High Blood Pressure also called hypertension is a silent killer. According to Wikipedia Hypertension is a long term medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is persistently elevated. What this means is that blood is carried away from the heart at an abnormal level. The World Health Organization has identified hypertension, or high blood pressure, as the leading cause of cardiovascular mortality .Recent research by The World Health Organization puts the death caused by hypertension to 7.5 million, about 12.8% of the total of all deaths.


Blood pressure is recorded in two numbers(120/80mmHg).The low number, called “diastolic”, is the pressure when the heart is at rest. The pressure is measured in millimetres of mercury, or mmHg.Ideal blood pressure is between 90/60mmHg and 120/80mmHg.

High blood pressure, also called “hypertension”, is considered to be anything consistently above 140/90mmHg. Over time, this extra pressure puts a strain on your heart and blood vessels. It can increase the risk of blood clots forming, which could result in a is a major risk factor for coronary artery disease, stroke, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease, vision loss, and chronic kidney disease.

Identification of HBP?

1) Headache

2)Heaviness in the head

3) Sluggish movements

4) General redness and warm to touch feel of the body

5) prominent, distended and tense vessels

6) Yawning

7) Coloured and dense urine

Loss of appetite

9)Weak eyesight

10)Impairment of thinking

11) Drowsiness

12)Hemorrhagic stroke

What are the causes of HBP?

1) Hereditary element: Just like diabetes , hypertension can also be hereditary. There are chances if one or two persons in your family have it , there are tendencies you could be victim of it.

2) Lifestyle: lifestyle factors also play a big role.Being overweight or obese, having high salt intake, smoking and not exercising are the main risk factors.

3) Medications/Pills:Some medications can also cause high blood pressure, such as the oral contraceptive pill, steroids, and some painkillers such as paracetamol,tramadol etc.

4) Race: People who are from African or Caribbean descent are also at increased risk.


5) Gender: Unverified sources also showed that females are more likely to get HBP than males as they grow older.

6) Diet: Consumption of wine, meat, and pastries, increase in the volume of food in a meal, eating lots of carbohydrate can lead to HBP.

7)Pregnancy: Stats show that pregnant women have high blood pressure especially during their 6th - 9month of pregnancy.

Stress

9) Job: Some jobs are very demanding and stressful. Employees are sometimes subjected to various degrees of tasks that increase their stress level. Some even work from 5am to 9pm and sleep for less than 3hours each day. This factors can lead to an alarming blood pressure which could be disastrous if care is not taken.

10) Depression.


How is hypertension treated?

There is no cure for Hypertension. This means it can only be managed, early detection of this condition make its management seamless.Some of the ways of reducing blood pressure includes

1) Losing weight

2)Living a healthy lifestyle and saying no to smoking,alcohol e.t.c

3) Eating a healthy diet; taking more fruit and vegetables and reducing fat, salt and caffeine intake have all been shown to significantly
reduce blood pressure.

4)Taking up regular exercise can help too.

5) Checking your blood pressure regularly.


[bPrevention?[/b]

1) Maintain normal body weight for adults (e.g. body mass index 20–25 kg/m2)
2) Reduce dietary sodium intake to <100 mmol/ day (<6 g of sodium chloride or <2.4 g of sodium per day)
3) Engage in regular aerobic physical activity such as brisk walking,strolling (≥30 min per day, most days of the week)
4) Limit alcohol consumption to no more than 3 units/day in men and no more than 2 units/day in women
5) Consume a diet rich in fruit and vegetables (e.g. at least five portions per day);


[bHypertension and Sexual intercourse[/b]

If you suffer from any type of heart trouble, it's only natural to have concerns about whether sex is still safe for you. It is advisble to stay away from sex until your blood pressure is normal, however most people with HBP can enjoy sex safely.

Sex -- like any other form of exercise -- does get the heart pumping. And, in rare cases, the extra exertion could trigger a heart attack. But the risks are encouragingly small. According to a report by the American Journal of Cardiology, fewer than 1 percent of all heart attacks occur during sexual activity.

Still, some people need to be careful. As reported in the journal, sex really can be dangerous for people with severe hypertension that isn't under control. If you have high blood pressure but aren't receiving treatment -- or if your blood pressure is soaring despite treatment -- your doctor may ask you to abstain from sex or other strenuous activity until your pressure is under control. If there's any doubt about your safety, your doctor will order a stress test to measure the effects of exercise on your heart.


Stay Safe.