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5 Risk Factors of Hypertension: When Is It Time To See A Doctor?

Dr. Sreelekha Daruvuri

2 Min Read

Fast Check Fact Checked

High blood pressure, most commonly called Hypertension is a very common condition. Yet, it is a condition which can be diagnosed easily and without much costs. The pressure of blood is determined by the amount of blood that is pumped by the heart and the amount of resistance to the blood flow in your arteries. If your heart pumps more blood, and your arteries are narrow, your blood pressure can rise. There are two numbers in the reading of a blood pressure, the top number being the systolic pressure and the bottom number being the diastolic pressure.

Systolic pressure: Measures the pressure in you arteries when the heart is beating
Diastolic pressure: Measures the pressure in your arteries in between heart beats

Did you know? Systemic hypertension is the leading cause of global cardiovascular mortality, (accounting for 10.4 million deaths per year) and morbidity.

Symptoms of Hypertension

Some people suffering from high blood pressure can experience:

Headaches
Difficult breathing
Nose bleeds

The excessive pressure can cause damage to blood vessels and organs.

Types of Hypertension

Primary Hypertension: This type gradually increases over the course of a few years and there is at times no cause for it.
Secondary Hypertension: This type of HT is due to an underlying medical conditions such as adrenal gland tumors, kidney disease, thyroid conditions, sleep apnea and certain medications such as prescription drugs birth control pills and decongestants

What are the risk factors of Hypertension?

Age: The risk does increase with age. Men >60 years of age and women >65 years of age are are prone to high blood pressure
Family history
Obesity
Smoking
Increased sodium in diet
Alcoholism
Chronic conditions such kidney disease, diabetes and sleep apnea

When is it time to see a doctor for Hypertension?

Some people don’t show symptoms of high blood pressure for years, but if uncontrolled it can increase the risk of health concerns such as heart attacks and strokes.

You can consult with a general physician who may recommend a lipid profile blood test to measure the amount of cholesterol and fats in your blood. This will be able to measure the ‘good’ and ‘bad’ cholesterol and triglycerides. High cholesterol levels can lead to clogged blood vessels, therefore leading to cardiovascular diseases.

	Systolic (upper number) mmHg	Diastolic (lower number) mmHg
Normal	<120	< 80
Elevated	120-129	< 80
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 1	130-139	80-89
High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 2	>140	>90
Hyptertensive crisis	>180	>120

Treatment for Hypertension

While hypertension can be treated with medical prescriptions, there are ways to help ease your BP through interventaion that doesn’t involve meds.

Weight loss for overweight or obese patients
Healthy heart diet
Sodium diet restriction
Potassium diet supplementation
Increased physical activity/structure exercise program
Limited alcohol drinks: Men should be limited to no more than 2 and women no more than 1 standard alcohol drinks(s) per day

MFine also offers a diet program with which you can get help managing your Hypertension.

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