Hypertension: Blood Pressure - Medical Description, its risk factors, types of hypertension and its causes

Medical Description

Blood Pressure(High) also called as Hypertension, is defined by the high Pressure of Blood against the walls of arteries. It is normal for blood pressure to rise under stressful conditions or during physical exertion. In people with high blood pressure, tension remains high at all times, even at rest or in the absence of stress.

Hypertension is not a disease in itself. However, in the long term, it is an important risk factor:

* Heart failure: by imposing an additional workload to the heart, hypertension can cause depletion of the heart muscle;
* Crisis angina, myocardial infarction and stroke: high blood pressure means that the blood exerts greater pressure on the walls of arteries, which weakens and increases the risk that the artery Hangs by atherosclerosis;
* Kidney problems (renal failure) and eyes (injury to the retina can lead to a loss of sight): Once again, due to the weakening of blood vessels.

Because hypertension usually does not cause symptoms, a significant number of hypertensive patients are unaware of their condition - which is why it is called the "silent killer".
Prevalence

According to the World Health Organization, 30% of men and 50% of women aged 65 to 75 years suffer from hypertension. Today, hypertension affects populations increasingly young.






The types of hypertension and its causes

* Primary hypertension accounts for approximately 90% of cases. It is based on a multitude of factors related to age, heredity (especially for men) and harmful habits, whose effects accumulate over the years. Obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, alcohol abuse, stress and food too salty contribute to hypertension.

A high intake of salt causes water retention. According to a survey conducted by Statistics Canada, over 85% of men and 60% of women have an intake of salt or sodium than the recommended upper limit of 2 300 mg jour1. See the complete table of the maximum permissible intake of sodium.

* Secondary hypertension may result from another health problem (a kidney problem or endocrine, congenital deformity of the aorta) or the frequent use of certain medications. For example, nasal decongestants, because they contain ephedrine (a substance whose effect resembles that of adrenaline secreted under stress), anti-inflammatory drugs, which cause the retention of water and salt, and bronchodilators, which have a stimulating effect on the heart.