Hypertension(HTN)

According to the WHO, 12.8% of the total deaths worldwide are due to hypertension (HTN). In 2008, 40% of adults over the age of 25 had high blood pressure.

 

Hypertension

 

HTN is not a singular disease, but a syndrome with multiple causes. (Syndrome is a effect with different causes.) The majority of causes for hypertension are unknown and the disease is the called Primary Hypertension. Having HTN reduces life expectancy by 10-20 years.

 

Hypertension is diagnosed when your systolic pressure is above 140 mmHg and the diastolic pressure is above 90 mmHg.

 

Blood pressure is the force which the blood exerts against the artery walls. The systolic pressure is the greatest pressure the blood has over the arteries and the diastolic the least.

 

In order to diagnose HTN multiple blood pressure takes are to be performed, usually by measuring it on 2-3 different occasions.

 

 

Symptoms

 

HTN alone does not cause symptoms and if it does produce any, usually healthy people can present these same symptoms. HTN is usually detected through routinary blood pressure tests or a symptom that is the consequence of complications caused by this disease. Only in advanced cases symptoms associated with HTN are present.

 

The most common symptoms are:

1. Headaches

2. Fatigue

3. Dizziness

 

Complications

 

HTA complications are severe and dangerous. Once they occur treatment may be complicated because of the irreversible damage it causes.

 

1. Heart attack

2. Hemorrhages

3. Hypertensive encephalopathy

4. Nephropathy

5. Congestive heart disease

6. Arterioesclerosis

 

There is a higher risk of suffering from complications (comorbidity) associated with HTN if you have diabetes (21.6%), dyslipidemia (42.8%) or if you smoke (16.9%).

 

Development of HTN complications

 

The heart's goal is to pump blood to the rest of the body. When there is hypertension, the heart has to work harder to pump blood because the pressure in the arteries is higher and opposing to that generated by the heart.

 

The heart also needs blood to function and if it’s overworking to pump blood, it doesn’t receive proper nourishment. If the heart works harder, it needs more blood (oxygen) to function. The two scenarios mentioned above are the cause of heart attacks (myocardial infarction). Infarction means the death of tissue due to lack of nourishment.

 

Congestive heart disease occurs due to the fact that the blood is having a harder time leaving the heart and therefore it accumulates inside the heart chambers.

 

HTN also damages the arteries. If pressure in the arteries is high, they compensate by making themselves harder. The above is called arteriosclerosis. When arteries harden, blood has a harder time traveling towards its destination, the tissues. Therefore, tissues start lacking oxygen and nutrition. Also, if arteries are less flexible because of high pressure they may rip causing hemorrhages. The most common organs where hemorrhages take place are the brain, the kidneys (nephropathy) and the eyes.

 

In hypertensive encephalopathy, the brain doesn’t receive the proper amount of blood to function, causing confusion, dizziness, lightheadedness and even epilepsy.

 

Prevention

 

In this website you will find general advice to maintain and improve your health. The advice applies for any chronic disease.

 

Things you can do to prevent HTN are:

1. Avoid ingesting too much alcohol

2. Lower your salt intake

3. Lower stress in your life

4. Be aware of your weight (45% of obese people have HTN)

5. Visit your doctor regularly

 

It’s important to point out that if your parents or grandparents have HTN, there is a higher risk of you acquiring it, so take necessary precautions.

 

The majority of HTN cases are detected after the age of 40, which means you need to monitor your blood pressure after this age. However, remember that HTN normally does not produce symptoms, only when there are complications, so be aware of your blood pressure before the age of 40.

 

 

 

Bibliography:

1. Crawford, Michael H. "Chapter 13." Current Diagnosis & Treatment in Cardiology. New York: Lange Medical /McGraw-Hill, 2003.

2. McPhee, Stephen J., Vishwanath R. Lingappa, and William F. Ganong. "Chapter 11." Pathophysiology of Disease: An Introduction to Clinical Medicine. New York: Lange Medical /McGraw-Hill, 2003.

3. WHO. Noncommunicable Diseases (NDC) Country Profiles. 2014.