• The heart pumps blood with excessive force

• The body’s smaller blood vessels (known as the arterioles) narrow, so that blood flow exerts more pressure against the vessels’ walls

High blood pressure or hypertension means high pressure (tension) in the arteries. The arteries are the vessels that carry blood from the pumping heart to all of the tissues and organs of the body.

Symptoms

Migraine pain tends to intensify over the first 30 minutes to several hours, and may last from several hours to a day or longer. Afterward, the affected person is usually weary, and sensitive to sudden head movements.

Hypertension has aptly been called the “silent killer” because it usually produces no symptoms. Untreated hypertension increases slowly over the years. It is important for anyone with risk factors to have their blood pressure checked regularly and to make appropriate lifestyle changes. Such recommendations are especially important for individuals who have prehypertension or hypertension.

Migraine without aura may be preceded by elevations in mood or energy level for up to 24 hours before the attack. Other pre-migraine symptoms may include fatigue, depression, and excessive yawning.

Risk Factors

During the last decade, the number of Americans with high blood pressure has increased by 30 percent. Over 65 million American adults now have high blood pressure, and this condition affects close to 1 billion people worldwide. Less than half of these people are on medication, however, and only about half of this group has their blood pressure under good control with such drugs.

Age and Gender

Age is the major risk factor of hypertension. Blood pressure increases with age in both men and women, and in fact, the lifetime risk for hypertension is nearly 90%. Two-thirds of Americans over age 60 have hypertension. Older women (60 years and above) currently have the highest rates of hypertension, and mortality rates from hypertension are higher in women than in men.

Ethnicity

Compared to Caucasians, African Americans have 1.8 times the rate of fatal stroke, 1.5 times the risk for fatal heart disease, and 4.2 times the rates of end-stage kidney disease. In general, about 34% of African American men and women have hypertension; it may account for over 40% of all deaths in this group. The prevalence of high blood pressure among African Americans is among the highest in the world.

Causes

In 90 to 95 percent of high blood pressure cases, the cause is unknown. In fact, you can have high blood pressure for years without knowing it. That’s why it’s the “silent killer” — it creeps up on you. Factors that may lead to high blood pressure in the remaining 5–10 percent of cases, which are known as secondary hypertension, include:

• Kidney abnormality

• A structural abnormality of the aorta (large blood vessel leaving the heart) existing since birth

• Narrowing of certain arteries

These problems can usually be corrected. For example, doctors can repair a narrowed artery that supplies blood to a kidney. Most of these problems can be ruled out by a careful history, a physical examination and a few tests.

Hypertension is referred to as essential (primary) when the doctor is unable to identify a specific cause. It is by far the most common type of high blood pressure. The causes of this type are unknown but are likely to be a complex combination of genetic, environmental, and other factors.

Medicine can be a great high blood pressure treatment. Ask your doctor if any medications might be right for you. Medicines will control your blood pressure, but they cannot cure it. You will need to take blood pressure medicine for a long time.

Drugs that help lower high blood pressure have various side effects. If you experience severe side effects from any drug, contact your doctor immediately. Drugs that lower blood pressure include diuretics, beta blockers and calcium channel blockers.

Salt substitutes usually contain potassium chloride instead of sodium chloride as found in salt. The salt substitute makes you produce saliva much in the same way salt does. Salt and sugar intake must be dramatically curtailed with an increase in fruits, vegetables, low-fat dairy protects, fiber and protein from meat, fish and poultry. Losing weight will result in lower blood pressure.

Vasodilators open blood vessels by relaxing the muscle in the vessel walls. Calcium channel blockers (CCBs) prevent calcium from getting into the muscle cells of the heart and blood vessels, relaxing the blood vessels. Vasodilators are not commonly used alone to treat ongoing high blood pressure because of the significant drop in blood pressure that they cause, which may lead to heart palpitations or rapid heartbeat. They may be used if a person is in a hypertensive crisis or when other classes of medicine are not effective in controlling high blood pressure.

Potassium pills may need to be taken with some diuretics. A diet high in potassium also may be needed. Potassium levels and kidney function are watched closely as the dose increases.

Tekturna works by reducing the ability of renin to begin this process. Doctors say Tekturna is unique because it acts earlier in your body’s blood pressure process than other medications. Tekturna is known as a renin inhibitor. Renin is an enzyme produced by your kidneys that starts a cascade of chemical steps that increases blood pressure.

Calcium Channel Blockers reduce the overall level of calcium in the heart, reducing blood pressure. Alpha Blockers lower blood pressure by limiting the nerve impulses sent to the blood vessels, while Alpha-Beta Blockers combine the effects of Alpha-Blockers and Beta-Blockers. Calcium channel blockers keep calcium from entering the muscle cells of the heart and blood vessels. This reduces the heart rate and causes the blood vessels to relax. Calcium, magnesium, potassium, and CoQ10 deficiencies are directly linked to high blood pressure. Therefore reducing their amounts in the body can make it more difficult for your doctor to normalize your blood pressure.

Beta-blockers are also one of the types of drugs used to lower blood pressure. Although migraines are not considered to be high blood pressure headaches, high blood pressure medication does seem to help. Beta blockers will lower blood pressure by regulating the heart rate. Other effective drugs for lowering your pressure are vasodilators, ace inhibitors and calcium channel blockers. Beta blockers are one group. They slow the heart down.

Alternative medicine is relatively inexpensive while medications can easily cost a small fortune. Furthermore, medications usually have side effects, which may be difficult for some people to handle. Alternative therapies can help to cure the problem of high blood pressure without taking recourse to conventional drugs that often have serious side effects. The focus of alternative treatments is to treat the very source of the disease.

Talk to your doctor about adjusting your medication and making lifestyle changes that will lower your blood pressure to under 140/90.

What Causes it?

What are the Risks?

How can it be lowered?

Blood pressure (BP) is the pressure put on the walls of the blood vessels by the blood which is pumped around by the heart.  It is normally measured via the brachial artery in the upper arm, but can be measured at other points on the body.

Blood pressure values are reported in millimetres of mercury (Hg) given by 2 numbers e.g. 130/90

The first number is Systolic pressure, which is the blood pressure exerted when the heart beats and forces blood around the body.

The second number is Diastolic pressure, which is the pressure exerted when the heart rests between beats.

So a BP of 130/90 (130 over 90) means a systolic pressure of 130mm of mercury and a diastolic pressure of 90 mm of mercury.  A Sphygmanometer is normally used which involves a cuff placed snugly around the arm, a measuring unit (a mercury manometer or aneroid gauge), and an inflation bulb for manual instruments. Electronic units inflate themselves and give a digital readout.

What is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure or Hypertension is classed as 140-159/90-99 in adults. The ranges are[1]:

Category                                              Systolic mm Hg                 Diastolic mm Hg

Hypotension (low)                                 < 90                                        < 60

Normal                                                   90 – 119                                60 – 79

Prehypertension                                    120 – 139                             80 – 89

Stage 1 Hypertension (High)                 140 – 159                             90 – 99

Stage 2 Hypertension (V. High)             > 160                                     > 100

These values are for sustained pressure i.e. readings taken more than once.

What Causes High Blood Pressure?

There are many physical and psychological factors that can contribute.  High blood pressure that is caused by a non-medical condition is called Essential or Primary Hypertension. 90-95% of cases are Essential. Secondary Hypertension is high blood pressure caused by (secondary to) a medical condition such as kidney disease. There are usually no symptoms for high blood pressure, so you will not know you have it. It should be checked every 3 years, or more regularly if you are getting older.

As essential hypertension by definition has no identifiable cause, it is has many risk factors that that can contribute:

Stress and anxiety

Being overweight

Poor diets with high sodium intake

Alcohol consumption

Vitamin D deficiency

Lack of exercise

Family history or genetic makeup.

Secondary hypertension is from an identifiable cause, and is treated by treating the cause of the hypertension.  It can be caused by:

Kidney disease

Endocrine disease

Steroid medication

Contraceptive pill (blood pressure is checked regularly)

Pregnancy (blood pressure is also checked)

hat are the Risks of High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure will increase the risk of:

Cardiovascular disease

Heart attacks

Kidney disease (which actually causes high blood pressure)

Strokes

Eyesight damage

You may also experience visual problems, headaches, and blackouts.

How can it be lowered?

For people who have a BP of 160/100 or higher, medication is usually offered to treat it. A BP of 140/90 to 160/100 drug treatment is not usually given.  People with a risk of developing a disease (or already have it) such as cardiovascular, diabetes, kidney disease, will be advised to take medication.

What everyone can do (not just people with a high BP) is to:

Reduce their stress levels

Stop smoking

Exercise

Lose weight

Reduce their sodium intake

Eat a healthy diet

If you want to learn more about getting the right diet and losing weight to help lower your blood pressure, go to: www.toploseweight.org.

As you might have noticed there is an increase in obesity in children today. This also increases their chances of developing high blood pressure, putting them at a greater risk of developing health problems. A great way to prevent this is to have your child’s blood pressure checked often as they get older.

Some other ways to help are by watching your child’s diet and making sure they get plenty of exercise. Some kids are not as active today what with video games and all. Get your child involved in sports or some other activities on a regular basis form an early age. It will benefit them health wise as well as boost their self esteem later down the road.

Just like adults, it is easy to control your child’s blood pressure. Watch their diet, especially in the area of snack foods. Be sure they are getting the right nutrition and limit their intake of salt. Get them eating fresh fruits and vegetables. While many children don’t like vegetables, there are many ways to overcome this. You can spice up any recipe that involves vegetables.

Physical activity is a big key to any healthy lifestyle. Getting your child involved in physical activity while young will help ensure they stay active and healthy as they get older. Involve them in a sport of their choosing and take walks with them. Both of you will benefit from this.

If your family has a history of high blood pressure, be sure your children get routine check ups. This will help to ensure they do not develop high blood pressure and if they do, you can start controlling it. Remember stress can raise blood pressure and while children shouldn’t be stressed, many of them are.

Children deal with stress just like adults, just in different ways. Talk with your child and stay active in their life and what goes on. You want them to have a happy and healthy life and you can help them achieve that goal.

If you are unable to control your child’s blood pressure through their diet and exercise, you might have to turn to medication. Talk with your doctor and let them know what you have already tried. Sometimes this is not enough alone, but with medication, you can help control it.

Exercise and spend time with your child every day. Exercising alone can be hard for children and adults alike. You can get involved with your child this way and it will benefit both of you.

Talk with your teenager about not smoking and drinking. These both cause high blood pressure and once they know the risks they are less likely to try them. Do not think your child is immune from developing any health problems along with high blood pressure.

Remember that blood pressure increases with age until you are around fifty. If you get a head start on watching yours and your child’s at an early age, you will both benefit very well in the end.

We are all aware that being obese and eating food which contains high levels of salt are two common causes of high blood pressure. There many more however which are perhaps less common knowledge and for this reason more of a problem. Some of these causes of high blood pressure are anxiety, depression, too much alcohol and kidney problems, it is possible to that it can be hereditary. There are thousands of deaths each year due to strokes and heart attacks, if high blood pressure is left untreated it can be fatal. Once you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure it is likely that some form of medication will be prescribed by your doctor. There are however a vast number of things that the individual can do in a bid to keep their blood pressure under control for example; reduce alcohol intake, change of diet, take up some for of exercise, stop smoking at the same time it may be worth trying some alternative treatments such as magnesium supplements or garlic capsules and there are many more. Most of these are fairly simple, others may not be so easy to achieve but it is important that you try!

One of the major causes of high blood pressure is poor diet. If you regularly eat ready meals and takeaway food the chances are you are taking in amounts of sodium found in salt hugely in excess of the recommended daily intake figure of 1500mg. These meals also tend to hide large quantities of saturated fat and cholesterol which only serves to clog the arteries making the heart work extremely hard just to pump blood round the circulatory system thus causing blood pressure levels to rise. Before you eat your next ready meal, have a look on the label, it may be enough to make you change your mind about eating it!

Stress is another one of the big factors in the causes of high blood pressure, and it also has a detrimental effect on our general health. We are all placed under more and more pressure to perform well at work and to provide for our families at home. This raises the blood pressure in a similar way to the intake of large amounts of saturated fats, it makes the heart rate increase to enable it to pump the blood round the system.

If you are unfortunate enough to have a history of high blood pressure in your family you do have a greatly increased chance of developing it at some time in your life. Changing your lifestyle now to include a healthy diet low in salt and saturated fats, regular exercise, giving up cigarettes etc. can mean that you reduce the risk substantially. Reducing stress levels can also be hugely beneficial find some time to do something you enjoy.