| High blood pressure is nicknamed "the silent killer" | | | | One cause for this feeling of faintness is that there is |
| because there are often no symptoms. While some | | | | not enough pressure toadequately supply the brain |
| people experience headaches or dizziness, the | | | | with oxygenated blood. Lower than normal blood |
| majority of people with high blood pressure feel just | | | | pressure condition is called hypotension. |
| fine. These individuals will often think they have a | | | | This is another important reason to have the ability |
| normal blood pressure. The only way to know for | | | | to check your own blood pressure. Individuals who |
| sure if blood pressure is elevated is to measure it! A | | | | take bloodpressure medications will often complain of |
| home blood pressure cuff is a very useful tool for | | | | feeling faint or dizzy, especially when starting a new |
| people with hypertension and those that have a | | | | medication that may be |
| normal blood pressure resulting from prescription | | | | "too strong". Checking blood pressure and recording it |
| medication. | | | | on a regular basis will allow you to work with you |
| Patients should bring their cuffs with them to the | | | | healthcarepractitioner to regulate you medication and |
| doctor so they can check their machine against the | | | | adequately maintain a normal blood pressure. |
| one in the doctor's office and be sure their home | | | | If left untreated, hypertension can lead to the |
| readings are correct. It's also helpful for patients to | | | | following medical conditions:o arteriosclerosis, also |
| write down blood pressure measurements made at | | | | called atherosclerosiso heart attacko strokeo enlarged |
| home and bring those readings to office visits where | | | | hearto kidney damage |
| they can review the numbers with the doctor or | | | | Arteriosclerosis is hardening of the arteries. High blood |
| nurse. Some blood pressure monitors even store the | | | | pressure can make the artery walls thicken and |
| blood pressure readings and the time the reading was | | | | harden. When artery wallsthicken, the inside of the |
| taken, allowing a doctor to see what reading are at | | | | blood vessel narrows. Blood clots also can get |
| precisely different times during the day. | | | | trapped in narrowed arteries, blocking the flow of |
| The blood pressure measurement has two numbers - | | | | blood. |
| systolic (sis-tah'-lick) and diastolic (di^-ah-stah'-lick). | | | | Arteries narrowed by arteriosclerosis may not deliver |
| The systolic pressure is thefirst number (or top | | | | enough blood to body systems. Reduced or blocked |
| number), which is the pressure in the blood vessels | | | | blood flow to the heart cancause a heart attack. If |
| while the heart is pumping blood. The diastolic | | | | an artery to the brain is blocked, a stroke can result. |
| pressure is thesecond number (or bottom number), | | | | Hypertension makes the heart work harder to pump |
| which is the pressure in the blood vessels while the | | | | blood through the body. The extra workload can |
| heart is resting between beats. Bloodpressure is read | | | | make the heart muscle thickenand stretch. When the |
| systolic over diastolic - for example, 120 over 80 or | | | | heart becomes too enlarged it becomes weak and |
| 120/80. | | | | ineffective, making it unable to pump enough blood |
| Systolic is measured when the walls of the blood | | | | throughthe body. If the hypertension is not treated, |
| vessels contract and diastolic is measured when the | | | | the heart may fail. |
| walls relax. Here's how the newfederal guidelines | | | | If hypertension thickens the arteries to the kidneys, |
| break down regarding classification of hypertension:o | | | | less waste will be filtered from the blood. If the |
| Normal Blood Pressure: Systolic less than 120 - | | | | kidneys fail andwastes build up in the blood, there |
| Diastolic less than 80 (ex. 119/76)o Pre-hypertension: | | | | could be poisoning of the body system. |
| Systolic 120-139 - Diastolic 80-89 (ex. 133/84)o Stage | | | | The primary means of controlling hypertension and |
| one hypertension: Systolic 140-159 - Diastolic 90-99 | | | | maintaining normal blood pressure is early intervention. |
| (ex. 144/96)o Stage two hypertension: Systolic 160 + | | | | One ofthe main components of early intervention is |
| - Diastolic 100 + (ex. 162/108) | | | | early recognition. Early recognition involves self |
| Obviously, you want to keep your readings below | | | | monitoring of bloodpressure and coordination with |
| 120/80. The lower you can get your blood pressure | | | | your doctor or other health care practitioner. Be |
| or closer to anormal blood pressure you can achieve, | | | | proactive by obtaining your personalblood pressure |
| without feeling faint when you stand up, the better. | | | | monitor, measuring your blood pressure and working |
| Often individuals with hypertension will complain of | | | | with your doctor to maintain a normal bloodpressure. |
| feeling dizzy, or faint. The feeling may increase when | | | | Copyright (c) 2008 FOJ,LLC. |
| the individualstands or with increased physical activity. | | | | |