HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

What is High Blood Pressure?

Since blood is carried from the heart to all of your body's tissue and organs in vessels called arteries, blood pressure is the force of the blood pushing against the walls of those arteries. Each time the heart beats (about 60-70 times a minute at rest), it pumps out blood into the arteries. Your blood pressure is at its greatest when the heart contracts and is pumping the blood. This is called systolic pressure. When the heart is at rest, in between beats, your blood pressure falls. This is the diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is always given as these two numbers and both are important. Usually they are written one above or before the other, such as 120/80 mm Hg, with the top number the systolic, and the bottom the diastolic.

Different actions make your blood pressure go up or down. When you are physically active, your blood pressure goes up. When you are relaxed, your blood pressure goes down. These are normal changes in blood pressure.

Some people have blood pressure that stays up all or most of the time. Their blood pushes against the walls of their arteries with higher than normal force. If untreated this can lead to serious medical problems such as:

Arteriosclerosis - High blood pressure harms the arteries by making them thick and stiff ("hardening of the arteries"). This speeds the build up of cholesterol and fats in the blood vessels, which prevents the blood from flowing through the body, and in time can lead to a heart attack or stroke.

Heart Attack - Blood carries oxygen to the body. When the arteries that bring blood to the heart muscle become blocked, the heart cannot get enough oxygen. Reduced blood flow can cause chest pain (angina). Eventually, the flow may be stopped completely, causing a heart attack.

Stroke - High blood pressure can harm the arteries, causing them to narrow faster and less blood can get to the brain. If a blood clot blocks one of the narrowed arteries, a stroke may occur. A stroke can also occur when very high pressure causes a break in a weakened blood vessel in the brain (hemorrhagic stroke).

Enlarged heart - High blood pressure causes the heart to work harder. Over time, this causes the heart to thicken and stretch. Eventually the heart fails to function normally causing fluids to back up into the lungs.

Kidney Damage - The kidney acts as a filter to rid the body of wastes. Over many years, high blood pressure can narrow and thicken the blood vessels of the kidney. The kidney filters less fluid, and waste builds up in the blood. The kidneys may fail altogether. When this happens, medical treatment (dialysis) or a kidney transplant may be needed.

How can I control high blood pressure?

A diet low in saturated fat and rich in whole grains, fruits, and vegetables is recommended. Such suggestions are nuts, seeds, carrots, spinach, celery, mushrooms, lima beans, potatoes, avocados, broccoli, and foods that contain modest amounts of protein (preferably fish, poultry, or soy products).

Loss of weight immediately reduces blood pressure and helps reduce heart size. Weight loss may allow patients with mild hypertension to safely reduce or go off medications.

Diets high in salt accelerate hypertension as we age. Salt restriction is particularly important for those who are salt-sensitive and for elderly people. Simply eliminating table and cooking salt can be beneficial.

A sufficient intake of minerals, particularly potassium, magnesium, and calcium, are beneficial for reducing blood pressure. Most people should obtain this mineral from potassium-rich foods that include potatoes, avocados, bananas, nonfat milk products, red beans, oranges, prunes, and cantaloupes.

Calcium regulates the tone of the smooth muscles lining blood vessels. Hypertension itself increases calcium loss from the body. Sufficient calcium is important for strong bones.

Vitamin C has specific benefits for hypertension by preventing dangerous effects on nitric acid, the substance that keeps arteries flexible.

Everyone should quit smoking and if you drink alcohol at all, do so in moderation. In healthy people with normal blood pressure drinking a couple of cups of coffee a day is unlikely to do any harm. People with existing hypertension should avoid caffeine altogether.

Regular exercise helps keep arteries elastic which keeps blood flowing and blood pressure low. Moderately intense exercise is recommended to lower blood pressure more effectively than high-intensity exercise. Sedentary people have a much greater risk of developing hypertension than physically active individuals do. Persons with high blood pressure should consult a physician before starting an exercise program.