High blood pressure is a common condition that affects millions across the globe. Here is a brief overview of this condition.

1. Understanding High Blood Pressure
Highbloodpressure isa clinical conditionwhere the pressure of the bloodflowingthroughthe blood
vesselsinthe bodyishigh.
Whenthe heart pumpsbloodthroughthe bloodvessels,itdoessoata particularpressure. The
pressure withwhichthe heartcontractsand pushesbloodthroughthe bloodvesselsisknownasthe
systolicbloodpressure.The normal systolicbloodpressure isaround120 mm Hg.
Afterthe bloodispumpedthrough,the bloodvesselsbegintorelax as doesthe heart.There isa
residual pressure thatremainswithinthe bloodvesselsiscalledthe diastolicbloodpressure.The
normal diastolicpressure isaround80 mmHg.
Normal blood pressure is defined as a value of around 120/80 mm Hg.
A highbloodpressure isdefinedasasystolicbloodpressure over140 mmHgand a diastolicblood
pressure over90 mmHg.
There are a numberof differentproblemsandotherassociatedwithhavinghighbloodpressure.If
leftuncontrolled,patientsmayexperience certainsymptomssuchasgiddiness,headache,blurred
visionandsometimesevenbreathlessnessonexertion.
There are a numberof differentreasonswhyanindividual maydevelophighbloodpressure.In
adultsand olderindividuals,highbloodpressureisoftengeneticandhasbeeninheritedfroma
familymemberwhohashighbloodpressure aswell.Thisisthe mostcommontype of hypertension
and iscalledessentialhypertension.
In youngerindividuals,the bloodpressure recordingscanbe highdue to othercausessuchas
hormonal problems,congenitalheartdefectsorevenkidneyproblems.These individualsrequire
more extensiveinvestigationstodetermine the cause of the highbloodpressure sothatappropriate
treatmentmeasurescanbe taken.
The treatmentof highbloodpressure isfairlysimpleandstraightforward.Medicationsthatare
currentlyavailable are safe andextremelyeffective.However,the mostimportanttreatmentfor
highbloodpressure islifestyle change.Saltintakeisdirectlylinkedtohighbloodpressure anditis
importantforall those individualswhosufferfromhypertensiontocutdownthe salt intake
drastically.Therefore,itisrecommendedthateatingprocessedfoodssuchaspicklesandcheeses
are notappropriate as these canworsenhypertensionandmake control of the conditionextremely
difficult.
Medical therapyincludestabletsuchasbeta-blockers,angiotensinreceptorblockersandcalcium
channel blockers.These drugswill be givenindifferentpermutationsandcombinations andare
tailor-made toeachindividual dependinguponthe response.Those whorespondwell tomedication
and those whoare strictwiththeirlifestylechangescansee a goodrecoveryanda low complication
rate fromhypertension.