WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY 2021.
May 17th, 2021
‘Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer’
What is hypertension?
When the systolic blood pressure is 140 mm Hg or more and diastolic BP is 90 mm Hg or more, that stage is known as hypertension. When systolic blood pressure is between 120 to 139 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure is between 80 to 89 mm Hg, it is known as the prehypertension stage.
It is important to take appropriate measures to control the disease in the prehypertension stage. Currently, more than 30 percent of the world’s adult population is suffering due to hypertension which amounts to 1 billion people.
Risks of high blood pressure can originate from many factors including age, race, family history, being overweight or obese or not being physically active, smoking, too much salt in your diet, too much alcohol, and stress.
Hypertension is generally a silent condition. Many people won’t experience any symptoms. It may take years or even decades for the condition to reach levels severe enough that symptoms become obvious. Even then, these symptoms may be attributed to other issues.
Symptoms of severe hypertension can include: headaches, shortness of breath, nosebleeds, flushing, dizziness, chest pain, visual changes
blood in the urine. These symptoms require immediate medical attention. They don’t occur in everyone with hypertension, but waiting for a symptom of this condition to appear could be fatal.
Hypertension is a major cause of a range of health problems such as strokes, heart attacks and kidney disease, blindness, and can also contribute to dementia. Many people who suffer from hypertension are not aware that they have it as there can be no symptoms, often people only find out after suffering a heart attack or stroke.
How to lower hypertension?
Maintain an active lifestyle: To keep the disease at bay, it is important to be active. Dedicate at least 30 minutes or 1 hour to yourself. Exercise or take a walk.
Maintain a healthy diet: Add more fruits, vegetables, nuts, and low-fat dairy products to your diet. It is important to lower your salt intake. Avoid oily foods.
Stop smoking and drinking: Both of these activities lead to high blood pressure in addition to various other diseases like cancer.
Take medication regularly: If a doctor has prescribed you medication to keep the blood pressure in control, it is of utmost importance that you do it without fail. Don’t stop taking medicines without the advice of your doctor
So join this year's world Hypertension day, test your blood pressure, learn about hypertension and stay healthy.
Dr. Anas Chika (MBBS 2020)
May 17th, 2021
