Diasporsa News Radio

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High Blood Pressure (BP), aka Hypertension

Any idea what high BP means?

It is a condition in which the force of blood pushing against your artery walls is too high as your heart pumps blood throughout your body. Think of a garden hose as the artery through which your blood travels.

For example: If you are watering plants and open the tap to its maximum flow, the pressure in the hose increases and releases more water. If you open the tap only slightly, the force decreases and less water flows. This scenario can cause problems with the amount of water needed to effectively irrigate your garden, right? Essentially, too much or too little pressure on artery walls causes blood pressure problems, which can eventually lead to high blood pressure and heart diseases such as heart failure, cardiomyopathy (enlarged heart), atrial fibrillation, etc. Can we name the two components of blood pressure?

• Systolic – the top number (when your heart muscle contracts).

• Diastolic – the bottom number (when your heart relaxes).

The American Heart Association (AHA) classifies BP into five categories,consider this your watchdog!

1. Normal BP: Systolic less than 120 and diastolic less than 80. (Maintain a healthy lifestyle!) 2. Elevated BP: Systolic 120-129 and diastolic less than 80. (This is a cause for concern. Lifestyle modification is your baseline approach!) 3. Stage 1 Hypertension: Systolic 130-139 and diastolic 80–89. (Have you scheduled that appointment with your primary care provider? BP trouble is advancing to unpleasant levels!) 4. Stage 2 Hypertension: Systolic 140 or higher and diastolic 90 or higher. (Hopefully, by this time, you have seen your PCP and have a management PLAN in place. Stop messing with your heart!) 5. Hypertensive Crisis: Systolic higher than 180 and diastolic higher than 120. (Let's be brutally honest: this did not start yesterday. Circle back to the 5 categories of BP!)

Note/Elewa: A hypertensive crisis is an EMERGENCY. You must take action STAT-call 911, or if you are under a doctor's care, notify them immediately. Most people will experience symptoms like chest pain, shortness of breath, back or shoulder pain, numbness and tingling in the hands, vision changes (blurry vision), or slurred speech. You might be having a heart attack or stroke, and time is of the essence! Remember, at this point, the FASTER you act, the better for your heart. Do not dilly-dally or postpone the immediate care that could save your life. Got it?

Reading is good for the soul, no kidding! Want more info? This article is supported by the American Heart Association. Please reference: www.heart.org

𝐃𝐢𝐬𝐜𝐥𝐚𝐢𝐦𝐞𝐫: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡 𝐧𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐃𝐢𝐚𝐬𝐩𝐨𝐫𝐚 𝐍𝐞𝐰𝐬 𝐑𝐚𝐝𝐢𝐨 𝐢𝐬 𝐟𝐨𝐫 𝐄𝐃𝐔𝐂𝐀𝐓𝐈𝐎𝐍𝐀𝐋 𝐏𝐔𝐑𝐏𝐎𝐒𝐄𝐒 𝐎𝐍𝐋𝐘 𝐚𝐧𝐝 𝐢𝐬 𝐧𝐨𝐭 𝐦𝐞𝐚𝐧𝐭 𝐭𝐨 𝐫𝐞𝐩𝐥𝐚𝐜𝐞 𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐟𝐫𝐨𝐦 𝐲𝐨𝐮𝐫 𝐡𝐞𝐚𝐥𝐭𝐡𝐜𝐚𝐫𝐞 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐯𝐢𝐝𝐞𝐫. 𝐒𝐞𝐞𝐤 𝐩𝐫𝐨𝐟𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐨𝐧𝐚𝐥 𝐡𝐞𝐥𝐩 𝐢𝐟 𝐧𝐞𝐜𝐞𝐬𝐬𝐚𝐫𝐲. 𝐓𝐡𝐚𝐧𝐤 𝐲𝐨𝐮! 𝐀𝐬𝐚𝐧𝐭𝐞! 𝐆𝐫𝐚𝐜𝐢𝐚𝐬! 𝐌𝐞𝐫𝐜𝐢!