Hypertension
High blood pressure (or medically known as hypertension) is a relatively common condition characterized by a constant high pressure of the blood against the arteries (blood vessels). It usually causes chronic health problems, including atherosclerosis (hardening of the blood vessels), heart disease, and stroke etc.
The pressure of the blood in the vessels is determined by the amount of blood being actively pumped by your heart and the resistance to the flow of blood. The narrower your arteries and the more blood your heart pumps, the higher will be the reading of your blood pressure.
A blood pressure is usually measured in mmHg (millimeters of mercury) and contains two numbers – a top number (indicates systolic blood pressure) and a lower number (indicates diastolic pressure).
- Systolic pressure – It is indicated by the upper number and shows the pressure of blood in your arteries when the heart contracts (beats).
- Diastolic pressure – It is indicated by the lower number and shows the pressure of blood in the vessels when the heart dilates (relaxes).
Years can pass without you noticing any symptoms of high blood pressure. Heart attacks and strokes can occur as a result of uncontrolled high blood pressure. The good news is that high blood pressure can easily be detected.
1Symptoms Of Hypertension
Blood pressure is often referred to as a silent killer because it doesn’t usually cause any symptoms. Many believe that a flushed face, headaches, nosebleeds, dizziness, and fatigue are associated with high blood pressure, however these are false beliefs.
High blood pressure may cause some of these symptoms, but people with normal blood pressure also experience these symptoms just as frequently as people with high blood pressure. In moderate to severe cases or if left untreated, symptoms of the hypertension may include;
- Headache (thrombing)
- Muscle spasm of the neck and shoulders
- Occasional nosebleed (Epistaxis)
- Breathlessness
- Fatigue, lethargy
- Blurred vision
- Confusion
- Excess sweating
- Vomiting
- Sleepiness, Insomnia
- Lack of sexual desire
