Blood pressure explained
What is blood pressure?
Hypertension treatment in Dubai starts with understanding the force of blood in your arteries. The tubes that transport blood from your heart to your brain and the rest of your body are called arteries. For the blood to circulate throughout your body, a specific level of pressure is required. Two numbers are used to measure blood pressure:
- Systolic pressure is the greater of the two figures. When your heart pumps blood throughout your body, it puts pressure on your arteries.
- Diastolic pressure is the lower of the two figures. When your heart relaxes in between beats, it displays the amount of pressure in your arteries.
Your blood pressure naturally fluctuates during the day and night, and it’s common for it to rise when you’re moving.
What is high blood pressure?
Hypertension in Dubai is diagnosed when your blood pressure is consistently elevated, even while you are at rest. One dangerous issue is high blood pressure. High blood pressure can lead to problems like eyesight loss and sexual dysfunction if therapy is not received. Because your arteries are typically elastic, they can withstand fluctuations in blood pressure. However, excessive blood pressure causes your arteries to shrink or stiffen, losing their flexibility. The accumulation of fatty substances (atheroma) is facilitated by this constriction. A potentially fatal heart attack or stroke could be brought on by this constriction and damage to the arteries lining your brain or heart. Additionally, untreated high blood pressure might result in ailments like:
- Renal failure
- Heart failure
- Vascular dementia
High blood pressure and your health are closely connected, which is why early detection and consistent management matter so much.
Causes
What causes high blood pressure?
Although the cause of high blood pressure is mostly unknown, there are certain factors that can raise your risk. Among them are:
- Growing older
- Having a family history of high blood pressure
- Smoking
- Drinking too much alcohol
- Eating too much salt and not enough fruits and vegetables
- Not exercising
- Being overweight
- Being of Black African or Black Caribbean descent
A reason for high blood pressure is discovered for certain individuals. We refer to this as “secondary hypertension.”
The following are instances of secondary hypertension:
- Renal illness
- Some medications, including oral contraceptives and some over-the-counter and herbal medications, can cause sleep disturbances due to diabetes and a condition known as obstructive sleep apnea
Consult your physician or pharmacist if you are concerned that any medication or treatment may have an impact on your blood pressure.
Can pregnancy lead to high blood pressure?
Around 1 in 10 women develop high blood pressure during pregnancy. It is often caused by a condition known as pre-eclampsia. This increases the risk of long-term high blood pressure. Research found that lowering the blood pressure of birth mothers within 6 weeks of giving birth reduced their long-term risk.
Symptoms
What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?
Most people do not know they have high blood pressure because there are no obvious symptoms. That’s why it’s so important to get your blood pressure checked regularly by a high BP doctor Dubai. Rarely, it can cause symptoms like blurred vision, headaches and nosebleeds.
Blood pressure readings
What’s a healthy blood pressure reading?
There are 2 categories of normal blood pressure:
- Normal blood pressure is usually considered to be between 90/60 mmHg and 130/85 mmHg. For people over 80 years old, because it’s normal for arteries to get stiffer as we get older, the ideal blood pressure is under 150/90 mmHg (or 145/85 mmHg at home).
- High-normal or slightly raised blood pressure, sometimes called ‘pre-hypertension’, is when your blood pressure is high but it is not yet diagnosed as hypertension. It’s usually considered to be above 130/85 mmHg to 139/89 mmHg.
What’s a high blood pressure reading?
There are 3 different stages of high blood pressure:
- Stage 1: This is when your blood pressure is between 140/90 mmHg and 159/99 mmHg in the clinic, or 135/85 mmHg to 150/95 mmHg at home.
- Stage 2: This is when your blood pressure is between 160/100 mmHg and 180/120 mmHg in the clinic, or over 150/95 mmHg at home.
- Stage 3: This is when your systolic blood pressure is over 180 mmHg or your diastolic blood pressure is over 120 mmHg in the clinic. This may also be called ‘severe hypertension’, and your doctor will need to assess you urgently for further investigations.
Discuss your readings with your healthcare team and ask any questions you have. Together, you might want to set a target blood pressure that’s right for you and your health goals.
Where can I get my blood pressure checked?
As many adults in Dubai have undiagnosed high blood pressure and do not know they are at risk. The only way to know whether you have high blood pressure is to have it measured. You can measure your blood pressure at home.
Your doctor can also explain how to measure your blood pressure correctly at home. You can also get your blood pressure checked at:
- A hypertension clinic in Dubai
- Some pharmacies
- Some workplaces
How often should I check my blood pressure?
Every year, you will typically have your blood pressure checked and any medications you take reviewed if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure and it is under control. Your blood pressure will need to be examined more than once a year when you start new medications or adjust the dosage of ones you already take. If you have your own monitor, ask your medical staff how often you should take your blood pressure at home. Consider recording your readings in a journal. Seeing how your blood pressure drops over time may be encouraging, and it will assist your medical team in identifying trends.
Diagnosis
How is high blood pressure diagnosed?
A diagnosis of high blood pressure typically requires multiple blood pressure readings. This is due to the fact that blood pressure can fluctuate significantly during the day. People’s blood pressure readings in the clinic may be higher than anticipated, particularly if they are apprehensive or nervous.
You may be instructed to check your blood pressure at home for a few days if it is high in the clinic so they may determine whether you have high blood pressure by calculating an average. You should get medical attention right away if it is alarmingly high. Additionally, you can receive a 24-hour blood pressure monitor to wear. We refer to this as ambulatory blood pressure monitoring, or ABPM.
Your doctor can determine your “average” blood pressure by looking at all of your readings over a few days. To help you monitor your numbers, try our free blood pressure journal. Your doctor may also want to perform additional tests in certain situations. For example, they may want to perform blood tests to assess your kidney function and cholesterol levels, or they may want to use an electrocardiogram (ECG) to check your heart rhythm.
Managing high blood pressure
How do I lower my blood pressure?
You can lower your blood pressure in a number of ways, including:
- Consume a variety of foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and oily fish, as part of a healthy, balanced diet. Reduce your intake of salt and highly processed meals including cakes, sweets, crisps, and fried foods.
- Make an effort to be more active. For instance, you may make a daily lunchtime walking commitment, take up a new pastime, or replace a quick drive with a walk or bike ride.
- Cut back on your weekly alcohol consumption. For instance, you may exchange one drink for a non-alcoholic one or a pint for a half-pint of beer.
- Give up smoking. Your doctor or local pharmacy can help you cut back on and eventually quit smoking.
- You may be prescribed medications by Dr. Barbara as part of high blood pressure treatment Dubai to help lower your blood pressure. Beta blockers, diuretics, ACE inhibitors, angiotensin receptor blockers, and calcium channel blockers are typically among them.
You can develop a strategy to lower your blood pressure with Dr. Barbara’s assistance — one of the best doctors for high blood pressure Dubai You can lower your blood pressure and maintain it at a healthy level by changing your lifestyle. If your blood pressure is high or extremely high, Dr. Barbara can also recommend medication to lower it. Book hypertension consultation in Dubai today to take the first step toward better long-term health.