subject: How often should I have my blood pressure checked? [print this page] How often should I have my blood pressure checked?
Blood pressure measures the force exerted by blood against the walls of blood vessels. The excess fluid in the body increases the amount of fluid in the blood vessels and makes blood pressure increase. The blood vessels narrow, hard or obstructed blood pressure also increases.
People with high blood pressure should consult a doctor regularly.
What are the signs and symptoms of high blood pressure?
Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms. The only way to know if a person's blood pressure is high is to have health professional measures it with a densitometer. The result is expressed as two numbers. The first number represents the pressure when the heart is beating, called systolic pressure. The second number represents the pressure when the heart is at rest between beats, called diastolic pressure. Blood pressure of a person is considered normal if it remains in 120/80 or less, which is usually expressed commonly as "120 over 8".
If a person has a systolic blood pressure between 120 and 139 or diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89, it is considered that the person has prehypertension and therefore should adopt changes in lifestyle to lower your blood pressure and prevent heart disease and blood vessels. If a person has a systolic blood pressure regularly be 140 or older, or whose diastolic pressure is 90 or greater, it considers that the person has high blood pressure should talk to a doctor about the best ways to lower it.
What causes hypertension?
About 90 to 95 percent of all cases of high blood pressure are what is called primary or essential hypertension. This means that the real cause of high blood pressure, but there are several factors related to the disease. The risk of hypertension is higher if you:
Family history of hypertension.
Blacks have a higher incidence of hypertension than whites, and the disease usually appears at an earlier age and become more serious.
He is a man. In women the risk is higher after 55 years.
He has over 60 years. The blood vessels become weak with age and lose their elasticity.
It faces high levels of stress. According to some studies, stress, anger, hostility and other personality characteristics contribute to hypertension, but the results have not always been uniform. Emotional factors most likely contribute to the risk of certain persons who have other risk factors for hypertension.
Overweight or obesity.
Use snuff products. Cigarette smoking damages blood vessels.
Used oral contraceptives. Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives greatly increase their risk.
Eat a diet high in saturated fat.
Eat a diet high in sodium (salt).
How is hypertension diagnosed?
To determine whether you have high blood pressure you should consult your doctor. You should have a general medical examination including an evaluation of family history. The doctor will take several blood pressure readings using an instrument called a sphygmomanometer and perform some routine tests.
The doctor may also use a device called an ophthalmoscope 'to examine blood vessels in the eye and determining whether there has been some thickening, thinning or rupture, which can be a sign of high blood pressure.
