Popular Categories
Statistics
- Active Links: 1289
- Pending Links: 39
- Todays Links: 0
- Active Articles: 72
- Pending Articles: 5
- Todays Articles: 0
- Total Categories: 16
- Sub Categories: 304
Tag Cloud
Latest featured links
Random Featured Links
World Health DirectoryArticle Details
All you should know about hypertension |
|
| Date Added: February 16, 2010 12:42:26 AM | |
| Author: jupliana788 | |
| Category: Directories: Pharmacy | |
High blood pressure is frequently called the "silent killer", since many males and females do not even know they have it. This is because the vast majority of people with hypertension have no symptoms. Blood from your heart to the organs is carried by the arteries. When your heart beats, it thrusts blood through the arteries. In a person who has healthy arteries, the blood is able to flow through the arteries with little resistance. But in a person whose arteries have narrowed, the arteries resist the blood flowing through them. The heart has to work harder to carry the blood to the organs, and that is how hypertension occurs. Hypertension places a huge strain on your heart and leads to damage to the arteries, which escalates your risk for coronary problems and kidney failure. Blood pressure is made up of 2 measurements. The first one is called systolic, and indicates the peak blood pressure when your heart is directing blood into the arteries. The second figure is called diastolic, which is the pressure when your heart is resting between beats. Your blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). When you blood pressure is taken, the systolic pressure is read first, and the diastolic pressure is measured second. Blood pressure in healthy grownups is 120/80 or lower. High blood pressure is a reading 140/90 or higher. Physicians strictly recommend that all grownups aged 18 and older be examined for hypertension. If you have hypertension, here are some recommendations to help you reduce it. - Do not smoke cigarettes or use tobacco products. Nicotine causes your blood vessels to constrict and your heart to beat quicker, which raises your blood pressure. - Lose extra weight if you are corpulent. - Be more active. Exercise at a moderate intensity for 30 minutes, 5 or more days a week. - Go on a healthy diet that contains a lot of fresh fruits and vegetables and is low fats. - Consume less sodium and alcohol. If lifestyle alterations alone do not lower your blood pressure, your physician may also prescribe antihypertensive medicines to treat your high blood pressure. The goal is to decrease blood pressure to normal levels with medications that are easy to take and have fewer side effects. |
|
|
|
|
