HYPERTENSION

What do the numbers mean?•Arteries are like hoses that carry blood from your heart to the rest of your body. •If you put a crimp in a hose, pressure builds up inside it. •High blood pressure (also called hypertension) occurs when your blood moves through your arteries at a higher pressure than normal.

•Blood pressure is really two measurements, separated by a slash when written, such as 120/80. You may also hear someone say a blood pressure is "120 over 80.”•The first number is the systolic blood pressure. This is the peak blood pressure when your heart is squeezing blood out. •The second number is the diastolic blood pressure. It's the pressure when your heart is filling with blood--relaxing between beats.

Causes• Essential Hypertension (cause unknown) –

95 % of all cases• Kidney disease• Hormonal abnormalities• Drugs e.g. steroids• Pregnancy

RISK FACTORS• African race• Male sex• Smoking• Diabetes mellitus• Elevated cholesterol levels• Obesity• Excess alcohol intake• Increased salt intake

Causes

Causes

Symptoms• Most of the time, there are no symptoms. However

one may present with:-• Confusion• Chest pain• Ear noise or buzzing• Irregular heart beat• Nose bleed • Tiredness• Vision changes

Who to treat• All patients with sustained BP above 140/90• All patients with sustained BP above 130/80

with increased risk eg diabetics, obese.

Treatment Goals BP below 130/80

Complications•Cardiomegaly: Uncontrolled hypertension leads to thickening of heart musculature.•Damage to the target organs:

1. Hypertensive occulopathy.2. Hypertensive nephropathy.3. Hypertensive encephalopathy.4. Myocardial infarction.5. Stroke.

Complications

Diet management•Reduce intake of sodium (salt)•Eat more fruits and vegetables•Take more low-fat dairy foods, increase the intake of essential fatty acids (omega 3 & 6)•Avoid food that is high in cholesterol•Food that is rich in potassium (asparagus, potato, banana)•Food that is rich in calcium (almonds, milk)•An apple a day keep the doctor away

Prevention•DASH diet= Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. To it more vegetarian friendly, make add Lean meats, poultry, and fish.

•When following a vegan diet dairy products can be replaced with low-fat versions of soy and grain products such as Soy milk, Soy or grain “cheese”, Soy sour cream, Soy yogurt

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