You may ever wonder why the nurse always wraps that cuff around your arm, no matter what you’re at the doctor’s office for? It’s not just routine of checking your blood pressure, as it is one of the easiest ways to spot a serious health risk, that often hidden under the high blood pressure, or hypertension. It’s common, it’s quiet, and if IT left unchecked, then it may do a serious damage to your body without giving any warning or signs.
At it is the simple this that, blood pressure is just a pressure of your blood while it flows in your artery walls when your heart beats. But if that pressure remains too high for a longer period of time, then usually at or above 130/80 mm Hg, the CDC says, that it can be a problem. The World Health Organization employs a little higher threshold of 140/90 mm Hg, but the point is the same: high readings regularly mean your heart and blood vessels are working overtime.
Here’s the catch: most of the individuals with high blood pressure don’t even know it, as, there are no symptoms. That’s why it’s been nicknamed as the “silent killer.” The only way to determine where you stand is to have your blood pressure checked regularly, either at a doctor’s office or in your home. If your readings are high on two different days, you might be diagnosed with hypertension.
So, why does it happen? Some things you can control, such as diet, exercise, alcohol consumption, and smoking. A diet high in sodium, being high in weight, a lack of exercise, or being under high stress can all increase your blood pressure. Mental states are also a factor; chronic worry or depression can increase this situation to critical one. Then there are things you can’t control, like your age, family history, or conditions such as diabetes or kidney disease. Even your surroundings, including air pollution which also can contribute to creating such issue.
The actual worry is not the high numbers, but what they can do after it occurs. High blood pressure can peacefully sneak and harm your arteries, cutting the flow of blood to important organs. It is a leading cause of heart disease, heart attack, heart failure, and stroke. It can also harm your brain, which may lead to memory issue and dementia etc. Your eyes and kidneys are also vulnerable to it, as high blood pressure may cause kidney disease and vision issues.
And it’s more prevalent than you realize. In America, almost half of adults, about 120 million individuals are living with high blood pressure or are on medication for it. But there is a twist: just a little more than 1 in 4 has it under control. It is more frequent troubling to men, and specially some groups of non-Hispanic Black adults, are at high risk. Unavailability of easy access to diagnosis, care and required treatment also make some communities to struggle it to achieve a control on this health condition.
But don’t worry, there is good news? that hypertension can be controlled. Dietary changes are usually the first phase of treatment: increase fruit and vegetable consumption, reduce salt and sugar intake, exercise regularly, keep a healthy weight, and quit tobacco, smoking and alcohol. If that doesn’t suffice, then there are medical treatments also available to curb the blood pressure issue. There are a variety of blood pressure treatments, such as ACE inhibitors, diuretics, and calcium channel blockers, and your doctor can guide you to provide the best match treatment for you.
But the impact of high blood pressure is not private, as it’s now become a public health issue due to today’s unhealthy lifestyle and pressurized working situation. It is considered as a causes hundreds of thousands of deaths in the United States only on every year and billions of dollars are spent on expenses on the health care system to treat the blood pressure issue. Globally, the burden of hypertension has more than doubled in the past few decades, specifically in poorer countries where access to health care is limited and risk factors are growing day by day.
Organizations such as CDC and World Health Organization are attempting to assist many countries in increasing prevention, screening, and treatment measures and initiating programs to curb the hypertension and blood pressure issue. Progress is being made, but a lot more is still needs to be done.
At the end of the day, knowing your blood pressure by routine tests, and keeping it at a healthy level is one of the healthiest ways of modern lifestyle you should adopt for yourself to safeguard yourself for a long run. Your blood pressure reading is not just changing your life of your heart, your brain, but also impacts on your future life. Therefore, being aware and taking the preventive measures is a key to safeguard yourself from hypertension and high blood pressure issue.