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High blood pressure is often associated with few or no symptoms. Many people have it for years without knowing it.

However, just because high blood pressure is often symptomless doesn’t mean it’s harmless. In fact, uncontrolled high blood pressure, or hypertension, causes damage to your arteries, especially those in the kidneys and eyes. High blood pressure is also a risk factor forstroke,heart attack, and other cardiovascular problems.

High blood pressureis generally a chronic condition. There are two major categories of high blood pressure: secondary hypertension andprimary hypertension。大多数人主要炒作rtension, otherwise known as essential hypertension.

  • Secondary hypertension is high blood pressure that is the direct result of a separate health condition.
  • Primary hypertension is high blood pressure that doesn’t result from a specific cause. Instead, it develops gradually over time. Many such cases are attributed tohereditary factors。

Typically, the only way to know you have hypertension is toget your blood pressure tested。

Rarely, people with chronic high blood pressure might have symptoms such as:

When symptoms do occur, it’s usually only when blood pressure spikes suddenly and extremely enough to be considered a medical emergency. This is called ahypertensive crisis。

Hypertensive crisis is defined as ablood pressure readingof 180 milligrams of mercury (mm Hg) or above for the systolic pressure (first number)or120 or above for the diastolic pressure (second number). It’s often caused by skipping medications or secondary high blood pressure.

If you’re checking your own blood pressure and get a reading that high, wait a few minutes and then check again to make sure the first reading was accurate. Other symptoms of a hypertensive crisis may include:

After waiting a few minutes, if your second blood pressure reading is still 180 or above, don’t wait to see whether your blood pressure comes down on its own. Call 911 or your local emergency services immediately.

Emergency hypertensive crisis can result in severe complications, including:

In some cases, high blood pressure can occurduring pregnancy。有几种类型的高血总统sure disorders in pregnancy. Causes may be due to anumber of factors, including:

怀孕期间如果发生高血压船尾er20周, a condition known aspreeclampsiamay develop. Severe preeclampsia can cause damage to the organs and brain, which can bring on life-threatening seizures known as eclampsia.

Signs and symptoms of preeclampsia includeprotein in urine samples, intense headaches, and vision changes. Other symptoms are abdominal pain and excessive swelling of the手andfeet。

High blood pressure during pregnancy can cause apremature birthorearly detachment of the placenta。It may also require acesarean delivery。

In most cases, the blood pressure will return to normal after giving birth.

Over time, untreated high blood pressure can causeheart diseaseandrelated complicationssuch asheart attack, stroke, andheart failure。

Other potential problems are:

There are a number of treatments for high blood pressure, ranging fromlifestyle changesto weight loss tomedication。Doctors will determine the plan based on your level of high blood pressure and its cause.

Dietary changes

Healthy eating is an effective way to helplower high blood pressure, especially if it’s only mildly elevated. It’s often recommended to eat foods low insodiumand salt, and high inpotassium。

TheDietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) dietis one example of a food plan prescribed by doctors to keep blood pressure in order. The focus is on low-sodium and low-saturated fat foods such asfruits,vegetables, andwhole grains。

Some heart-healthy foods include:

Foods to limit are:

  • foods and drinks high insugar
  • red meat
  • fats and sweets

It’s also suggested to not consume excessalcoholwhile trying to manage high blood pressure. Men should have no more than two drinks a day. Women should have no more than one drink.

Exercise

Physical activityis another important lifestyle change for managing high blood pressure. Doing aerobics and cardio for 30 minutes with a goal of five times a week is a simple way to add to ahealthy heart routine。These exercises will get the blood pumping.

With good eating and exercise comes a healthy weight. Proper weight management helps lowercholesteroland high blood pressure. Other risks caused by being overweight are also decreased.

Another way to treat high blood pressure is by trying to manage and limitstress。Stress will raise blood pressure. Try different methods ofstress reliefsuch as exercise,meditation, or music.

Medication

There are a variety of medications that can be used to treat high blood pressure if lifestyle changes alone aren’t helping. Many cases will require up to two different medications.

diuretics Also calledwater or fluid pills,diureticswash out excess fluid and sodium from the body. These are most often used with another pill.
beta-blockers Beta-blockers slow the heartbeat. This helps less blood flow through the blood vessels.
calcium channel blockers Calcium channel blockers relax the blood vessels by blocking calcium from going inside cells.
angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors ACE inhibitors block hormones that raise blood pressure.
alpha blockers and central acting agents Alpha blockers relax blood vessels and block hormones that tighten the blood vessels. Central acting agents make the nervous system decrease nerve signals that narrow the blood vessels.

Call your doctor if any of these treatments aren’t working to lower high blood pressure. It can take up to two weeks for a new medication to have its full effect. No change in your blood pressure may mean another treatment is needed, or it can be the result of another problem occurring with the high blood pressure.

You should also call your doctor if you experience:

These can also be the symptoms of something else or a side effect of the medication. In this instance, another medicine may need to be prescribed to replace the one causing discomfort.

Once you have high blood pressure, you are expected to monitor and treat it for the rest of your life. There is a chance the high blood pressure returns to normal with lifestyle changes, but it’s challenging. Both lifestyle changes and medicine are typically needed in order to maintain a goal blood pressure. Treatment will also greatly lower the chance of heart attack, stroke, and other heart disease-related complications.

With careful attention and proper monitoring, you can lead a healthy life.