Symptoms of High Blood Pressure
Understanding the Risks, Causes and Signs of Hypertension
Sep 2, 2009
High blood pressure is the most dangerous indication of heart disease and other deadly diseases – and even causes aging of all body systems. Blood pressure can literally cause holes and nicks in the arteries and the only way the body can repair them is to fill them with cholesterol causing further damage to the body.
Risks of Hypertension
Most people experience no symptoms of high blood pressure – until it is too late, yet it contributes to almost 80 percent of all strokes, heart attacks, infarctions, aneurysms and is a factor in many cases of kidney failure and mental deterioration in the elderly. It can also increase the risk for obesity, diabetes, hyperthyroidism and other diseases. Four out of ten people who have high blood pressure do not know that they have it and out of those that do, 75 percent do not have it consistently under control.
With each contraction of the heart, blood is sent coursing through your arteries. The amount of pressure on the blood vessel walls during this contraction is called the systolic reading. Between heartbeats, as the heart relaxes, the pressure remaining on the artery walls is the diastolic pressure. Most physicians use 120 mm Hg over 80 mm Hg as a reference for a normal blood pressure reading. A device called a sphygmomanometer – a cuff and pump barometer that is put around your upper arm - is used to determine whether the blood pressure is high, low or normal.
An individual’s blood pressure at the age of 20 establishes a baseline reading. It should then be checked at least every two to five years. Blood pressure readings above 140 mm Hg over 90 mm Hg are in the danger zone of hypertension. If an individual is in otherwise good health, his blood pressure is the most important number he should be aware his entire life.
Symptoms of High Blood Measure
The problem with high blood pressure is that major warning signs may not appear until the disorder is advanced. High blood pressure may seem like a minor inconvenience, but its dangers should not be ignored. It is directly or indirectly responsible for about 35,000 deaths in North America every year. High blood pressure can also cause strokes and aneurisms that cause debilitating injury to the body.
Symptoms of Hypertension include:
- Dizziness
- Fatigue
- Headaches
- Insomnia
- Nervousness and anxiety
- Excessive sweating even when not physically active.
- Frequent temporary increases in blood pressure
- Later symptoms can include myocardial infarction, senility, brain hemorrhage and paralysis.
If no visible signs are present, the only way to find out if blood pressure is high is to have it monitored regularly. Stress and repressed anger increase blood pressure and heart rate which can lead to heart disease. High blood pressure causes the heart to work harder, enlarge and weaken.
Other Causes
- An increase in the thickness of blood.
- An increase in peripheral resistance–the blood vessels narrow, due to cholesterol lining the vessels or hardening of the vessels caused by smoking or poor diet.
- A decrease in blood vessel elasticity–they’re not as flexible as they should be.
- A vasoconstriction (narrowing of the arteries) generally caused by plaque on the artery wall, caused by cholesterol or fatty tissues in the blood vessels.
- Genetic predisposition/heredity – hypertension is common is some ethnic groups such as South Asian and African.
- High or consistent levels of stress.
Many of these factors are controllable with healthy lifestyle changes and exercise. It’s best to take preventative steps and to see a doctor for any existing blood pressure problems immediately.
Reference:
Family Health Guide: Symptoms of Hypertension
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