Patient Information
The heart works as a pump to supply the entire body with blood. The force of the blood moving through your arteries is called blood pressure (BP). It is recorded as two numbers. Systolic BP is the pressure in the blood vessel each time your heart pumps blood. This is the first number. Diastolic BP is the pressure in the blood vessel when the heart rests between beats. This is the second number. BP is measured with an infl atable cuff device on your arm.
WHEN IS AN ELEVATED BP HYPERTENSION?
Hypertension in adults exists when the systolic BP is more than 139 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). You may also have hypertension if the diastolic BP is more than 89 mm Hg. Hypertension is determined by measuring your BP two or more times at each of two or more office visits with your doctor or PA and averaging the measured levels.
WHAT ARE THE TYPES OF HYPERTENSION?
The most common type of hypertension occurs when you have no symptoms and your health care provider cannot find a cause. This is called essential hypertension. Essential hypertension occurs most often in people who are 20 years and older.
Another type of hypertension is called secondary hypertension. This type of hypertension is caused by a disease or problem with your thyroid gland, adrenal glands, kidneys, or heart. Other causes of secondary hypertension are use and/or abuse of drugs, exposure to certain chemicals, excessive alcohol use, and too much salt in your diet. Some prescription medicines, herbal medicines, and cold or cough medicines can make your BP higher.
WHY IS TREATING MY HYPERTENSION IMPORTANT?
You are more likely to have a heart attack, stroke, heart failure, or kidney disease if you have hypertension. Hypertension occurs in three stages. You have prehypertension if your systolic BP is 120 to 139 mm Hg, your diastolic BP is 80 to 89 mm Hg, or both. You have stage I hypertension if your systolic BP is 140 to 159 mm Hg, your diastolic BP is 90 to 99 mm Hg, or both. You have stage II hypertension if your systolic BP is 160 mm Hg or more, your diastolic BP is 100 mm Hg or more, or both.
HOW DO I KNOW IF I HAVE HYPERTENSION?
You may not have any signs or symptoms indicating that your BP is too high. However, you may experience some symptoms related to your hypertension. You should contact your health provider if you have blurring of vision; loss of vision; chest pain; dizziness; fainting; any headache, whether mild or very bad; sudden body weakness; or trouble breathing.
WHAT DOES MY HEALTH CARE PROVIDER NEED TO KNOW?
If you have hypertension, it is important to tell your health care provider everything you can about your health and health history. You need to tell your health care provider if you have any other diseases or medical conditions. You need to tell your health care provider if any of your family members have heart disease, kidney disease, or diabetes. You need to be certain to tell your health care provider all the medicines that you take, even herbs, supplements, and OTC medicines. Make sure you tell your caregiver if you smoke, drink alcoholic beverages, or use any street drugs. Talk to your health care provider about your diet, work conditions, activities, and about things that cause stress in your life.
WHAT CAN I DO ABOUT MY HYPERTENSION?
Some lifestyle changes may help lower your BP and prevent or delay the onset of hypertension and the need for medicines. You should avoid or limit alcoholic beverages. You should change your diet by decreasing the amount of salt you eat. Limit the amount of packaged foods you eat because they have a lot of salt. A healthy diet rich in fruits, vegetables, and low-fat dairy products is the best for you. Learn about the fat content in foods, and reduce the amount of saturated and total fat in your diet. You should exercise for 30 minutes a day as often as you can. You should try to reduce your stress. Learn new ways to relax, such as deep breathing, meditation, and listening to music. Learn to control your anger and find healthy ways of releasing your emotions. If you smoke, you should try to quit. People who smoke are more likely to have a heart attack, lung disease, and cancer because smoking damages the heart, lungs, and blood. You should make sure you take all your medicines exactly as prescribed. BP medicines should be taken every day even though you may feel well and healthy.
The goal of BP treatment and lifestyle changes is to lower your BP to a normal level. You will need to have your BP checked frequently to make sure that it is in the normal range. Your health care provider may ask you to check your BP between check-ups or to keep a BP diary. JAAPA