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Are you under TENSION with HYPERTENSION?

Article written by Jessica Barker.

Hypertension affects an enormous amount of people globally. Hypertension is simply the technical term used for consistently high blood pressure. May 17th is World Hypertension Day, but what exactly is hypertension? And why should you be concerned? Read on to find out!

Imagine filling a balloon with air, if you fill it with too much air, you will damage the balloon.  The same applies to the blood in our arteries; too much blood rushing through causes increased pressure leading to artery damage. Blood pressure is the force in which blood pushes against the walls of our arteries as it travels through the body.3

Blood pressure is measured using a nifty little device with a long complicated name called a sphygmomanometer (pictured).1 You will get a reading with two parts. The first part is the systolic blood pressure and the second is the diastolic blood pressure.1 What are these?

  • Systolic – This is the highest pressure against the arteries as the heart pumps. The normal range is between 110 and 140mmHg.1, 3
  • Diastolic – This is the pressure against the arteries as the heart relaxes and refills with blood. The normal range is between 70 and 90mmHg.1, 3

Hypertension is diagnosed when an individual has a reading of 140/90 or higher three consecutive times at least six hours apart.3 Hypertension can have a negative effect on multiple sites of our bodies such as our heart, blood vessels, kidneys and brain. Some studies have referred to hypertension as the silent killer because it typically has no symptoms, and commonly leads to heart attacks and strokes.4

What can cause hypertension?

Hypertension can be broken down into two sub categories;

  • Primary hypertension – Is responsible for over 90% of hypertension diagnosis.  It is strongly related to lifestyle factors such as being overweight, stress, smoking, poor diet (high salt intake, heavy drinking), and a sedentary lifestyle.4
  • Secondary hypertension – Is caused by a pre-existing medical condition e.g. kidney failure, congestive heart failure, liver failure and damage to the endocrine system.4

How is hypertension treated?

There are many different ways in which we can treat hypertension, the 4 most common are:

  • Dietary modification
  • Increase exercise or activity levels
  • Quit smoking 
  • Managing stress levels.

Dietary modification

There is a direct link between blood pressure and body weight.  With every 2 pounds lost a potential 1 unit drop in blood pressure can occur.2 Aim to maintain a weight within the healthy weight range.1 A reduction in blood pressure may be obtained by following a weight loss program which includes the below principles:

  • Increase fruit and vegetable intake4
  • Choose reduced fat dairy products4
  • Increase dietary fiber by choosing whole grains1
  • Reduce sodium (salt) intake4
  • Lower cholesterol and saturated fat intake
  • Reduce alcohol intake1, 4

Increase exercise or activity levels

Physical activity has been shown to lower both resting and daytime blood pressure.  Studies have suggested that regular aerobic activity on average can lower systolic blood pressure by 4mmHg and diastolic by 2.5mmHg.2

Quit Smoking

Smoking causes an instant increase in blood pressure and heart rate which persists for up to 30 minutes after each cigarette. Smoking is known to increase your chances of developing hypertension.2

Manage stress levels

A stressful lifestyle may lead to an increase in blood pressure. So learn to control stress levels by including some relaxing recreational activities and time out sessions!

So you can see that hypertension can seriously affect your health and in most cases, risk of developing this condition can be reduced by dietary and lifestyle factors.  So why not try prevention when it comes to hypertension!

References

  1. Deakin University – Better Health Channel, November 2007. Blood Pressure (high) - hypertension [Online]. Available at http://www.betterhealth.vic.gov.au/bhcv2/bhcarticles.nsf/pages/Hypertension_means_high_blood_pressure?open [Accessed 14th May 2009].
  2. National Heart Foundation of Australia, 2008. Lifestyle modification [Online]. Available at http://www.heartfoundation.org.au/SiteCollectionDocuments/A%20Hypert%20Guidelines2008%20Extract%20LifestyleModification.pdf  [Accessed 14th May 2009].
  3. Nutrition and Well-Being A to Z, 2008. Hypertension [Online]. Available at http://www.faqs.org/nutrition/Hea-Irr/Hypertension.html [Accessed 5th March 2009].
  4. Virtual Medical Centre.com, 2008. Hypertension [Online]. Available at http://www.virtualcancercentre.com/diseases.asp?did=812&title=Hypertension-(High-blood-pressure) [Accessed 5th March 2009].

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 


Last updated 17 June 2009