Hypertension, also called high blood pressure, is very common inAnguillaand sadly many persons are walking around the island not aware that they have this disorder. Individuals with hypertension can have few or no symptoms for many years before complications develop. When they do have complications they can be deadly.
What is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure is a condition in which the force of the blood against your artery walls is high enough that it may eventually cause health problems such as heart disease. High blood pressure is often defined as blood pressure greater than 140/90 mmHg.
Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps, and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.
You can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without any signs or symptoms – that is why it is often called the silent killer. Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.
What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?
Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels. Very often the only sign is elevated blood pressure when taken by a health professional.
Although a few people with early-stage high blood pressure may have dull headaches, dizzy spells or a few more nosebleeds than normal, these signs and symptoms typically do not occur until high blood pressure has reached a severe — even life-threatening — stage.
You will know for certain if you have high blood pressure if you have your blood pressure checked by a trained health care professional. You might need to have the pressure checked on more than one occasion and in both arms as well.
What are the risk factors for high blood pressure?
Some of the risk factors for hypertension are unmodifiable such as race, age, family history and gender. While others are modifiable and include obesity, inactivity, dietary habits, alcohol and tobacco use as well as stress. The following are risk factors for high blood pressure:
• Age. The risk of high blood pressure increases as you age. Through early middle age, high blood pressure is more common in men. Women are more likely to develop high blood pressure after menopause.
• Race. High blood pressure is particularly common among blacks, often developing at an earlier age than it does in whites. Serious complications, such as stroke and heart attack, also are more common in blacks.
• Family history. High blood pressure tends to run in families.If your parents or close blood relatives have had high blood pressure, you are more likely to develop it, too. However, lifestyle choices have allowed many people with a family history of high blood pressure to avoid it themselves.
• Being overweight or obese. The more you weigh the more blood you need to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. As the volume of blood circulated through your blood vessels increases, so does the pressure on your artery walls.
• Inactive. People who are inactive tend to have higher heart rates. The higher your heart rate, the harder your heart must work with each contraction — and the stronger the force on your arteries. Lack of physical activity also increases the risk of being overweight. Aerobic activity has the greatest impact on blood pressure. Regular activity is more important than intensity. Half an hour of moderate intensity most, if not all, days of the week is recommended.
• Using tobacco. Not only does smoking or chewing tobacco immediately raises your blood pressure temporarily, but the chemicals in tobacco can damage the lining of your artery walls. This can cause your arteries to narrow, increasing your blood pressure. Second hand smoke can also increase your blood pressure.
• Too much salt (sodium) in your diet. Too much sodium in your diet can cause your body to retain fluid, which increases blood pressure. People in the Caribbean, including Anguilla, eat too much salt! Controlling sodium means more than just putting down the salt shaker. It also means checking labels, because up to 75 percent of the sodium we consume is hidden in processed foods like tomato sauce, soups, condiments, canned foods and prepared mixes.
• Too little potassium in your diet. Potassium helps balance the amount of sodium in your cells. If you don’t get enough potassium in your diet, or retain enough potassium, you may accumulate too much sodium in your blood.
• Drinking too much alcohol. Over time, heavy drinking can damage your heart. Having more than two or three drinks in a sitting, can also temporarily raise your blood pressure as it may cause your body to release hormones that increase your blood flow and heart rate.
• Stress. High levels of stress can lead to a temporary, but dramatic, increase in blood pressure. If you try to relax by eating more, using tobacco or drinking alcohol, you may only increase problems with high blood pressure.
• Certain chronic conditions. Certain chronic conditions may also increase your risk of high blood pressure. They include high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease and sleep apnea.
Sometimes pregnancy contributes to high blood pressure, as well.
Complications of hypertension
If you have an elevated blood pressure you should see your doctor. There are many strategies to control your blood pressure. Sometimes lifestyle changes alone can control your blood pressure, while others might require medications. Not all individuals with hypertension require mediations, but it is important to bring the pressure under control.Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to:
• Heart attack or stroke. High blood pressure can cause hardening and thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis) which can lead to a heart attack, stroke or other complications.
• Aneurysm. Increased blood pressure can cause your blood vessels to weaken and bulge, forming an aneurysm. If an aneurysm ruptures it can be life-threatening especially if it occurs in the brain.
• Heart failure. To pump blood against the higher pressure in your vessels, your heart muscle thickens. Eventually, the thickened muscle may have a hard time pumping enough blood to meet your body’s needs, which can lead to heart failure.
• Weakened and narrowed blood vessels in your kidneys. This lead to kidney failure.
• Thickened, narrowed or torn blood vessels in the eyes. This can result in vision loss.
• Metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is a cluster of disorders of your body’s metabolism — including increased waist circumference, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL), or “good” cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high insulin levels. If you have high blood pressure, you are more likely to have other components of metabolic syndrome. The more components you have, the greater your risk of developing diabetes, heart disease or stroke.
• Trouble with memory or understanding. Uncontrolled high blood pressure may also affect your ability to think, remember and learn.
Patients with uncontrolled high blood pressure will develop one or more complications over a period of time. You can prevent many of these complications by seeing your doctor and bringing your blood pressure under control.
Follow-up
Many individuals are told that they have high blood pressure and then fail to return to the doctor. This is the case with many male patients.
High blood pressure is not a problem that you can treat and then ignore. It is a condition you need to manage for the rest of your life. In some cases various lifestyle changes are enough to control blood pressure. Adopt healthy habits. Eat healthy foods, lose excess weight and get regular physical activity. Limit alcohol. If you smoke, quit.
The individual with hypertension needs to have regular medical check-ups. It takes a team effort to treat high blood pressure successfully. Your doctor cannot do it alone, and neither can you. Work with your doctor to bring your blood pressure to a safe level — and keep it there.
If you need to take medications take them properly. If side effects or costs pose problems, do not stop taking your medications. Ask your doctor about other options. Many men are worried about the effects of hypertension on their sex life. They should discuss this with their doctor. Some drugs do affect your sex life while others do not. TALK TO YOUR DOCTOR.
Conclusion
High blood pressure or hypertension is very common in Anguilla. This disorder has no or few signs or symptoms, but a simple procedure by a trained health care provider can determine if you have this disorder. Left untreated, elevated blood pressure over a number of years can have very serious complications including strokes and sudden death. Fortunately, lifestyle changes and a variety of medications can be used successfully to control many patients with high blood pressure and prevent many of its complications.
Ask Your Doctor is a health education column and is not a substitute for medical advice from your physician. Dr Brett Hodge is an Obstetrician/Gynaecologist and Family Doctor who has over twenty five years in clinical practice. Dr Hodge has a medical practice in the Johnson Building in The Valley.
