Hypertension Dubai | 15 November 2021
Persistent high blood pressure can increase your risk of a number of serious and potentially life-threatening health conditions, such as:
– heart disease
– heart attacks
– strokes
– heart failure
– peripheral arterial disease
– aortic aneurysms
– kidney disease
– vascular dementia
The only way of knowing whether you have high blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test. All adults over 40 are advised to have their blood pressure checked at least every 5 years. Getting this done is easy and could save your life.
High blood pressure (hypertension) can quietly damage your body for years before symptoms develop. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to disability and a poor quality of life.
Treatment and lifestyle changes can help control your high blood pressure to reduce your risk of life-threatening complications.
Hypertension or a high blood pressure is a very common condition that is easily diagnosed. The old maxim of “100 plus your age” is not a safe way to measure what your blood pressure should be. Hypertension exists when the blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or higher, with the normal thought to be maximum at 130/85 mmHg. It exists even if one of the two measurements is elevated. Hypertension Dubai is often called “The Silent Killer” as most people with hypertension have no symptoms. When your blood pressure is taken, 2 measurements are made: the upper one is the systolic blood pressure, and the lower one is the diastolic pressure. The systolic pressure is the maximum pressure the heart needs to pump the blood around the body. The diastolic pressure is the pressure on the blood vessel walls when the heart is relaxed between beats.
While both measurements are important, recent studies have confirmed that it is the elevation of the systolic or upper pressure which is so important in predicting long-term problems in patients with hypertension. Compared to the normal population, hypertension increases the risk of stroke by 10 times, and heart attack by 5 times. Diagnosis of hypertension is seldom made on the basis of one high recording. There are many causes of temporary elevation, for example recent exercise, smoking, having coffee, or other caffeinated drink like cola just before blood pressure is measured.
Dr Barbara Karin Vela is an International Member of Royal College Of General Practitioners, UK
Hypertension Dubai | 15 November 2021