What is hypertension?

Many people are simply not aware of their blood pressure level as there are no significant symptoms. It develops slowly and if something serious like a heart attack or kidney failure occurs, people get to know about the disease. Hypertension cannot be diagnosed easily, only in a few cases can one single out the condition.

However, one should always know the causes through which this hypertension can occur. let’s check out some causes of hypertension!

 

What are the causes of hypertension?

 

In most of the cases, the cause behind high blood pressure is unknown and in some, it is due to an underlying condition. The conditions that can lead to high blood pressure include:

 

- Diabetes

- Kidney disease

- Hyperthyroidism

- Scleroderma

- Long term kidney infection

- Hormone problems

- Lupus

- Cushing syndrome

- Obesity

- Pregnancy

- Obstructive sleep apnea

 

Some medications can also cause the condition of hypertension. These includes:

 

- Cough and cold medications

- Herbal/Ayurveda medications containing licorice

- Steroids

- Contraceptive pills

- Antidepressants

- Non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs

 

In certain cases, blood pressure will be back to normal once the person stops taking these medicines.  

 

What are the major risk factors of hypertension?

 

A lot of factors might increase the risk of high blood pressure. These includes:

 

- Excessive salt or sodium in your diet.

- Lack of exercise

- Being obese or overweight

- Drinking excessive alcohol

- Taking stress

- Chronic conditions like kidney disease, diabetes, etc.

- Inadequate sleep

- Low potassium diet

 

These factors can surely lead to hypertension and one should always change their habits accordingly to live a healthy and stress-free life. Making positive changes to lifestyle can reduce the chances of hypertension significantly.

 

What are hypertension symptoms?

 

The bad thing about hypertension is that one might not be aware of it as there are not many noticeable symptoms. A lot of people have hypertension and they don’t even know about it. Generally, the best way for people to know about high blood pressure is by regularly visiting their doctor for a routine checkup. You can also get a blood pressure measuring machine (Sphygmomanometer) to do it yourself at home on a regular basis. However, if blood pressure is very high, below are the symptoms to look out for!

 

- Vision problem

- Extreme headache

- Chest pain

- Nosebleed

- Irregular heartbeats

- Blood in urine

- Breathing issues

- Heartbeat hearing in ears at night

 

Other symptoms or things that can happen are heart attack, stroke, increased/decreased heartbeats, and heart failure. In such extreme cases, one should be admitted immediately to the hospital for proper diagnosis and treatment.

 

What are the types of hypertension?

 

Hypertension is mainly divided into 4 types:

 

• Primary hypertension – After a lot of research, the cause is still unknown and most people have this hypertension type. Dizziness, headaches, and fatigue can be the primary symptoms.
• Secondary hypertension – When there are abnormalities in the arteries supplying blood to the kidney, this hypertension type occurs. Common causes can be excessive alcohol or salt consumption, thyroid, tumor or adrenal glands, etc.
• Malignant hypertension – The blood pressure keeps on increasing rapidly and the patient needs to be admitted immediately. Chest pain, blurry vision, and numbness in the legs, arms are the symptoms.
• Resistant hypertension – A type of hypertension that is mainly seen in people who are obese, aged, or have kidney diseases/diabetes. It is hard to control and requires high-level medication.

 

Recommended treatments for hypertension

 

For long term solution or treatment changing the lifestyle is the best way to start with! Doctors recommend the following things:

 

- Performing more physical activities like running cycling, gymming, etc.

- Eating a heart-friendly diet with less salt.

- Limiting the alcohol amount that you drink.

- Losing some pounds if obese and maintain the body mass index.

 

Sometimes, lifestyle changes are not enough and if you have already developed an intense/extreme hypertension condition, medications will be your perfect companion. There are a lot of medications out there to treat high blood pressure out of which some of the most preferred ones are:

 

- Thiazide diuretics

- Angiotensin II receptor blockers

- Calcium channel blockers

- Beta-blockers

- Renin-inhibitors

 

The medicines should only be taken according to the dosage prescribed by your doctor. Medicines and doses vary from patient to patient. Once your doctor prescribes you the medicine/drug, you can then easily buy high blood pressure generic drugs online. Keep consulting your doctor for any change in medication/dosage according to the improvement in your condition