High blood pressure is known as hypertension. Blood pressure plays a major role in the metabolic functioning of body organs such as heart, kidney, brain etc. in this blog we will highlight the facts about high BP.
The pressure in your arteries is measured and known as blood pressure. When this pressure increases and says high consistently, it is known as high blood pressure or hypertension. High blood pressure can have certain risks such as heart disease, heart attack, or stroke. Values for different types of blood pressure are-
- Systolic- <120 mm Hg
- Diastolic- < 80mmHg
Elevated-
- Systolic- 120-129 mmHg
- Diastolic- < 80mmHg
Hypertension Stage-1 or Prehypertension-
- Systolic- 130-139 mmHg
- Diastolic- 80-89 mmHg
Hypertension Stage-2-
- Systolic- ≥ 140mmHg
- Diastolic- ≥ 90mmHg
Hypertensive Crisis
- Systolic- >180mmHg
- Diastolic- >120mmHg
What Are The Types of Hypertension
Hypertension can be majorly of two types depending upon the effects of it on the body -
Systemic Hypertension
- Essential or primary hypertension- This type of high blood pressure situation is usually associated with genetics or unknown cause and affects most people.
- Secondary hypertension- This type of hypertension is caused due to some specific reason
- Malignant hypertension- when severely high blood pressure affects a target organ damage.
- Isolated systolic hypertension- it occurs due to loss of elasticity in major blood vessels. It occurs mostly in elderly people.
- Refractory hypertension- it is a type of unresponsive hypertension which do not respond to various (more than 5 types) antihypertensive drugs
- Resistant hypertension- it is a persistent high blood pressure condition which do not react to more than types of antihypertensive medications
- Postpartum hypertension- when after 3 or 5 days of delivery blood pressure rises, it is known as postpartum hypertension.
- Preeclampsia (gestational hypertension)- it occurs during pregnancy which increases the chances of foetal defects and maternal death.
- Masked Hypertension- when the patient visits the doctor, the blood pressure seems normal but is high otherwise.
- Labile hypertension- it is a fluctuating blood pressure between normal and high state.
- Asthma hypertension- this occurs in the patient having asthma.
- Nocturnal hypertension- Blood pressure rises only at night time causing subclinical damage.
- Pseudohypertension- false high blood pressure usually is seen in patients having diabetes, elderly, chronic kidney disease, calcified branchial arteries or others.
- Carcinoid hypertension- cancer can also cause hypertension due to certain chemical releases.
- Permissive hypertension- it is a type of treatment induced technique such as in stroke high BP is maintained to promote faster recovery
Local Hypertension
- Portal hypertension- high blood pressure in the veins and capillaries of the liver (portal vein).
- Idiopathic intracranial hypertension- due to unknown reasons, high blood pressure around the brain which may cause vision or lung changes.
- Pulmonary hypertension- high blood pressure in the pulmonary vessels (vessels carrying blood from heart to the lungs).
- Ocular hypertension- high pressure in the aqueous humour in eyes due to fluid drainage.
- Epididymal hypertension- it happens while aroused, increased blood in the testicles causing pain and rigid erection, also known as blue balls
- Postural hypertension- it is also known as orthostatic hypertension, it happens while changing position such as sitting to standing or otherwise.
- Venous hypertension- it is high BP in veins especially the veins of lower limbs which happens due to weakened vein valves.
- Renovascular hypertension- this occurs due to inadequate blood flow to kidneys. It can cause heart attack, stroke or other serious problems such as death.
- Reactive pulmonary hypertension- it happens due to hypoxia (low oxygen levels)
- Paediatric hypertension- elevated blood pressure in children.
What Are the Symptoms of Hypertension?
If persistent high blood is not treated for a long period of time, it might lead to certain more complications and effects such as kidney diseases, blurred vision, stroke or heart diseases and others.
Some people might experience certain symptoms such as
- Severe headaches
- Chest pain
- Blurred vision
- Nausea
- Vomiting
- Breathing difficulty
- Vision changes
- Anxiety
- Palpitation
- Confusion
- Ears buzzing
- Bleeding from nose
- Arrhythmias
- Numbness or weakness in arms, legs or face
- Reduced urine output
If you face certain above mentioned symptoms, you should inform and consult doctor right away and book now your diagnostic checkup
What Are the Complications or Risks of High Blood Pressure?
Untreated high blood pressure can cause certain complications in various organs of the body
- Heart
- Heart attack which happens due to blocked blood supply to heart which may cause heart damage
- Makes the elasticity of arteries less
- Chest pain known as anginaArrhythmias
- Heart failure due to inability of heart to pump blood into body
- Brain
- Stroke- it happens due to blockage or bursting of the arteries that supply oxygen to the brain. It might cause certain disabilities suchas
- disabilities in speech
- Movement disability
- Death or others
- Poor cognitive functions
- Dementia
- Encephalopathy which may cause
- Severe headache
- Blurry vision
- Confusion
- Mental slowness
- Lethargy
- seizure
- Kidney
- In patients having diabetes, chronic kidney disease can happen
Diagnostic Approach For Hypertension
- A patient is said to have Hypertension when 3 consecutive readings come to be in hypertensive range.
Additional tests which can be used are
- Kidney ultrasound imaging (Book Now)
- Urine tests
- Albumin to creatinine radio (Book Now)
- Electrocardiogram or ECG (Book Now)
- Serum creatinine levels along with kidney GFR (Book Now)
- Fasting lipid levels (Book Now)
- Blood glucose level (Book Now)
- Blood haematocrit values (Book Now)
- Serum potassium level (Book Now)
- Serum calcium levels (Book Now)
- Blood urea levels (BUN) (Book Now)
- Kidney function tests (Book Now)
- Echocardiogram for heart (Book Now)
- Ultrasound for heart (Book Now)
- Eye exams
- CT scan for brain (Book Now)
- MRI scan for evaluating reason for stroke (Book Now)
- Chest X-ray To evaluate lungs, heart or others (Book Now)
Tips to Lower Your Blood Pressure
- Limit your salt intake- if you have diabetes or hypertension or chronic heart disease, you should prefer taking 1500 mg salt per day.
- Exercise- half an hour exercise is good for maining a good lifestyle
- Lose weight- always try to maintain a normal BMI
- Adopt a healthy diet- taking high potassium foods such as whole grains, help in controlling BP
- Manage stress- you should opt for stress management techniques such as deep breathing, meditation etc.
- Quit smoking
- Limit alcohol use
For Free Consultation From the Doctor
Get connected to our doctor directly
- Dr. Ravin Sharma MBBS, MD Radiology)
- Phone Number- 9212125996
- Available- 24*7*365
Why Ganesh Diagnostic and Imaging Center For You?
Ganesh Diagnostic Centre is an established and renowned diagnostic centre since 2001.
We have many PET CT scan imaging which can offer report Images online as well. We also offer FLAT 50% OFF on many test.
Their excellence is backed by NABH and NABL Accreditations
NABH accreditation is proof of the highest standard of care and service provided to the patients. NABL accreditation reflects the competency of laboratories and equipment based on some national and international standards.
We are known for providing excellent service and care to its patients for decades having created Lakhs of satisfied patients over the years!
Ganesh Diagnostic and Imaging Centre is a one-stop solution for getting all kinds of diagnostic X-rays done, as all services are available under one roof.
GDIC aims to provide the world’s advanced technology at the most reasonable and lowest price.
The rates of scans are reasonably priced. Patients can rely upon x-rays Image reports as reports are 100% accurate.
How do you feel when bp is high?
While having an episode of high blood pressure, you might feel certain symptoms such as
- Vision problems such as blurred vision
- Nosebleeds
- Shortness of breath
- Chest discomfort or chest pain
- Severe headache
- Dizziness
How can I bring my blood pressure down quickly?
Bringing your blood pressure down instantly can be achieved by
- Reduce your stress levels
- Take warm shower or bath
- Breath focused deep breath
- meditate
What are the main causes of high blood pressure?
Things that may put you at risk of having hypertension can be
- Overweight
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Eating too much salt and not taking healthy diet
- Taking lots of stress
- Family history of hypertension
- Drinking too much alcohol and coffee
- Smoking
- Consuming too much saturated food items
What is a normal blood pressure?
Normal blood pressure is a blood pressure that measures systolic 120 mm Hg and diastolic 80 mm Hg also represented as 120/80.
What should i do if my bp is 140-90?
If you have consistent high blood pressure you should do certain lifestyle changes such as
- Decreasing salt intake
- Maintain normal BMI, lose weight if you are obese
- Do not smoke
- Do not drink alcohol
- Exercise regularly
What are the types of blood pressure?
Blood pressure can be of various types such as
- Systolic blood pressure (SBP)
- Diastolic blood pressure (DBP)
- Mean arterial blood pressure (MAPR)
What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?
High blood pressure can cause various symptoms such as
- Headache
- Tiredness or fatigue
- Difficulty breathing and shortness of breath
- Chest discomfort or might cause chest pain
- Nausea or vomiting
