Many of us are accustomed to taking painkillers when feeling a severe headache as a normal headache, but did it come to minds of some that this headache might be a warning and an indication of high blood pressure?
High blood pressure is one of the most common and prevalent diseases among different age groups of adults, according to approved global statistics, as this disease affects a large percentage of adults around the world. Its danger lies in the fact that many people do not realize that they have the disease and thus do not take the necessary medical measures such as detection, follow-up and treatment and also its effect on most body systems and their various functions.
Shocking facts and figures:
In the report published in August 2021, the World Health Organization (WHO) revealed that high blood pressure is a serious medical condition that greatly increases the risk of heart, brain, kidney and other diseases. It is estimated that 1.28 billion adults between the ages of 30 and 79 suffer from high blood pressure worldwide, and the study showed that more than half of those with high blood pressure (62% of men and 53% of women) are not undergoing a treatment program or taking medicines.
A report from the WHO in 2017 had indicated that 50% of Egyptians at the age of 45-59 years suffer from high blood pressure, and the percentage increases to 65% in Egyptians at the age of 60-69 years, and the danger lies in the fact that about 65% Some of the infected people do not know that they are infected and therefore do not take any medications!
To raise awareness of the importance and danger of high blood pressure, we will discuss the following points:
- What is high blood pressure?
- How is high blood pressure detected?
- What are the types of high blood pressure?
- What are the symptoms, causes and complications of high blood pressure? And how can it be prevented?
- How is blood pressure measured at home?
What is high blood pressure?
Hypertension (HTN) is a chronic condition in which blood pressure rises in the arteries, forcing the heart to work harder than usual in order to be able to push blood into the blood vessels. This condition occurs for many people or the elderly when there is continuous pressure on the walls of the arteries or blood vessels for a long time, and high blood pressure can cause serious health problems such as: stroke, heart and kidney failure.
How is high blood pressure detected?
High blood pressure is detected by reading blood pressure measurements, and blood pressure consists of two readings, namely the systolic pressure and the diastolic pressure, and this depends on the pressure obtained and measured during the contraction of the heart muscle (systole) or its relaxation between beats (diastole). The normal resting systolic blood pressure ranges between 100-140 mm Hg (the upper reading), and the diastolic ranges between 60-90 mm Hg (the lower reading). Blood pressure is considered high if its value is consistently more than 140/90 mm Hg.
What are the types of high blood pressure?
There are two types of high blood pressure:
- Primary hypertension.
- Secondary hypertension.
Primary (essential) hypertension:
It is the type that affects most adults or the elderly and has no clear causes or specific factors that cause it to occur. It is called essential hypertension, and it develops over the years, and therefore about 90% – 95% of cases are classified as “essential hypertension”.
Secondary hypertension:
It is the type that affects a small percentage of people, unlike the first primary type. This type is infected as a result of the presence of diseases or other disorders that caused it, such as the effect of the kidneys, heart arteries, or the endocrine system. Secondary hypertension affects 5-10% of cases.
What are the symptoms and causes of high blood pressure?
Symptoms of high blood pressure:
- Severe headache.
- Nose bleeding.
- Vision problems
- Feeling dizzy and unbalanced.
- Breathing difficulty.
- Heartbeat disorder.
Causes of high blood pressure:
- Food rich in saturated fats.
- Excessive consumption of salt.
- Low intake of fruits and vegetables.
- Obesity and overweight.
- Lethargy and lack of movement.
- Smoking and drinking alcohol.
- Increased thyroid secretion, kidney disease, some heart diseases, and atherosclerosis.
What are the complications of high blood pressure and how to prevent it?
Complications of high blood pressure:
- Heart disease, the inability of the heart to pump blood to the rest of the body normally.
- Myocardial infarction and weakness.
- Clogged arteries, which leads to a lack of oxygen and blood to the muscles of the body.
- High rates of heart attacks due to hardening of the arteries.
- The possibility of kidneys disease as a result of narrowing of the arteries that feed the kidneys.
- High incidence of stroke as a result of weakness in the walls of the arteries that feed the brain as a result of high blood pressure.
- A severe increase in blood pressure may lead to vision loss, due to the effect of high blood pressure on the central nervous system and optic nerves.
How to prevent high blood pressure:
- Monitor blood pressure regularly.
- Take your blood pressure medication on time and according to your doctor’s instructions.
- Eat healthy food rich in fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and proteins.
- Reducing salt intake with food so that it does not exceed 5 grams per day.
- Reducing the intake of food rich in saturated fats.
- Avoid smoking because it is harmful to blood vessels and leads to atherosclerosis.
- Maintain weight and exercise daily.
How is blood pressure measured at home?
- Sit quietly for several minutes before and during your blood pressure measurement, making sure that your arm is in the correct position by raising it to the level of your heart on a table, table, chair or pillow.
- It is preferable to measure pressure from the forearm, not from the wrist.
- Read more than once to make sure it is correct.
- Check the accuracy of your device by checking with a doctor and comparing the results.
- Avoid measuring pressure upon waking up or after physical exertion, and avoid consuming food, caffeine, and medications 30 minutes before taking the measurement.
What is DoktorCare role and responsibility towards society?
High blood pressure is a disease that requires special attention and careful and continuous monitoring. Full awareness of the importance and seriousness of the disease and ways to deal with it is an essential part of DoktorCare responsibility and role towards society, and a contribution from it to support the role of the World Health Organization in this issue, so we are working hard to provide the best integrated medical services at home for all patients with high blood pressure to include all regular periodic tests and examinations with specialized doctors, and provision of all necessary work.
DoktorCare seeks to improve the quality of health care provided to our customers, to meet all the needs of our valued patients and to ensure that they receive the required services at any time and from anywhere, with the highest quality and best price, with a selection of the most skilled doctors in all specialties.
