Understanding High Blood PressureHigh blood pressure is a clinical condition where the pressure of the blood flowing through the blood vessels in the body is high.

When the heart pumps blood through the blood vessels, it does so at a particular pressure. The pressure with which the heart contracts and pushes blood through the blood vessels is known as the systolic blood pressure. The normal systolic blood pressure is around 120 mm Hg.

After the blood is pumped through, the blood vessels begin to relax as does the heart. There is a residual pressure that remains within the blood vessels is called the diastolic blood pressure. The normal diastolic pressure is around 80 mmHg.

Normal blood pressure is defined as a value of around 120/80 mm Hg.

A high blood pressure is defined as a systolic blood pressure over 140 mmHg and a diastolic blood pressure over 90 mmHg.

There are a number of different problems and other associated with having high blood pressure. If left uncontrolled, patients may experience certain symptoms such as giddiness, headache, blurred vision and sometimes even breathlessness on exertion.

There are a number of different reasons why an individual may develop high blood pressure. In adults and older individuals, high blood pressure is often genetic and has been inherited from a family member who has high blood pressure as well. This is the most common type of hypertension and is called essential hypertension.

In younger individuals, the blood pressure recordings can be high due to other causes such as hormonal problems, congenital heart defects or even kidney problems. These individuals require more extensive investigations to determine the cause of the high blood pressure so that appropriate treatment measures can be taken.

The treatment of high blood pressure is fairly simple and straightforward. Medications that are currently available are safe and extremely effective. However, the most important treatment for high blood pressure is lifestyle change. Salt intake is directly linked to high blood pressure and it is important for all those individuals who suffer from hypertension to cut down the salt intake drastically. Therefore, it is recommended that eating processed foods such as pickles and cheeses are not appropriate as these can worsen hypertension and make control of the condition extremely difficult.

Medical therapy includes tablet such as beta-blockers, angiotensin receptor blockers and calcium channel blockers. These drugs will be given in different permutations and combinations and are tailor-made to each individual depending upon the response. Those who respond well to medication and those who are strict with their lifestyle changes can see a good recovery and a low complication rate from hypertension.