Hypertension and How it Harms the Heart
Hypertension is another way of saying high blood pressure. Hypertension takes place when the pressure of the blood is too great for the large arteries to handle. Hypertension often shows no outward symptoms and therefore having your blood pressure measured by your doctor is very important. Often toted as a “silent killer ” or a silent disorder, hypertension is extremely widespread, affecting 50 million individuals in the United States on a yearly basis. Hypertension tends to be more common in people as they age and it more seriously afflicts African Americans than it does Caucasians.
Doctors still do not know what exactly causes hypertension. The cause is not always the same in everyone. It is estimated that 9 out of every 10 people who suffer from hypertension do not have an identifiable cause for it. What is known is that it is a condition that can be inherited from one’s parents. If one of your parents suffers from hypertension then your chance of developing it increases and if both parents have it, your chances are extremely high. However there are people who develop hypertension while neither one of their parents suffered from it.
Your environment and the decisions you make regarding your lifestyle also play a big role in whether or not you will develop hypertension. For example those who take excellent care of themselves by maintaining a healthy weight, getting plenty of exercise on a day to day basis, eating a healthy, well balanced diet, not smoking and limiting their alcohol consumption are less likely to develop this health condition. It is worthwhile to note that certain medications; both prescription and over-the-counter can cause blood pressure to shoot up so always check with your doctor before taking anything.
Other causes of hypertension that are less common in the general population include health problems related to the endocrine glands or kidneys. A doctor can often determine whether a medical reason is the cause of your hypertension by taking down your medical history, giving you a complete physical and sending you for a blood test and a urinalysis.
Hypertension is a serious problem that if left unchecked can lead to a variety of cardiovascular complications that can prove fatal. Some of these complications include an increased chance of having a stroke, heart rhythm irregularities, heart failure, heart attack as well as failure of the kidneys. It cannot be emphasized enough, hypertension is most often silent therefore it’s destruction is taking place on the body without the individual’s knowledge. The only way to be aware of whether or not you suffer from hypertension is to have your blood pressure checked on a regular basis by a healthcare provider.
The American Society of Hypertension, Inc. is the largest organization of its kind in the United States that conducts research on hypertension and cardiovascular disease and seeks to find better ways to treat these debilitating health problems that claim many lives every year. To learn more about the valuable work they do visit www.ash-us.org. Another excellent website to check out for information on hypertension is the National Lung & Blood Institute, found at www.nhlbi.org.
