Causes of High Blood Pressure/Hypertension

By Rishen Afakpo J. J.

What Causes High Blood Pressure/Hypertension

Blood pressure is the measure of the forces of blood pushing against blood vessels wall. The heart pumps blood into the arteries (blood vessels), which carry the blood throughout the body. High blood pressure also known as “Hypertension” is dangerous because it makes the heart work harder to pump blood out to the body and contributes to hardening of the arteries, or Arteriosclerosis, to stroke, kidney disease, and to the development of heart failure.

What is normal blood pressure?

A blood pressure reading has a top number(systolic) and bottom number(diastolic). The range are;

Ø Normal; less than 120/80 mmhg

Ø Prehypertension; 120 - 139/80 – 89 mmhg

Ø Stage 1 high BP; 140 -159/90 – 99 mmhg

Ø Stage 2 high BP; 160>/100>

Ø High blood pressure in people over age 60 years 150>/90> mmhg.

A consultant cardiologist and the chief Medical Director of Lagos Executive Cardiovascular clinic, Dr. Folasade Olaitan Alli has on 29^th June 2017 raised the alarm over increased death rate among Nigeria youths due to heart-related problems. She said while many Nigerians do not check there blood pressure to know there numbers, the attitude was more common among youths, leading to increased number of the age group being hypertensive.

People whose blood pressure is above the normal range should consult their doctors about steps to take to lower it.

What causes High Blood Pressure/Hypertension

This include the following; Smoking, being overweighted or obese, lack of physical activities, too much salt in your diet, too much alcohol consumption(more than 1 to 2 drinks per day), stress, older age, genetics family history of the high blood pressure, chronic kidney disease, adrenal and thyroid disorders, sleep apnea, diabetes, insufficient intake of Potassium, calcium and magnessium.

Essential Hypertension

In this type of hypertension, the underlying causes cannot be determined. These remain mysterious, it has been linked to certain risk factors. It tend to run in families and is more likely to affect men than women, age and race also play a role here. Its also influence by diet and lifestyle; people who consume more salt per capita than anyone else in the world have high incidence of essential hypertension e.g Northern Island of Japan, as contrasted with people who consume less or added no salt in there diets.

Secondary Hypertension

When the direct causes for hypertension can be identified, the condition is describe as “Secondary Hypertension”. This can be triggered by tumors or other abnormalities that causes the adrenal glands(small glands that sit atop of kidneys) to secrete excess amounts of the hormones that elevates blood pressure. Birth control pills specifically those containing estrogen and pregnancy can boost blood pressure, as can medications that constrict blood vessels(vasoconstriction medicaments). Among the known causes of secondary hypertension, kidney disease rank the highest.

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure/Hypertension

One of the most dangerous aspects of hypertension is that you may not know that you have it. In fact, nearly one-third of people who have high blood pressure don’t know it. The only way to know if your blood pressure is high is through regular checkups. And this is important if you have a close relative who has high blood pressure.

If your blood pressure is extremely high, there may be certain symptoms to look out for, includes; Severe headache, fatigue or confusion, vision problem, chest pains, difficulties in breathing, irregular heartbeats(pulse rate is high), blood in urine, pounding in your chest, neck or ears. If you have any of this symptoms, see your doctor immediately.

Complication of High Blood Pressure/Hypertension

Hypertension if left untreated results to several health problems which includes;

·        Arterosclerosis contribute to coronary artery diseases

·        People with untreated hypertension are four to six times likely to develop stroke; which occurs when blood flow on area in the brain is cut off.

·        May cause heart diseases.

·        May cause heart disease, kidney disease and kidney failure.

·        Can affect your eyesight, causing damage to the blood vessels in the retina known as “Hypertensive Retinopathy.

·        It worsening development of diabetes complication

·        It can be a sign of Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-related problem that can be fatal.

·        It can lead to erectile dysfunction. But some drugs for treating high blood pressure can actually be the cause as well.

Fresh Fruit Associated With Lower Risk Of Heart Attack And Stroke

Study of 500,000 Chinese adults confirms benefits of eating fruit;

People who eat fresh fruit on most days are at lower risk of heart attack and stroke than people who rarely eat fresh fruit, according to new research published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The findings come from a 7-year study of half a million adults in China, where fresh fruit consumption is much lower than in countries like the UK or US.

Researchers from the University of Oxford and Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences conducted a large, nationwide study of 500,000 adults from 10 urban and rural localities across China, tracking health for 7 years through death records and electronic hospital records of illness. The present study was among people who did not have a history of cardiovascular diseases or anti-hypertensive treatments when first joined the study.

Fruit is a rich source of potassium, dietary fiber, antioxidants, and various other potentially active compounds, and contains little sodium or fat and relatively few calories. The study found that fruit consumption (which was mainly apples or oranges) was strongly associated with many other factors, such as education, lower blood pressure, lower blood glucose, and not smoking. But, after allowing for what was known of these and other factors, a 100g portion of fruit per day was associated with about one-third less cardiovascular mortality and the association was similar across different study areas and in both men and women.

Study author Dr Huaidong Du, University of Oxford, UK, said "The association between fruit consumption and cardiovascular risk seems to be stronger in China, where many still eat little fruit, than in high-income countries where daily consumption of fruit is more common." Also, fruit in China is almost exclusively consumed raw, whereas much of the fruit in high-income countries is processed, and many previous studies combined fresh and processed fruit.

Co-author Professor Liming Li, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said "A recent Global Burden of Disease report put low fruit consumption as one of the leading causes of premature death in China. However, this was based on little evidence from China itself."

The senior author, Professor Zhengming Chen, University of Oxford, UK, said "It's difficult to know whether the lower risk in people who eat more fresh fruit is because of a real protective effect. If it is, then widespread consumption of fresh fruit in China could prevent about half a million cardiovascular deaths a year, including 200,000 before age 70, and even larger numbers of non-fatal strokes and heart attacks."

Difference Between HIV and AIDS

After know clean definition and explanation of HIV and AIDS, as well as the relationship between these two here, it’s also important to know how they are different because some of you might still be confused about it.

 

What’s the Difference Between HIV and AIDS?

 Generally speaking, HIV is a virus while AIDS is a sexual disease caused by this virus, although it does not mean that anyone who has HIV in body will develop AIDS. Here is a summary of the differences between HIV and AIDS:



 How to Know If You Are HIV-Positive? 

The only way to determine for sure whether you are infected with HIV or not is to take a test. HIV tests are widely available and you can get one from your doctor, community or veterans’ health center, Title X family planning clinic, or other healthcare provider. If you prefer, you can use an approved home test kit.

How to Know If You Have AIDS–Symptoms of AIDS

 The list of difference between HIV and AIDS is not complete without knowing the symptoms in different stages.

 Stage One occurs 2-6 weeks after HIV exposure. Symptoms, including nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, headache, muscle aches, sore throat, fever, and red non-itchy rash, last 1-2 weeks, and are due to the immune system’s initial defense against HIV.

 Stage Two begins after the first symptoms have disappeared and the immune system stops fighting the infection. This phase can last over a decade and not produce any symptoms. However, the HIV is gradually destroying CD4+ T-cells, increasing the risk of other infections.

 Stage Three or AIDS is diagnosed if there are under 200 CD4+ cells/mm3 of blood, or if the patient has an “AIDS-defining illness”, e.g. Pneumocystis pneumonia or Kaposi’s sarcoma. Other AIDS symptoms include night sweats, long-term fever, breathlessness, chronic diarrhea, lymph node swelling, weight loss, purple skin patches, bleeding, bruising, and yeast infections.

How Is HIV/ AIDS Transmitted? 

Another difference between hiv and aids is their transmission mode. It’s not the AIDS that is transmitted, rather the HIV infection, which can then progress to AIDS. You can catch HIV infection from any other person who has the infection, even if they haven’t tested positive for the virus yet and appear healthy. HIV is transmitted through bodily fluids, including the blood, semen, vaginal fluid, and breast milk, all of which contain enough virus particles to allow another person to become infected. 

The most common ways of acquiring HIV are through:

•  Sexual intercourse (either vaginal or anal) with an HIV-positive person
•  Needle-sharing (for intravenous drugs) with infected individuals
•  Transmission from mother to baby in pregnancy or labor, or when breastfeeding 

A few years ago, blood transfusion was a common way of contracting HIV infection, but nowadays, donated blood is very thoroughly screened for infections, so the HIV risk from transfusion is minuscule. No cases of HIV transmission through saliva or tears have been documented. However, you may become infected through oral sex or, very rarely, by deep kissing, particularly if your gums are bleeding or you have open mouth sores.