Facts of Hypertension

Hypertension, which is also known as high blood pressure, can affect men or women of any age. People with hypertension can go for years without any signs or symptoms. Without treatment, high blood pressure can lead to serious health problems. These health problems can include a stroke or a heart attack.

Symptoms

• Early symptoms of high blood pressure can include dizziness, dull headaches and sporadic nose bleeds. If your blood pressure is extremely high, the symptoms can include severe headache, fatigue, confusion, chest pain, vision problems, irregular heartbeat, difficulty breathing, blood in your urine and pounding in your chest, ears or neck. These symptoms need to be treated immediately by a physician to help prevent a stroke or heart attack.

Primary Hypertension

• In over 90 percent of cases of hypertension, there is no identifiable reason for the high blood pressure. This type of high blood pressure is called primary hypertension. Primary hypertension develops slowly over many years, with few or no signs or symptoms.

Secondary Hypertension

• Secondary hypertension is high blood pressure caused by an underlying condition. It normally appears suddenly and causes the blood pressure to spike to extremely high levels. Some conditions that can lead to secondary hypertension are kidney problems, adrenal gland tumors and some congenital heart defects. Pregnancy stresses your body, which can sometimes result in high blood pressure. Some medications can lead to secondary hypertension. These can include birth control pills, over-the-counter pain relievers, decongestants and some prescription medications. The use of illegal drugs such as cocaine or amphetamines can also lead to secondary hypertension.

Risk Factors

• Hypertension has many risk factors. Some factors can be controlled and others cannot. The risk factors that are out of your control are age, race and family history. Some of the risk factors that you can control are exercise, weight, tobacco use, alcohol use, the amount of sodium you consume, the amount of potassium and vitamin D in your diet, stress, high cholesterol, sleep apnea and diabetes.

Treatment

• Hypertension can be treated with some medications and changes in your lifestyle. Limiting tobacco and alcohol, eating healthy, decreasing your salt intake, exercising more and managing stress are lifestyle changes that you can make on your own. Lifestyle changes can assist in lowering your blood pressure, but often this is not enough. The doctor may try a combination of medications to help lower your blood pressure. These medications may be thiazide diuretics, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, renin inhibitors, alpha blockers, alpha-beta blockers or vasodilators.