Chronic hypertension is a situation whereby blood pressure is usually higher than normal for a long duration. An adult is said to have chronic hypertension when the systolic blood pressure (SBP) goes above 139 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) (Moulton, 2016). Children with high BP are also likely to have chronic hypertension. Unfortunately, if chronic hypertension is not controlled it can increase the risk of heart disease, other health complications, or even death. There are various preventive measures that can be applied to avoid the risk of getting chronic hypertension. The paper will outline the primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention strategies of chronic hypertension.
Preventive measures at the primary level commonly take the population-based approach. In this level, individuals are advised to eat a balanced diet that entails fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy products and should have standardized levels of saturated and total fat. Again, individuals are encouraged to do moderate physical activities to ensure their bodies are fit as well as maintaining normal body weight. In addition, one should consume limited alcohol, sodium, and potassium. The measure helps prevent an increase of blood pressure as well as lowering the blood pressure levels for individuals with hypertension (Moulton, 2016).
Delegate your assignment to our experts and they will do the rest.
Secondary prevention of disease involves carrying out tests to ensure the disease is detected early, thus preventing it from getting worse (Harris, 2019). In this case, tests are done on individuals to determine if they have chronic hypertension. Some of the tests include body mass index, blood pressure test, blood glucose test, cholesterol tests, and fitness assessments. As such, these assessments are essential as one is detected early and starts the management and treatment process.
The tertiary preventive measures are those that directed to individuals or rather patients who have already been diagnosed with a particular illness. Regarding chronic hypertension, patients are advised to take their medication according to the doctor’s prescription and to eat healthy to control the condition, thus preventing it from progressing (Moulton, 2016).
References
Harris, R. E. (2019). Epidemiology of Chronic Disease: Global Perspectives . Burlington, MA: Jones & Bartlett Learning.
Moulton, S. A. (2016). Managing Hypertension: Tools to Improve Health and Prevent Complications . Jefferson, NC: McFarland.
