subject: High Blood Pressure- The Facts And Myths About The Symptoms Of This Silent Killer! [print this page] Hypertension, a common name given to increased blood pressure of the body, is one of the most life threatening medical conditions. Labeled by the medical professionals as the silent killer, high blood pressure is a major health problem in people from all over the world. In this situation, the normal blood pressure ranges from less than 120 mm Hg for systolic pressure and less than 80 mm Hg for diastolic pressure. Increased blood pressure above these values might lead to life threatening
conditions such as heart attack, renal failure or even eye damage.
Although this medical situation has not been associated with any symptoms, there are myths about high blood pressure symptoms. Let us discuss those myths first:
Headache: the biggest misconception that people have about high blood pressure is that it causes headache. However, research proves otherwise. One study that included the monitoring of cases of headache amongst different age groups concluded that people having high B.P., in fact had fewer incidences of headache.
Nosebleeds: People usually associate nosebleeds with increased blood pressure. The reality is that apart from the hypertensive crisis, nosebleeds have never proved to be the detectors of this condition. In a study carried out at the hospitals, it was reported that more than 80% of the patients diagnosed with hypertension did not suffer any nosebleeds. The fact that nosebleeds are caused mainly because of dry air, the myth about it being a symptom of hypertension does
not hold any real significance.
Dizziness: yes, the condition is observed amongst people having high blood pressure, but generally, it is not a symptom of hypertension; rather people suffer dizziness as a side effect of some medications used to take care of this condition.
Others: Apart from the three major misconceptions mentioned above, a number of other myths have been related to this medical condition. The list includes signs like blood spot in the eyes, which are commonly observed amongst diabetic people. Facial flushing is also related to an increased blood pressure, however, it can be due to emotional stress or alcohol consumption.
None of the above-mentioned symptoms has proved to be a significant contributor in detecting high blood pressure, and the fact still remains monitoring the blood pressure on a regular basis is the only sure method to detect an increased blood pressure. There are various lifestyle factors, which contribute towards this disease. Obese people are usually at a high risk of this condition.
One thing you must keep in mind about this silent killer is that if it is not taken care of it can go unnoticed for years, and progressively damages the heart, blood vessels and other organs. Although High blood pressure diagnosis is a vastly explored field, screening of individuals is still important in detection of hypertension.
