By Dr S Sudharsan
Chennai: Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, is defined as blood pressure of 140/90 mmhg or higher. Having said that, BP readings 120/80 and 140/90 could mean that you need to take precautionary measures to prevent the development of hypertension.
Most of the time, high BP is asymptomatic. Unfortunately, a late diagnosis could have led to a complication already. Hence, it’s important to regularly measure BP during health checks.
There are quite a few risk factors associated with high BP, such as being overweight or obese, family history of hypertension, sedentary lifestyle, smoking and excessive caffeine and/or alcohol intake.
These lead to a condition called essential hypertension, which is seen in around 90 per cent of hypertensive adults. Around 5-10 per cent patients have a secondary cause, and that’s called secondary hypertension. These are due to either narrowing of arteries supplying blood to your kidneys, disorders of the adrenal glands, chronic kidney disease, obstructive sleep apnoea, Cushing’s syndrome etc.
The first step in managing hypertension is a diagnosis. BP must be measured on at least 3 separate occasions. If there’s a doubt, you can be subjected to a 24-hour ambulatory BP recording test to confirm hypertension.
After confirming hypertension, you may need additional tests to rule out complications, especially if you have symptoms, or if secondary causes of hypertension are suspected.
Treatment of hypertension involves medications and lifestyle changes. Medications are usually dosed once daily and must be taken for a long time. You may be prescribed more than one medication to it under control. Periodic review is essential.
Also, lifestyle modifications have to be made including weight loss with regular exercise and diet, avoid smoking and alcohol or caffeine consumption, limit salt intake, etc.
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