Hypertension

As an internist, Dr. Parikh has interest in  the treatment and prevention of hypertension. You should have regular appointments with your physician, if you have high blood pressure. It’s important to have your blood pressure checked during your annual check up, particularly if someone in your family has or had high, even if you have not been identified as having high blood pressure.

What is Hypertension?

Hypertension, also known as blood pressure, is a measurement of the force from the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood throughout your body. Hypertension is another term used to describe high blood pressure. Blood pressure readings are usually given as two numbers — for example, 120 over 80 (written as 120/80 mmHg). 1 or these two numbers can be overly high. The most notable number is known as the systolic blood pressure. The bottom number is known as the diastolic blood pressure.

Regular blood pressure is when your blood pressure is less than 120/80 mmHg on a consistent basis. High blood pressure (hypertension) is when your blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or above the majority of the time. In case your blood pressure numbers are 120/80 or higher, but below 140/90, it’s called pre-hypertension. If you have heart or kidney issues, or you had a stroke, your personal doctor may need your blood pressure to be even lower than that of those who don’t have these conditions.

Negative Effects of Hypertension

Most of the time, high blood pressure can be controlled with medicine and lifestyle changes. When blood pressure isn’t well controlled, you may be at risk for:

• Bleeding from your aorta, the large blood vessel that supplies blood to the legs, pelvis, and abdomen
• Chronic kidney disease
• Heart attack and heart failure
• Inferior blood supply to the legs
• Issues with your vision
• Stroke

Causes of High Blood Pressure

Many factors can affect blood pressure, including:

• How much salt and water you have in your body
• The state of your kidneys, nervous system, or blood vessels
• Your hormone amounts
• You are prone to be told your blood pressure is too much as you get older. It is because your blood vessels become stiffer as you age. When that happens, your blood pressure goes up. High blood pressure increases your chance of having a stroke, heart attack, heart failure, kidney disease, or early death.

There is a greater risk of high blood pressure if:

• You are African American
• You are overweight
• You are often stressed or anxious
• You drink a lot of alcohol (more than one drink per day for women and more than two drinks daily for men)
• You eat a lot of salt in your diet
• You have a family history of high blood pressure
• You’ve got diabetes
• You smoke
• Whenever no cause of high blood pressure is found. It is called essential hypertension.

High blood pressure that is caused by another medical condition or drug is known as secondary hypertension. Secondary hypertension may be due to:

• Chronic kidney disease
• Illnesses of the adrenal gland (like pheochromocytoma or Cushing syndrome)
• Hyperparathyroidism
• Pregnancy or preeclampsia
• Drugs including birth control pills, diet pills, some cold medicines, and migraine medicines
• Narrowed artery that provides blood to the kidney (renal artery stenosis)
• Symptoms
• The majority of the time, there aren’t any symptoms. For many patients, high blood pressure is uncovered when they see their doctor or have it assessed elsewhere.

People can develop cardiovascular disease and kidney troubles without knowing they have high blood pressure, because there are no symptoms. If you have a severe headache, nausea or vomiting, terrible headache, confusion, changes in your vision, or nosebleeds you might have an intense and dangerous form of high blood pressure called malignant hypertension.

Exams and Evaluations

Your health care provider will measure your blood pressure several-times before diagnosing you with high blood pressure. It is standard for your own blood pressure to be different based on the time.

All adults should have their blood pressure checked every 1 to 2 years if their blood pressure was less than 120/80 mmHg at their latest reading. For those who have high blood pressure, diabetes, heart disease, kidney problems, or certain other conditions, have your blood pressure checked more often — at least once each year. Blood pressure readings taken at home may be a better measure of your present blood pressure than those taken at your doctor’s office.

Make sure you get a great quality, well-fitting home blood pressure monitor. It will get the appropriate sized cuff along with a digital readout. Training along with your doctor or nurse to ensure you’re taking your blood pressure accurately.
Bring your property monitor to your appointments so that your health care provider can make sure that it is functioning correctly. Your doctor can do a physical exam to look for hints of heart problems, damage to the eyes, along with other developments in our bodies.

Evaluations may also be carried out to find:

• High cholesterol degrees
• Heart problems, such as an echocardiogram or electrocardiogram
• Kidney disease, for example a fundamental metabolic panel and urinalysis or ultrasound of the kidneys
• Treatment
• The purpose of cure is to reduce your blood pressure so you have a lesser risk of complications. You including your health care provider should decide on a blood pressure target for you.

Blood Pressure Prevention

In case you have pre-hypertension, your physician will recommend lifestyle modifications to bring your blood pressure right down to a normal range. Medicines are rarely used for pre hypertension.

You can do many things to assist control your blood pressure at home, including:

• Eat a heart-healthy diet , including potassium and fiber, and drink lots of
• Exercise regularly — at least 30 minutes of aerobic exercise a day.
• In case you smoke, cease — locate a program that can help you cease.
• Restrict just how much alcohol you drink — one drink a day for women, two a day for men.
• Restrict the amount of sodium (salt) you eat — aim for under 1,500 mg per daydaily
• Reduce stress — attempt to avoid things that cause you anxiety. You can even try meditation or yoga.
• Stay at a healthier body weight — find a weight-loss program to help you, if you want it.
• Your health care provider may help you locate plans for losing weight, stopping smoking, and exercising.

You can also get a referral from your doctor to a dietitian, who can help you plan a diet that is healthy for you.

There are many different medicines to treat high blood pressure. Frequently, one blood pressure drug might not be enough to control your blood pressure, and also you will need to take a few drugs. It’s extremely imperative that you take the medications prescribed to you. Your doctor can substitute a different medicine, when you have side effects.

Contact Dr. Parikh today to schedule a high blood pressure screening or for more information about hypertension treatment.