Hypertension rarely has noticeable symptoms, but if untreated, it increases one's risk of serious complications such as:
Heart Attack
Stroke
Heart Failure
Kidney Failure
Vision Loss
Memory Loss
Heart Disease
Aortic Aneurysms
Peripheral Arterial Disease
The only way of knowing whether you have hypertension is to have a BLOOD PRESSURE CHECK. Very simple!
Causes of high blood pressure
For most adults, there is no identifiable cause of high blood pressure, but there are certain known RISK FACTORS:
Age – the risk increases as one ages.
Family History – it tends to run in families.
Being overweight or obese
Eating too much SALT, not eating enough fruits and vegetables.
Drinking too much ALCOHOL
Lack of regular exercise
Smoking or tobacco snuffing.
Not getting enough sleep
Chronic stress/anxiety
Diabetes Mellitus
TESTS AND DIAGNOSIS
Urinalysis
Kidney function tests
ECG
Fasting Blood Sugar
Fasting lipid profile
BMI (Body Mass Index – weight / height index)
TREATMENTS AND DRUGS
No matter what medications one's doctor prescribes to treat his/her high blood pressure, one would need to make the under-listed lifestyle changes to help lower one's blood pressure:
Reduce the amount of salt in your diet.
Exercising regularly.
Limit alcohol intake.
Lose weight if overweight or obese.
Do not smoke or snuff.
Cut down on caffeine.
Get at least six hours of sleep every night.
Reduce stress / anxiety.
ONE LAST LINE
Lifestyle plays an important role in controlling hypertension. It is cheaper and healthier to manage hypertension than to manage any of its complications!
