What is hypertension?
Blood pressure is the force that allows blood flow to the heart throughout the body.
When the heart contracts, blood pressure is maximum. This value is called systolic pressure, it is the figure measurably higher.
When the heart relaxes between beats, blood pressure is minimal. This value is called diastolic pressure, it is the figure measurably lower.
How blood pressure is measured?
Blood pressure is measured by placing an inflatable cuff around the arm and detecting the systolic and diastolic pressure, or by detection of arterial sounds (auscultatory method) or by detection of arterial oscillations (oscillometric method).
Measuring blood pressure can be done manually, using a stethoscope (which can hear the sounds arterial), or using an electronic device (which can detect oscillations of arterial ). The development of devices that detect the oscillations of the arterial artery of the wrist is a newer technique.
Electronic devices measure blood pressure (arm or wrist) are not all absolute reliability. Their use should therefore be done by following the advice of a health professional (doctor, nurse, pharmacist). It is recommended to measure blood pressure in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg). But we can also express the result in cm of mercury. A blood pressure of 120 mmHg corresponds to 12 cm of mercury.
Thus, a blood pressure of 120 mmHg and 90 corresponds exactly to a blood pressure at 12 and 9.
What are the normal values of blood pressure?
Blood pressure measured after 5 minutes of rest, sitting or lying, is considered normal if the values are between 12 and 14 for systolic pressure, and between 8 and 9 mmHg for diastolic pressure. It speaks of hypertension when the systolic blood pressure at rest greater than 140 mmHg or greater than 90 mmHg for diastolic.
What causes hypertension?
In most cases, no cause is found appears when hypertension. Doctors call this illness essential hypertension. In some cases, hypertension may be due to kidney disease, a hyperfunction of the adrenal gland, or excessive rigidity of the arteries.
The excessive rigidity of the arteries occurs more often in the elderly, among those who suffered from diabetes or prolonged elevation of cholesterol, and those who smoked for many years.
Excessive consumption of salt (resalage systematic food table) or foods rich in salt (meat, cheese, canned goods) can contribute in some subjects, hypertension.
Excess weight (over 10 kgs compared to ideal weight) may also help in certain subjects, hypertension.
Hypertension is it a common disease?
Hypertension affects roughly 20% of the adult population.
Studies in France show that about 7 million of hypertensive subjects. High blood pressure can occur in children, but especially after 50 years as hypertension becomes common. After age 70, a subject on two was hypertensive.
Some population groups are at greater risk of hypertension in subjects with parental hypertension, obese subjects, black subjects, patients with diabetes, patients with kidney disease and patients with artery disease.
Tags: blood pressure, Hypertension, Measuring blood pressure, What causes hypertension?, What is hypertension?
Good read. Hopefully hypertension becomes a more important focus point to people as they get older.