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Angela Browne

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Posts Tagged ‘High Blood Pressure’

30
Nov

Smoking – The Hard Facts about Nicotine and how it Causes Hypertension

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chronic hypertension


Based on medical studies, it is said that smoking tobacco or cigarettes can cause your blood pressure level to increase by 5 to 10 mm Hg during the day. It is actually the systolic blood pressure that is largely affected since the systolic blood pressure count increases by at least 20 mm Hg.

Persons already afflicted with hypertension are greatly advised to quit smoking as it can cause further hardening of the arteries and can lead to heart attacks. Although there is no direct link between smoking and the increase of high blood pressure, it is analyzed that blood pressure is a secondary hypertension disorder to cardio vascular diseases.

As nicotine, together with cholesterol and other fat deposits contribute to the hardening of the arteries, which develops through the years, poor blood circulation and blood clots lead to high blood pressure, stroke, and heart attacks.

Nicotine substance in cigarettes and how it can lead to hypertension:

• Nicotine as a substance of cigarettes or tobacco has the tendency to constrict blood vessels and arteries, which can cause plaque build-up leading to blood clots.

• As smoke and nicotine passes through the body, the linings of the blood vessels are damaged and hastens the hardening of arterial walls known as atherosclerosis.

• As smoke is inhaled, the smoker also inhales carbon monoxide, which decreases the oxygen supply of the heart, brain and other vital organs.

• Nicotine has the ability to stimulate the production of the hormone epinephrine also known as adrenaline, which causes blood vessels to constrict. Constricted blood vessels are one of the factors in peripheral resistance, wherein blood circulation becomes difficult causing the systolic pressure to build up.

Change of Lifestyle:

Medical advisers say that merely changing your diet to health giving foods and exercising regularly will hardly take any effect in preventing the incidence of high blood pressure attacks if you don’t quit smoking. To support this information below are some facts about cigarette smoking:

Cigarettes are said to contain 4000 chemical compounds and 400 toxic substances.

The damaging products of smoking are:

• Tar, which is a carcinogen which means it is cancer causing.

• Nicotine, which is considered as addictive and has the capacity to increase cholesterol levels.

• Carbon monoxide, which can affect the oxygen supply of the body.

• Other gas components which can cause chronic obstructive pulmonary disorder.

Although smoking is identified with breathing problems, often leading to lung cancer, statistics have it that 30% of all fatal heart diseases in the U.S. were linked to smoking due to the hardening of major coronary arteries. These hardened arteries contributed to the incidence of stroke as a result of peripheral vascular disease.

Alvin Hopkinson is a leading health researcher in the area of natural remedies and hypertension treatments. Discover how you can get rid of your high blood pressure for good using proven and effective home remedies, all without using harmful medications or drugs. Visit his site now at http://www.minusbloodpressure.com


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26
Sep

Hypertension – Symptoms, Causes and Treatment

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chronic hypertension


 

Hypertension, referred to as high blood pressure, HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. It was previously referred to as nonarterial hypertension[citation needed], but in current usage, the word “hypertension”[citation needed] without a qualifier normally refers to arterial hypertension.

Hypertension: Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

One of the most dangerous aspects of hypertension is that you may not know that you have it. There are generally no symptoms of high blood pressure, so you usually don’t feel it. In fact, nearly one-third of people who have hypertension don’t know it. The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to get your blood pressure checked on a regular basis. This is especially important if you have a close relative who has high blood pressure.

Causes of Hypertension

Race. African-Americans are more likely to develop high blood pressure than their Caucasian counterparts.

Gender. Men run a greater overall risk for developing high blood pressure than women do. However, women who are postmenopausal, especially if 20 pounds or more overweight, are at risk for developing high blood pressure.

Primary, or essential, high blood pressure accounts for 95% of all cases of hypertension.3Secondary high blood pressure, which is caused by another disease or medicine, is less common.

Restrictive cardiomyopathy

Dilated cardiomyopathy

Mitral stenosis

Mitral regurgitation

The other major type of hypertension, termed Secondary Hypertension, has an identifiable cause. It is due to disease. For example, kidney (renal) hypertension is due to high blood pressure within the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys. The underlying cause is kidney disease or conditions like atherosclerosis, which narrow or block the renal arteries. Secondary hypertension may also result from hormonal imbalances, particularly in the kidney’s adrenal glands.

Experts believed that this system evolved millions of years ago to protect early humans during drought or stress by retaining salt and water and narrowing blood vessels to ensure adequate blood flow and repair injured tissue. With industrialization, however, this system wreaks havoc on modern humans by intensifying the effects of high-salt diets and sedentary lifestyle. Of particular importance in these harmful responses are the hormone aldosterone and a peptide (which are components of proteins) called angiotensin II.

Treatment of Hypertension

The goal of treatment is to reduce blood pressure so that you have a lower risk of complications.

There are many different medicines that can be used to treat high blood pressure. Such medicines include:

Alpha blockers

Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

Angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs)

Calcium channel blockers

Beta blockers. These medications reduce the workload on your heart, causing your heart to beat slower and with less force. When prescribed alone, beta blockers don’t work as well in blacks — but they’re effective when combined with a thiazide diuretic.


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9
Aug

Hypertension Causes and Risks

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chronic hypertension


Primary (aka essential) hypertension has no known cause, however there are a number of lifestyle factors which do seem to effect the chances of developing hypertension.

Risk factors may be related to the environment, genetics and family history, smoking, diet, hormones, how much sodium (salt) you have in your diet or even the level of stress in your life.

Hypertension also increases your risk of having a stroke or heart attack, and can lead to other diseases as well as make other health conditions even worse. It is important to your health and your future to learn about the risk factors and by controlling and altering what you have control over you can change you decrease your risks.

• Exposure to environmental pollutants, such as tobacco smoke, vapors around the office, etc.

• Obesity – being over weight is a factor in hypertension, especially as one ages. Proper diet and weight loss may aid in reversing the associated problems.

• Lack of exercise – Daily ‘aerobic’ exercise (walking, swimming, running, cycling, etc.) can be very beneficial in decreasing blood pressure, as well as helping with your weight .

• Stress – we could all benefit from a little less of this. Exercise also helps with reducing your stress.

• Lower Alcohol Consumption – Drinking excessively doubles your chances of suffering high blood pressure or a stroke.

• Medicines and prescriptions (Ritalin, hormones, steroids, anti-rejection medications), your doctor and pharmacist should be intimately aware of what you are taking. Illegal drugs can also cause you problems (amphetamines, cocaine, ecstasy).

• Diet – a diet high in sodium puts strain on the blood vessels by increasing the fluid volume in the body (salt attracts water)

These risks can be helped or even controlled with the help of a doctor

• Pregnancy – the extra volume of blood, plus toxemia from high dietary salt intake can put a great strain on the vascular system.

• Kidney failure – the body is unable to remove fluids from the body causing an increase in fluid volume and blood pressure.

• Right-sided Heart Failure – decreases the hearts ability to pump high volumes of fluid through the heart causing a back-up into the blood vessels

Risk Factors over which you have no control

• Family history of hypertension especially onset before the age of 50.

• Age -your increases your chances of getting hypertension

• Gender (male or female)

• Race (Afro-American)

• Nervous System disorders

Secondary Hypertension

While the single cause of Primary hypertension is not known, the cause(s) of Secondary hypertension is and it is usually caused by another condition or disease. Conditions such as arteriosclerosis, diabetes, kidney disease, or even from medications and pregnancy (Gestational hypertension and is one of the reasons your doctor wants to see you more frequently near the end).

Hypertension can be caused either by taking medications or by stopping medications too quickly. Medications such as corticosteroids, birth control pills and other hormones, migraine medications, and medications used for chronic anemia (erythropoieten). Also a number of over-the-counter medications such as cough/cold medications and medications for asthma can cause hypertension.

Medications for hypertension can also cause a rebound hypertension if they are not weaned off of slowly.

Street drugs that can cause hypertension include: alcohol, amphetamines, ecstasy (MDMA and derivatives), and cocaine.

A small number of people experience malignant hypertension. This is an extremely high blood pressure that causes swelling of the optic nerve (the nerve that control vision). This is considered a medical emergency. Many of your vital organs are in serious risk of injury including your brain, your eyes, blood vessels, heart, and kidneys.


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9
May

Pulmonary Hypertension Information

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chronic hypertension


Millions of people are affected by high blood pressure (hypertension), a condition in which blood travels through the body’s arteries at a pressure too high for good health. High blood pressure in the arteries that supply the lungs is called pulmonary hypertension (PHT). The blood pressure measured by cuff on your arm isn’t directly related to the pressure in your lungs. The blood vessels that supply the lungs constrict and their walls thicken, so they can’t carry as much blood. As in a kinked garden hose, pressure builds up and backs up. The heart works harder, trying to force the blood through. Nearly 50 million Americans have high blood pressure (also known as hypertension). It occurs when blood travels through the body’s arteries at a pressure too high for good health.

It is most commonly found in women between ages 20 and 40. However, men and women in all age ranges — as well as very young children — can develop PPH. There are two main kinds of pulmonary hypertension. One runs in families or appears for no known reason. The other kind is related to another condition, usually heart or lung disease. The most common cause of pulmonary hypertension is left heart failure leading to pulmonary venous hypertension (WHO Group II). This may be due to systolic or diastolic malfunction of the left ventricle or due to valvular dysfunction such as mitral regurgitation, mitral stenosis, aortic stenosis, or aortic regurgitation. It usually manifests as pulmonary edema or pleural effusions.Treatment is determined by whether the PH is arterial, venous, hypoxic, or miscellaneous.

The impotence drug Viagra, is sometimes used to treat pulmonary hypertension. Most medications often used to treat coexistent illnesses are safe for people with PHT. Prostacyclin given intravenously through a catheter surgically implanted in the skin improves the quality of life, increases survival, and reduces the urgency of lung transplantation. Vasodilators (drugs to dilate blood vessels), such as calcium channel blockers, nitric oxide, and prostacyclin, are often helpful for secondary pulmonary hypertension associated with scleroderma, chronic liver disease, and HIV infection. Bosentan, a new drug given by mouth, has been effective in some people. A drug similar to prostacyclin, called iloprost, can be administered by inhalation. Sometimes lung transplants also are done.

Pulmonary Hypertension Treatment and Prevention Tips

1. Diuretics reduce the amount of fluid in the body.

2. Given oxygen therapy to help treat pulmonary hypertension.

3. High dose calcium channel blockers are useful in PAH patients.

4. Prostacyclin is commonly considered the most effective treatment for PAH.

5. Viagra, is sometimes used to treat pulmonary hypertension.

6. Bosentan drug given by mouth, has been effective in some people.

7. Transplantation may be a possible treatment for severe secondary pulmonary hypertension.


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25
Jan

What is Hypertension

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chronic hypertension


Blood pressure is the force with which blood pushes against the artery walls as it travels through the body. Like air in a balloon, blood fills arteries to a certain capacity—and just as too much air pressure can cause damage to a balloon, too much blood pressure can harm healthy arteries. Blood pressure is measured by two numbers—systolic pressure and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure measures cardiac output and refers to the pressure in the arterial system at its highest.

Causes Of Hypertension

Heredity. People whose parents or other close blood relatives have high blood pressure are more likely to develop it themselves.

Increasing age. Blood pressure tends to increase with age, and occurs most often in people older than age 35. Men have a greater risk of high blood pressure than women until age 45. From age 45–54, the percentages of men and women are similar. After age 55, women are more likely to develop high blood pressure than men are.

Essential hypertension affects approximately 75 million Americans, yet its basic causes or underlying defects are not always known. Nevertheless, certain associations have been recognized in people with essential hypertension.

Symptoms Of Hypertension

The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to get your blood pressure checked on a regular basis. This is especially important if you have a close relative who has high blood pressure.

Often there are few symptoms and the individual himself is not aware of the condition until a doctor checks his pressure. In some cases there are palpitation of the heart, headache, dizziness, and fatigue, but there are many exceptions to these symptoms. 

Thus, high blood pressure often is labeled “the silent killer.”

People who have high blood pressure typically don’t know it until their blood pressure is measured.

Treatment of Hypertension

Most of the risk factors for primary hypertension are preventable, and lifestyle modification may prevent as well as treat the condition. Secondary hypertension can be managed by treating the underlying cause. Individuals in the high normal and stage 1 hypertension categories should attempt to lower blood pressure through diet and lifestyle changes before going on a regimen of medications. Recommendations include:

All patients with blood pressure readings greater than 120/80 should be encouraged to make lifestyle modifications, such as eating a healthier diet, quitting smoking and getting more exercise. Treatment with medication is recommended to lower blood pressure to less than 140/90 mmHg. For patients who have diabetes or chronic kidney disease the recommended blood pressure is less than 130/80 mmHg.

Changing your lifestyle can go a long way toward controlling high blood pressure. But sometimes lifestyle changes aren’t enough. In addition to diet and exercise, your doctor may recommend medication to lower your blood pressure.

Supplemental Oxygen: This is used for patients with low oxygen level in the blood.

Lung or Heart-Lung Transplantation — These procedures are employed for patients with severe pulmonary hypertension and extremely poor quality of life. It is the procedure of last resort.

Use of oral contraceptives. Some women are prone to high blood pressure when taking “the pill.”

Sedentary or inactive lifestyle. On the other hand, exercise reduces blood pressure or makes high blood pressure easier to manage.


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