High Blood Pressure Is A Dangerous Condition For Which There Is Generally A Quite Simple Solution

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Over the past few years alterations to the lifestyle and diet in the majority of western countries have led to a growth in the number of people suffering from high blood pressure.

High blood pressure (otherwise referred to as hypertension, or more accurately arterial hypertension) can be a serious condition which seldom shows any symptoms and which, if not detected and treated, can cause stroke, heart attack, heart failure, arterial aneurysm or renal failure - any one of which is a serious life-threatening condition.

So precisely what is hypertension and just what causes it?

The arteries of the body are continuously filled with blood which provides a normal 'background' pressure against the artery walls. When the heart pumps newly oxygenated blood around the body it pushes this blood into the arteries which briefly raises the pressure on the walls of the arteries during every beat of the heart. These two pressures are known as the systolic pressure (the higher pressure as the heart is pumping) and the diastolic pressure (the reduced 'background' pressure).

Normal levels of blood pressure differ from person to person but, in general, systolic pressure ought to be around 120 mm Hg and diastolic pressure should be around 80 mm Hg. This is generally written as a blood pressure of 120/80.

Whenever your blood pressure begins to rise and stays at a level above 120/80 then you are said to be 'prehypertensive' and, despite the fact that this is not in itself serious, it is a sign that you may be at risk of developing hypertension and all of the problems linked with it. As soon as your blood pressure rises to, and maintains, a level of 140/90 or higher then you are suffering from hypertension and steps should be taken to lower your blood pressure.

So just what causes your blood pressure to rise and stay elevated?

Well, there are numerous factors involved here and the first is a group over which you have little, if any, control. This group includes low weight at birth, a variety of genetic factors, some types of diabetes (particularly type 2 diabetes) and your age (as we grow older our arteries tend to become fibrous and lose their elasticity, creating a smaller cross-sectional area for the blood to flow through).

The next group of factors is much more within your control and includes leading a sedentary lifestyle, high quantities of salt and saturated fats in your diet, being overweight, smoking tobacco, alcohol abuse, stress and working in specific occupations like motorway maintenance or flying.

Most of these factors are treatable and, in most cases, a simple adjustment to your eating habits and the addition of a bit of exercise into your daily plan is all that is necessary to cure the problem. However, the difficulty is that, without any real symptoms, most people are not aware that they have high blood pressure to start with.

So how do you solve the problem?

Luckily the answer to this question is quite simple. All you have to do is to drop by your doctor's office regularly (for most of us about twice a year should be sufficient) and ask him/her to check your blood pressure. The process is painless, simple and quick and will give you peace of mind and can save your doctor a lot of time, work and expense later on when you are forced to visit his office once hypertension sets in.

If you are not too keen on calling in to see your doctor then one excellent alternative today is to check your own blood pressure at home. A large selection of simple to operate and quite inexpensive blood pressure monitors are available now, allowing you to keep an eye on your health, as well as the health of of your complete family, in the comfort and privacy of your own home.