Are you at  risk of hypertension?

What is blood pressure?

What dangers await hypertensive patients?

What do you do once hypertension sets in?

 
Why is hypertension a serious problem?

      Hypertension kills! Hypertension (HIGH blood pressure), if uncontrolled, causes damage to various organs in the body resulting to other diseases. The organs usually affected are the following.   

     1.  Heart – leads to heart attack and heart failure
     2.  Brain – leads to stroke and internal bleeding
     3.  Kidneys – leads to renal failure and the need for dialysis
     4.  Eyes – leads to blindness
     5.  Peripheral Blood Vessels – leads to peripheral vascular  
         diseases like limping (claudication) and tissue death
         (gangrene). 

Left untreated, the disease will progress and will eventually lead to death.

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 Is hypertension a big problem in the Philippines?  

 Yes! The latest local data (1998) shows a 21% prevalence.

• Death from heart disease rank first as cause of death in the century

• With a projected population of 78.4 million by year 2000, roughly 8.6 million Filipinos are hypertensive

• About 59% have target organ damage – heart attacks (myocardial infarction) in 3.4%, stroke in 11.5% and kidney damage in 53%

• Since hypertension causes minimal or no symptoms at all, only 13.6% of hypertensives are aware of their condition. This results to chronic uncontrolled states and progressive organ damage leading to death. 

Thus, it is important to know your blood pressure and how to manage it.   

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 Are you at risk of hypertension?

       Though hypertension can develop anytime in an individual, in most cases, it does not occur solely by chance. Some are more prone to develop high blood pressure than others. Know your risk level for developing hypertension by checking which of the factors below applies to you. 

Your lifestyle:

• you smoke

• you are more than 10% above your ideal bodyweight

• you regularly eat salty, fried or greasy food

• you regularly take alcoholic drinks (more than one ounce of alcohol) each day

• you are constantly under a lot of stress

• you have a “sit-down” life style, without much physical activity at work or at home

Your background:

• you are a man above 35 years

• a close blood relative has high blood pressure or heart disease 

Your medical history:

• your cholesterol level is over 200 mg/dL

• you have diabetes, heart disease or kidney disease

• you had a stroke

 The more boxes you have checked, the higher your risk of having or developing high blood pressure and its complications. Act now and have your blood pressure taken! Prevention is your best protection from the Silent Killer.  

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 What is blood pressure?  

          Blood pressure (BP) is the force created as your heart pumps your blood and moves it through the blood vessels. This continuous blood flow provides your body with the oxygen and nutrients it needs. In short, it keeps you alive.

          Blood pressure is measured through a device called sphygmomanometer. A BP reading consists of two numbers – the top number (systolic BP) is the measurement of BP while your heart is pumping, while the bottom number (diastolic BP) is the measurement of your BP while your heart is at rest.

 Normal BP is a level below

             Systolic          140 mmHg
             Diastolic          90 mmHg 

            BP normally fluctuates depending on the time of day, body position (sitting or lying down), mental stress and level of physical exertion. Thus, BP determination is standardized – at the left arm, sitting position, after 5 – 10 minutes of rest. Two or three BP levels are taken and the average is considered the final BP value. 

            You are HYPERTENSIVE if your blood pressure taken two or three times in a two-week period is consistently . . . 

            Systolic          140 mmHg and above
            Diastolic          90 mmHg and above  

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 What dangers await hypertensive patients?

• Individuals with high BP rarely have symptoms. Few complain of headache, nape pains or dizziness, which are usually mild and tolerable.

        Thus, hypertension is treated not only to relieve symptoms, but to prevent the development of target organ damage, which occur in those with chronic untreated, elevated blood pressure.

 Dangerous Complications of Uncontrolled Hypertension

• Stroke results when arteries in the brain burst (bleeding) or become blocked (thrombosis). Part of the brain dies and the patient becomes paralyzed

• Heart Attack occurs when coronary arteries in the heart are blocked. The heart muscle dies, and may stop beating. Patient dies as a consequence

• Heart Failure results when the heart pumps too hard for too long, trying to keep blood flowing through the body. Eventually, the heart weakens. The patient now tires easily and is always out-of-breath

• Kidney Failure happens when tiny vessels in the kidneys are blocked. The kidneys malfunction are unable to clean the body of wastes. Patient is slowly poisoned, becomes weak and bloated. Unless “dialyzed”, the patient will die of poisoning from his own body wastes

• Blindness or Impaired Vision occurs when tiny blood vessels in the eye rupture or become blocked, damaging the surrounding eye tissues

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 What do you do once hypertension sets in?

 1.  Know your blood pressure

      Hypertension is a silent killer. You may feel no symptoms yet the body is slowly being destroyed by high blood pressure.

 Be proactive! Be aware of the risk! Have your BP checked regularly, at least once yearly. If your BP level is borderline or elevated (i.e., 140/90 mmHg and above), see your doctor. So together, you can make a plan to bring your BP under control.

2.   Live a healthy lifestyle

A healthy lifestyle keeps you less likely to develop high blood pressure. You will also feel good knowing that you are protected from hypertension.

Through initially it may be hard to change your lifestyle and habits, a resolute determination, help from your friends and loved ones will make will make it easier to overcome the difficulties you may encounter along the way.

Ways for a healthy lifestyle

• Exercise regularly
• Watch your  weight
• Keep stress under control
• Avoid salty and fatty foods
• Avoid too much caffeine
• Limit alcohol intake
• Stop smoking

 3.   Take your medication

        If you are consistently hypertensive despite undergoing a healthy lifestyle, your doctor will now prescribe a drug to combat your high blood pressure.

 Medications can safely and effectively lower high blood pressure. Your doctor can explain the medication and its side effects. He will closely monitor how well it controls your blood pressure. Most people have few side effects after beginning their medication. However, if you feel different or worse after taking them, tell your doctor right away.

 Types of medication 

• Diuretics eliminate excess fluids and salt

     -  Chlorothiazide
-  Furosemide

• Beta-blockers keep your heart from pumping too hard
                - Atenolol
             - Metoprolol
• ACE inhibitors open up constricted arteries by lowering the level of a constricting substance angiothesin II (A II). Low A II results to lower BP as well as other beneficial effects to the heart

 Examples:

 *   Calcium Antagonists decrease the level of calcium inside the blood vessels resulting to its relaxation and lowering of BP

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