HAVING survived a number of bouts with hypertension, I have learned to cope with the disease and to minimize its occurrence. Thanks to my one-on-one chit-chats with my doctors who have told me so much about it that I may now echo their combined bits and pieces to the “beginners” and the inexperienced.
When visiting a doctor for blood pressure reading, you get two numbers that represent the pressures inside the major arteries at two critical times: during each actual heartbeat and between beats, when the heart is relaxed.
A blood pressure of 120 over 80 (120/80) is the average “normal” where 120 represents the systolic pressure inside the large arteries of the body when the heart is ejecting blood. The second number, 80, is the pressure between heartbeats.
A person with elevated systolic or diastolic pressure (or both) may have hypertension. Elevation of the arterial pressure poses major danger to the arteries, the heart, brain, and kidneys.
How can hypertension damage the heart and arteries?
First, because hypertension causes the heart to pump with greater force, the heart muscle thickens — a process called hypertrophy. Eventually, the thickened muscle may simply be unable to keep up with the increased blood pressure. When this occurs, congestive heart failure occurs.
Second, hypertension damages arterial walls directly, causing them to become stiff and lose elasticity. Damage to the small arteries of the kidneys occurs as well, sometimes leading to kidney failure.
Third, arterial walls may be weakened, leading to ballooning of the arteries or aneurysm. Aneurysms typically involve the aorta, the largest artery in the body, and the cerebral arteries in the brain. Such aneurysms may burst, causing massive internal bleeding. When an aneurysm in a cerebral artery ruptures, it produces a stroke. Aneurysms may even occur in the wall of the heart itself, leading to heart failure.
Finally, hypertension speeds up the process of atherosclerosis, blocks the arteries and triggers a heart attack. When atherosclerosis blocks a carotid artery or vertebral artery, an ischemic stroke occurs.
Hypertension is called “the silent killer” because when left undiagnosed, it can be deadly.
Several risk factors contribute to high blood pressure, such as:
* Weight: Those who are overweight are more likely to have higher blood pressure.
* Salt: A diet high in salt causes some people to develop higher blood pressure.
* Alcohol: One to two drinks a day is okay, but regular, heavy alcohol use drives up blood pressure.
* Sedentary lifestyle: Aside from its potential to raise blood pressure, inactivity also leads to weight gain, which contributes to high blood pressure.
* Medications: Many prescription and over-the-counter drugs increase blood pressure, including oral contraceptives, steroids, anti-inflammatory drugs, nasal and oral drugs for colds, diet pills, certain antibiotics, and some forms of antidepressants.
On the other hand the unalterable conditions that raise the risk of developing high blood pressure include the following:
* Heredity: High blood pressure runs in some families.
* Age: High blood pressure becomes more common as you get older.
* Other diseases: Persons with certain disorders, such as diabetes mellitus and abnormal blood fats, are more prone to hypertension.
The hypertensives can avoid compounding risk by taking care of the controllable factors.
Since maintenance drugs could be very expensive, I have personally coped with the disease through proper diet. A nutritionist/book author calls it the Dietary Approach to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. It simply refers to meals rich in fruits, vegetables, and dairy products that are rich in vitamins and minerals but low in saturated fats, plus skinless poultry and fish for protein. (hvego31@gmail.com/PN)
