Understanding the Basics of High Blood Pressure.
The Phrase High Blood Pressure conjures up a variety of things to all people. Common definitions refer to the condition without refereeing to the cause.
Dubbed the Silent Killer because of the insidious way it works away in the background of someone's health. High blood pressure if left untreated and ignored can lead to lethal complications in a wide variety of illnesses.
More than 50 million Americans are estimated to have high blood pressure. High blood pressure occurs more often in blacks-in 32% of black adults compared with 23% of whites and 23% of Mexican Americans.
The knock on effect of high blood pressure would appear to be worse for those within the black community. It would appear that the risks and incidences of high blood pressure increase proportionately with age with over three quarters of women and 4/6 of men over the age of 75 being classified as sufferers.
If you are overweight then your chances of suffering from high blood pressure also increase.
It is a staggering figure that possibly only two thirds of the potential high blood pressure sufferers in the US have been diagnosed. Of this figure about three quarters are receiving medical treatment and of this first three quarters only 50% are receiving adequate treatment.
Two terms are used when calculating high blood pressure, the systolic which is the first and greater of the two figures and refers to the highest pressure of the Arteries. The diastolic figure is the second figure calculated and represents the pressure in the hall product to the process of contraction again.
Blood pressure is written as systolic pressure/diastolic pressure-for example, 120/80 mm Hg (millimetres of mercury). This reading is referred to as "120 over 80."High blood pressure is defined as a systolic pressure at rest that averages 140 mm Hg or more, a diastolic pressure at rest that averages 90 mm Hg or more, or both.
The change in the approach to these limits has occurred through increased research into hypertension highlighting additional unforeseen complications. Research has shown that it is not unusual for raised figures in both systolic and diastolic pressures for sufferers of high blood pressure.
The one major exception to this widely accepted approach towards blood pressure is when it is arising through increased age whereby it is not uncommon to see a raised systolic pressure alongside a normal diastolic figure.
This disorder is called isolated systolic hypertension. Blood pressure that is more than 180/110 mm Hg and does not produce any symptoms is " a hypertensive urgency.
Where the blood pressure is particularly severe and in excess of 210/120 mm Hg then the condition is deemed to be known as malignant hypertension. This has only been found to occur in about one half of one percent of all sufferers.
Again the incidences of malignant hypertension is greater within the black community and amongst those people from the socioeconomic groups. Malignant hypertension unlike hypertensive urgency produces a variety of symptoms. Malignant hypertension if left untreated can lead to fatal consequences within six months.
Scott James writes regularly on Living With High Blood Pressure issues and more information on the above can be found at Living With High Blood Pressure ,Living With High Blood Pressure Symptom and also at http://www.livingwithhighbloodpressure.net/treatment.html
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