Hypertension And High Blood Pressure

Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common disease affecting about 70 million Americans but only about half of those affected Americans have their blood pressure under control. 1 in 3 adults are in prehypertension, which means they are in the blood pressure range that is in danger of obtaining hypertension but the numbers are not quite high enough to diagnose them with the disease. Hypertension diagnosed when a person has tension, or high pressure, in their arteries. The more blood that is pumped into a person’s arteries and the narrower the arteries become, the higher the blood pressure. High blood pressure, if left untreated, has a huge risk into developing into several issues including heart disease and heart attacks. Almost everyone will have high blood pressure in their lifetime as it develops over the year. Fortunately, it is one of the most easily detectable diseases,

Blood pressure can be read by doctors using a sphygmomanometer8b, or blood pressure cuff. The cuff is placed on the upper arm and is inflated with air to stop blood flow. Blood pressure is measured in two numbers, systolic pressure and diastolic. Systolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries as it begins to contract while diastolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes. Once the cuff starts to deflate, either the doctor, with a stethoscope, or a machine listens for the first pulse. The pressure at which that pulse is heard is the systolic pressure, or the top number. Once the pulsation stops, the pressure at which it stopped is the diastolic pressure, or bottom number. Normal blood pressure is below 120/80, pre-hypertension blood pressure is between 120/80 and 139/89, high blood pressure is 140/90 and above, and low blood pr...

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...ation techniques such as meditating, slow deep breathing, and enough hours of sleep. (Sheps, 1999)

Overall, hypertension does not prefer one gender over another. However, women are more likely to acquire it over 65 years old while men are the mostly affected gender under 45 years old. African- Americans have a high chance of developing hypertension over white or Hispanic ethnicities, especially African-American women. (Nhbli, 2012)

Hypertension is labeled as the “silent killer”, however it is also one of the most easily detectable diseases in the world. Regular trips to the doctor can help patients be aware of all the maladies their bodies might harbor, including the silent killer. Early detection is key to prevent it from developing into a serious issue. To know and understand the causes, prevention, and function is to be one step closer a clean bill of health.