, when a healthy person goes to the doctor and the blood pressure reading is unusually high. This could be due to the sheer fact that someone is taking the blood pressure reading or a fear of “white-coat syndrome” (yes it is a real syndrome), and not necessarily because there is a problem with hypertension. The doctor or nurse should retake the blood pressure reading after some time has passed to see if the blood pressure is really that high. At that time, the blood pressure should return to normal.

If the diastolic reading (the bottom number) on the blood pressure reading stays the same and doesn’t significantly increase, chances are the blood pressure is in normal limits. The diastolic number is the more important of the two for blood pressure. This is because it indicates the pressure within the arteries when the heart rests in between beats. If the arterial walls are narrowed, blood is flowing less than it should be and will have a higher reading.

If someone has a blood pressure reading of 170/110, this means that the heart is working double trying to keep up with the flow of the blood. With a blood pressure this high, a person is likely to notice some symptoms such as severe headaches, tiredness, and/or dizzy spells. If a blood pressure reading is 230/130, this is to be considered a life-threatening medical problem as this can cause heart disease or lead to a stroke.

Hypertension alone can lead doctors to other illnesses that may be seen in the near future. Once someone is diagnosed with hypertension, they will have hypertension for the rest of their life. They need to treat this medical condition and keep it under good control to avoid the risks that may come along, if left untreated.