Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing against your artery walls as it goes through your body.
New York By Ed Hosseinipour, Senior Clinical Pharmacist. Like air in a tire or water in a hose, blood fills your arteries to a point. Just as too much air pressure can damage a tire, or too much water pushing through a garden hose can damage the hose, high blood pressure can hurt your arteries and lead to life-threatening conditions like heart disease and stroke
Blood pressure is determined both by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.You can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without any symptoms. Even without symptoms, damage to blood vessels and your heart continues and can be detected. Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases your risk of serious health problems, including heart attack and stroke.
High blood pressure generally develops over many years, and it affects nearly everyone eventually. Fortunately, high blood pressure can be easily detected. And once you know you have high blood pressure, you can work with your doctor to control it.
Fortunately, high blood pressure can be easily detected. And once you know you have high blood pressure, you can work with your doctor to control it.
Symptoms Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels.
A few people with high blood pressure may have headaches, shortness of breath or nosebleeds, but these signs and symptoms aren’t specific and usually don’t occur until high blood pressure has reached a severe or life-threatening stage.
Diagnosis To measure your blood pressure, your doctor or a specialist will usually place an inflatable arm cuff around your arm and measure your blood pressure using a pressure-measuring gauge.A blood pressure reading, given in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg), has two numbers. The first, or upper, number measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats (systolic pressure). The second, or lower, number measures the pressure in your arteries between beats (diastolic pressure). Normal Blood pressure is blow 120/80.
There are four stages of high blood pressure or hypertension
- STAGE1 or Prehypertension is 120/80 to 139/89.
- STAGE2 or Mild Hypertension is 140/90 to 159/99.
- STAGE3 or Moderate Hypertension is 160/100 to 179/109.
- STAGE 4or Severe Hypertension is 180/110 or higher.
Both numbers in a blood pressure reading are important. But after age 50, the systolic reading is even more significant. Isolated systolic hypertension is a condition in which the diastolic pressure is normal (less than 80 mm Hg) but systolic pressure is high (greater than or equal to 130 mm Hg). This is a common type of high blood pressure among people older than 65.
Medications
There is a wide range of blood pressure medications available. Most of these are grouped under four main types of medicine: ACE inhibitors, Angiotensin receptor blockers ,Calcium channel blockers, Thiazide diuretics
Baron Specialty Pharmacy’s Recommendations:Get the Most Out of you Medication
High blood pressure cannot be cured, and if you need to take medicines, you will probably need to keep taking them for life. If you stop, your blood pressure will rise back up again.
It is very important to keep taking your medicines, even if you don’t feel unwell. By keeping your blood pressure low, you are protecting your heart and blood vessels from damage and disease.
Build your blood pressure medicines into your daily routine – take them at the same time every day and get into the habit of taking them. This will help you get the most benefit from them.
Follow the right lifestyle. Lifestyle changes can help you control and prevent high blood pressure. Eat healthy foods, Decrease the salt in your diet, Maintain a healthy weight. Increase physical activity. Limit alcohol. Don’t smoke. Manage stress. Monitor your blood pressure at
Get Consultation Baron Specialty Pharmacy Collaborates closely with Physicians, feel free to speak to your clinical pharmacist at Baron Specialty Pharmacy for more information about which type of medication would benefit you most based on your current therapy .[ENG]
