subject: Hypertension Causes And Treatment [print this page] Hypertension has enormous dangerous aspectsHypertension has enormous dangerous aspects. One of such aspect is you being absolutely unconscious about the fact that you actually suffer from hypertension. Generally hypertension or high blood pressure does not have any symptoms. That is the reason you do not feel it. An alarming fact about hypertension is that about one third of people who have the disease do not know about it. Hypertension is actually a chronic medical condition in which your blood pressure gets elevated. The medical condition is also abbreviated as HTN, HT or HPN. Depending on the severity of the condition, hypertension can be classified as primary (essential) or secondary.
In case of primary or essential hypertension no medical cause can be used as an explanation to the raised blood pressure. In secondary hypertension, raised blood pressure can be a result of other medical conditions such as tumors or kidney diseases. Persistent hypertension can cause heart attacks, strokes, arterial aneurysm, heart failure and renal failure. One thing is sure that hypertension definitely leads to shortened life expectancy.
Normal blood pressure has a systolic value of 120 and diastolic value of 80. In case of pre-hypertension the systolic ranges from 120-139 and diastolic ranges between 80-89. A person suffering from stage1 hypertension will have the systolic value ranging from 140-159 and diastolic value ranging from 90-99. Similarly stage2 hypertension has systolic value of 160 and above and a diastolic value of 100 and above. It is a good habit to regularly monitor your blood pressure.
The exact causes that lead to hypertension are difficult to determine but there are various conditions and factors that may be responsible for elevating your blood pressure. These causes include being obese or overweight, smoking, lack of physical-activity, having too much salt in diet, high alcohol consumption, old age, stress, genetics, chronic kidney disease, Adrenal disorders and thyroid disorders. Insufficient intake of calcium, potassium and magnesium also leads to high blood pressure. Women who are used to taking birth control pills that contain high amounts of estrogen can be susceptible to hypertension. This is because these medications have the ability to constrict blood vessels.
A slight rise in blood pressure can be controlled by taking a balanced and healthy diet and exercise. You should regularly monitor your blood pressure and if you find that over a period of a few days your blood pressure is constantly high then you should immediately consult a physician. The risks of hypertension are dreadful and so an immediate action is indispensable.
