Hypertension or high blood pressure is a cardiovascular condition that occurs when the blood in the blood vessels has high pressure. The measure of the force of blood pushing against the walls of the blood vessels is known as blood pressure. When the weight of blood is too low or too high, it is causing abnormality in the cardiovascular system. Hypertension is a topic of interest to me because of its nature and how pharmaceutical companies have been able to develop different forms of medication to manage hypertension. The reader should be interested in this topic because everyone should learn about hypertension and spread knowledge about the condition.
Hypertension touches three essential cardiovascular system organs, including the blood, the arteries, and the heart. The blood which supplies oxygen to all body organs flows through the blood vessels through the pump, which is the heart. HBP, as conditions affect all organs of the cardiovascular system.
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Causes
There is no single known factor that is the cause of hypertension. However, doctors have identified multiple factors that might be the underlying cause of hypertension. These factors are categorized into two broad categories primary and secondary elements. According to Leone (2015), the primary factors that cause hypertension include the volume of food plasma, lack of body exercises, stress, and hormonal activity. Secondary factors that may cause hypertension include specific health problems. Conditions that can lead to hypertension include diabetes, kidney disease, pregnancy, obesity, sleep apnea, hyperthyroidism, and many more.
Hypertension, termed as a 'silent killer,' has effects on a cardiovascular system affecting the functions of various organs such as blood vessels and the heart. According to Bloch, Fash, and Basile (2018) increased blood pressure causes damage to the arteries. Hypertension damages the inner lining of arteries, which leads to the deposition of body fats in the arteries leading to narrowing, eventually leading to less elasticity and limiting blood flow. When the arteries are weakened, the constant pressure of the blood can cause a section of the highway to enlarge, forming a bulge known as an aneurysm. The swelling can rupture, causing internal bleeding.
High blood pressure causes damage to the heart and leading to heart conditions. Hypertension causes the heart to work more and harder to pump blood to the entire body. Over an extended period, the left ventricle muscles thicken, thus limiting the ability of the ventricle to pump blood. Thus, high blood pressure results in enlargement and thickening of the left ventricle ( Bloch, Fash, & Basile, 2018) . HBP can cause the strain to the heart weakening the heart muscle causing the body to work less efficiently and can result in a heart attack. High blood pressure can also result in coronary artery disease and stroke, all who are cardiovascular conditions.
Symptoms
Hypertension is a silent disorder, and one can live with it for a long time without any tangible signs or symptoms when it is not severe. However, patients experiencing elevated hypertension may experience headaches, nosebleeds, sleeping problems, and sweating ( Leone, 2015) .
Diagnosis
Hypertension is diagnosed by merely taking the reading of the blood pressure. Measurements of hypertension fall into four categories. When a person has normal blood pressure, the reading is below 120/80mmHg. When the interpretation of the systolic pressure range from 120 to 129 mmHg and the diastolic reading is below 80mmHg, the situation is known as elevated blood pressure. When the systolic pressure reading ranges from 130 to 139mmHg or a reading of 80 to 89mmHg of the diastolic pressure, it is known as stage 1 hypertension. When the systolic and the diastolic pressure reading is 140mmHg or 90 mmHg or higher, the person is to be said to have stage 2 hypertension. Therefore persons whose reading is above 130/80mmHg are said to be hypertensive ( Leone, 2015) .
Treatment/ Therapies
There is no cure for hypertension. However, the condition is treated and managed according to the doctors’ advice. Doctors recommend a change in the lifestyle of anyone who is diagnosed with hypertension. For people with hypertension, a healthy lifestyle include losing weight for persons who are obese or overweight. Patients who are smoke are required to quit from the habit. Hypertensive persons are required to maintain a healthy diet that includes the Dash diet. Dash diet is the one that contains more vegetables, dairy products with low fat, foods with less saturated, and total fat. Taking foods with reduced amounts of salts. Alcohol is harmful to persons with hypertension and, thus, the necessity to limit the number of alcohol consumed. Hypertensive individuals are advised to maintain physical activities such as walking or jogging, at least for thirty minutes a day. Patients are also required to manage the level of stress by practicing useful coping techniques such as meditation and deep breathing ( Mancia, 2019) .
Besides a healthy lifestyle, patients are put under medication depending on the situation of each patient. There are multiple forms of medications that are used to treat hypertension. Diuretics or water pills are a form of medication that acts on kidneys to help reduce blood volume by eliminating water and sodium. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors function is to help relax the blood vessels by preventing the deposition of chemicals that would cause the narrowing of blood vessels ( Mancia, 2019) . Angiotensin II receptor blockers (ARBs) have the same working process, just like ACE inhibitors. Calcium channel brokers are a type of medication whose role is to ensure the relaxation of blood vessels muscles while others slow the heart rate if the patient.
There are other forms of medications, including vasodilators, renin inhibitors, central-acting agents, beta-blockers, alpha-blockers, Aldosterone antagonists, and so forth ( Mancia, 2019) . Each of these medications works in different ways, and it is the doctor to know the best medication for the patient, depending on the patients’ situations. In other cases, a combination of two or more can be used to avoid taking a dose overload.
According to Dzau and Balatbat (2019), the currents trends about hypertension show that hypertension awareness and management in developed countries has doubled. People are more aware of the condition now compared to ten years ago. There is an emphasis on people to get regular pressure checkups. Regular pressure checkup is an effective way of early detection for those who are not yet diagnosed as hypertensive. For those who are regular hypertensive checkups will help in management and control. There is a trend that requires patients to have their blood pressure checked before being treated both in private and public health facilities. While it is not a new trend, the mandatory blood pressure checkup has helped improve diagnostics and early detection.
The future does not look bright for the disease as the number of people with the condition continues to increase gradually. There are no reports on new researches that are being done on the disease or the development of medication for the state. The research on developing medication for HBP has slowed down, which is an indication that there might be a decline in the development of new medications ( Dzau & Balatbat, 2019) .
References
Bloch, M. J., FASH, F., & Basile, F. J. (2018). Cardiovascular risks of hypertension. UpToDate. Jan .
Dzau, V. J., & Balatbat, C. A. (2019). Future of Hypertension: The Need for Transformation. Hypertension , 74 (3), 450-457.
Leone, A. (2015). Smoking and hypertension. J Cardiol Curr Res , 2 (2), 00057.
Mancia, G. (2019). Highlights of the November issue. Journal of hypertension , 37 (11), 2113-2115.
