Hypertension- causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment, pathology
What is Essential Hypertension?
What causes Essential Hypertension?
How is Essential Hypertension diagnosed?
Can lifestyle changes help manage Essential Hypertension?
What medications are used to treat Essential Hypertension?
What are the complications of untreated Essential Hypertension?
How often should blood pressure be checked?
This condition typically develops over time and has no identifiable cause, but is believed to be influenced by a combination of genetic and environmental factors.
Common risk factors for essential hypertension include age, obesity, a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, high salt intake, and certain medical conditions such as diabetes and kidney disease.
While essential hypertension may not cause noticeable symptoms initially, untreated or uncontrolled hypertension can lead to serious complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney damage, and vision problems.
Management and treatment of essential hypertension often involve lifestyle modifications such as maintaining a healthy weight, regular exercise, a balanced diet with reduced sodium intake, limiting alcohol consumption, quitting smoking, and managing stress. In some cases, medication may be prescribed to help control blood pressure levels.
Beneficial Insights
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Essential Hypertension
Symptoms:
- Increase in blood pressure levels
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Blurred vision
- Fatigue
- Chest pain
- Shortness of breath
- Pounding in the chest, neck, or ears
- Irregular heartbeat
- Blood in urine
- Persistent nosebleeds
Essential Hypertension
Definition
Essential hypertension, also known as primary hypertension or idiopathic hypertension, is a chronic medical condition characterized by persistently high blood pressure levels without any identifiable cause.
Symptoms
Essential hypertension typically does not present any noticeable symptoms. Therefore, it is often referred to as the silent killer. However, prolonged high blood pressure can lead to complications such as heart disease, stroke, kidney problems, and more.
Risk Factors
- Family history of hypertension
- Advanced age
- Obesity or overweight
- Lack of physical activity
- Unhealthy diet (high in salt, low in potassium)
- Excessive alcohol consumption
- Stress
- Smoking
- Certain underlying medical conditions (e.g., diabetes, kidney disease)
Diagnostic Tests
Essential hypertension is diagnosed by measuring blood pressure using a sphygmomanometer, which consists of an inflatable cuff and a pressure gauge. Readings are obtained in two numbers, systolic pressure (top number) over diastolic pressure (bottom number). A series of blood pressure readings are taken over time to establish a diagnosis.
In addition to blood pressure measurements, healthcare professionals may also conduct other tests to assess organ damage and potential underlying causes, such as:
- Urine test to check for protein and other abnormalities
- Blood tests to evaluate kidney function, cholesterol levels, blood sugar, etc.
- Electrocardiogram (ECG) to assess heart health
- Echocardiogram to assess the structure and function of the heart
