SIGNS AND SYMPTOMS OF HYPERTENSION

By: Jiimmyy Addiswyte

Hypertension, also referred to as high blood pressure, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. In current usage, the word “hypertension” without a qualifier normally refers to systemic, arterial hypertension.[1] The other type is pulmonary hypertension involves lung circulation.

Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for stroke, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, and is a leading cause of chronic renal failure.[2] Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure leads to shortened life expectancy. At severely high pressures, defined as mean arterial pressures 50% or more above average, a person can expect to live no more than a few years unless appropriately treated. 

[3] Beginning at a systolic pressure (which is peak pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the end of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles are contracting ) of 115mmHg and diastolic pressure (which is  minimum pressure in the blood) of 75mmHg (commonly written as 115/75 mmHg), cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk doubles for each increment of 20/10 mmHg.

EPIDEMIOLOGY

The level of blood pressure regarded as deleterious has been revised down during years of epidemiological studies. A widely quoted and important series of such studies is the Framingham Heart Study carried out in an American town: Framingham, Massachusetts. 

[5] The results from Framingham and of similar work in Busselton, Western Australia have been widely applied to the extent that people are similar. This seems reasonable, but there are known to be genetic variations in the most effective drugs for particular sub-populations. Recently (2004), the Framingham figures have been found to overestimate risks for the UK population considerably. The reasons are unclear. Nevertheless the Framingham work has been an important element of UK health policy.

Over 90-95% of adult hypertension is of the essential hypertension type.[6] It is estimated that 43 million people in the United States have hypertension or are taking antihypertensive medication, which is almost 24% of the adult population.[7] This proportion changes with race, being higher in blacks and lower in whites and Mexicans Americans;

second it changes with age, because in industrialized countries systolic BP rises throughout life, whereas diastolic BP rises until age 55 to 60 years and thus the greater increase in prevalence of hypertension among the elderly is mainly due to systolic hypertension; also geographic patterns, because hypertension is more prevalent in the southern United States; another important one is gender, because hypertension is more prevalent in men (through menopause tends to abolish this difference); and finally socioeconomic status, which is an indicator of lifestyle attributes and is inversely related to the prevalence, morbidity and mortality rates of hypertension.[8] A series of studies and surveys conducted by National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) between 1976 and 2004 to assess the trends in hypertension prevalence, blood pressure distributions and mean levels, and hypertension awareness, treatment , and control among US adults, aged more than 18 years, showed that there is an increasing pattern of awareness, control and treatment of hypertension, and that prevalence of hypertension is increasing reaching 28.9% as of 2004, with the largest increases among non-Hispanic women. [9] For the secondary hypertension it is known that primary aldosteronism is the most frequent endocrine form of secondary hypertension. [10] The incidence of exercise hypertension is reported t range from 1 to 10% of the total population. [11] Hypertension often is part of the metabolic “syndrome X “its co-occurring with other components of the syndrome.

 

The other components are diabetes mellitus, combined hyperlipidemia, and central obesity.



[12] This is especially occurring among women.  

[13] And this co-occurrence will  increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and cardiovascular events. [14] About 1 in every 4 America adults has high blood pressure (hypertension) which is a major risk factor for heart and kidney disease, stroke and heart failure,. In the UK about ½ of people over 65 yrs and about 1:4 middle aged adults have hypertension. In Nigeria the prevalence is reported to be between 15% - 30% HBP is especially dangerous because it often gives no warning signs or symptoms. Fortunately, you can find out if you have high blood pressure by having your blood pressure checked regularly. If it is high, you can take steps to lower it. Just as important, if your blood pressure is normal, you can learn how to keep it from becoming high.