Hypertension

What is hypertension?

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is an incredibly common condition that can have wide-ranging adverse health effects. To understand hypertension, it helps to consider how your body circulates blood.

Every time your heart beats, it pumps blood through your arteries and into the smaller blood vessels throughout your body. That action places force against the walls of your blood vessels, and the pressure changes as your heartbeat pulses.

The pressure from blood as it’s pumped through your heart is your systolic pressure, and the pressure as your heart rests between beats is your diastolic pressure. Hypertension is defined as blood pressure greater than 130 over 80.

What causes hypertension?

Several things can cause hypertension, some of which you can control and others you cannot. Here are some of the more common causes:

• Diseases, including diabetes, cardiovascular disease, and chronic kidney disease
• Alcohol or tobacco use
• Certain medications
• Unhealthy diet
• Sedentary lifestyle
• Genetics 

Your risk level increases as you age.

What are the risks associated with hypertension?

Hypertension is a serious health matter and can lead to several harmful outcomes, including:

• Heart failure or heart attack
• Aneurysm
• Stroke
• Kidney failure
• Amputation
• Blindness
• Sexual dysfunction

Having routine health screenings and blood pressure readings is critical. Taking a proactive stance in addressing hypertension can greatly reduce your risk of these outcomes.

How is hypertension treated?

There is no single treatment path for hypertension. Your treatment path is created to meet your specific needs and goals.

Lifestyle modifications are an essential part of lowering your blood pressure. Losing weight, improving your diet, and increasing physical activity are all part of reaching and maintaining healthy blood pressure. Reducing or eliminating alcohol or tobacco use is also important.

Certain medications can help control your blood pressure, but these drugs come with a risk of side effects. Your doctor at Farr Medical Group, Inc. can work with you to determine if medication is the right path for you, and monitor your health on a regular basis to ensure that medications are working as intended.

Very often, treating hypertension involves treating the underlying conditions that are elevating your blood pressure, which is why customized care is the most effective way to treat hypertension. Schedule an appointment today with Farr Medical Group, Inc. to begin your personalized treatment path.