Medical Information Blog

Posts Tagged ‘blood pressure’

A few years ago, the typical household remedy when someone is not feeling well was to take a glass of sherry “for the heart.” No one knew if the heart was an excuse for granted that fancy but just in case, we recommend replacing the alcohol by any of these home remedies.

Hawthorn, white miracle

This beautiful plant, with white flowers and small red fruit is a feast for the heart. Balances blood pressure, both high and low, normalize heart rate and very last in banality irregularities of the heart.

Is prepared by adding two teaspoons of leaves or flowers of hawthorn in a cup of boiling water and let stand for 15 minutes. Filtered and take two to three cups of tea a day. Read the rest of this entry »

If you have a persistent blood pressure of 140 systolic and 90 diastolic, which is experiencing high blood pressure? There are various reasons why a person is hypertensive. In excess as a consequence of obesity is a common cause. Factors such as heredity and racial background also predispose an individual to hypertension. People whose parents have a known history of hypertension are more prone to high blood pressure. Black people are more likely to become hypertensive compared with whites. Stress whether physical, social, or those relating to companies is also a known factor in high blood pressure. People living in the city are more likely to develop hypertension compared with those living in rural areas. Smokers also can increase their vulnerability to hypertension. A smoker in May temporarily increases their systolic blood pressure of five to ten times every time you smoke a single cigarette.

Usually, high blood pressures do not occur for demonstrations before the age of thirty-five, even if a person is the practice of unhealthy habits that predispose to hypertension. However, if you are very concerned about your health and take other warning of experience, you will be able to correct the bad habits and prevent any major health emergency in the future. Read the rest of this entry »

Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a common problem in this country. Fortunately, most people can be easily controlled with a combination of lifestyle changes and medication.

If you are taking blood pressure medications, it is important to watch at home regularly. In a significant number of people with hypertension, blood pressure is not adequately controlled, despite being on medication. It’s a good idea to get a blood pressure monitor to use at home (the type that goes around the arm, not the wrist). Take the pressure in the morning and at night at least every week and keep track of your readings.

Why is it important to control? Uncontrolled hypertension can cause a variety of potential danger to life, such as:

* Heart failure
* Aneurysm, a weakening of the wall of a blood vessel that bulges and can burst
* Kidney damage that can lead to kidney failure
* Stroke

Many people are aware that some nonprescription drugs can have an adverse effect on your blood pressure. Common drugs such as decongestants and nasal sprays, can raise blood pressure to unhealthy levels. Do not assume that you can buy without a prescription that is quite safe. Read the labels of OTC drugs and when in doubt, consult your doctor or pharmacist. Read the rest of this entry »

Why watch sports on television increases the occurrence of heart attacks, one study found that games that are much stress raise blood pressure among those who have already suffered a heart attack

Chinese researchers report that a lower blood flow to the heart may help explain why men who have suffered a heart attack are at greater risk of another while watching exciting sports events.

The study involved 38 men who survived a heart attack that saw the Olympic Games competitions and other live entertainment programs on television. While men were the programs, we evaluated the blood flow in the coronary artery to the heart through analysis of ST segment through a continuous 12-lead electrocardiography, blood pressure monitoring and heart rate measures.

In general, the flow of blood to the heart was stable. But when men watched an exciting sporting event, increased blood pressure, reduced the heart rate variability and increased platelet aggregation (the basic element of clots). All these factors raise the risk of heart attack.

The study was presented Monday at the annual meeting of the American Heart Association in Orlando, Florida.

How blood pressure affects the brain?
When arteries become stiff and narrow, blood flow is insufficient and causes the onset of stroke (stroke or ischemic stroke). Elevated blood pressure can also cause rupture of an artery and cause a brain hemorrhage (stroke or hemorrhagic stroke).

How blood pressure affects the kidneys?
Hypertension causes stiffness in the arteries that supply blood to the kidneys. But also damages the kidney itself, which can lead to kidney failure requiring dialysis even. Furthermore, if the kidney is damaged it can cause increased blood pressure.

How blood pressure affects other organs?
* If it affects the arteries of the legs causes pain when walking.
* If you damage the arteries of the retina causes alterations in vision.
* In men may cause impotence.

What are normal levels of blood pressure?
* Normal blood pressure. The maximum levels of systolic blood pressure (maximum) are between 120-129 mmHg, and diastolic (minimum) between 80 and 84 mmHg. Also lower numbers are considered normal, provided they do not cause any symptoms.
* High-normal blood pressure. The figures for systolic blood pressure (maximum) are between 130-139 mmHg, and diastolic (minimum) between 80-89 mmHg. In people with diabetes, affecting the heart (ventricular hypertrophy) or kidney damage, the levels above 130/80 mmHg are considered too high.

Is there blood pressure compensated?
You can talk about high blood pressure, normal or low, but never compensated or decompensated. On a practical level, these three possibilities are negative:
* Have high peak pressure (systolic) or the minimum (diastolic).
* Have at least as high as the maximum.
* Have a high and one low is also bad.

The best treatment of hypertension is a good prevention to avoid their occurrence.This is essential to follow a heart-healthy lifestyle:

* Do not smoke. The snuff raises blood pressure and heart rate. In addition, hypertensive smokers multiply the detrimental effect of snuff. Quitting smoking has positive effects outweigh any medication for hypertension.
* Be careful with alcohol. Moderate consumption of alcohol (a glass of wine daily with meals) may be beneficial, but if it causes excessive increase in blood pressure and other harmful changes the heart and other organs.
* Control your weight. Overweight is a cause of hypertension. Reducing it lowers blood pressure and reduces cardiovascular risk and diabetes.
* Exercise. Conducting regular exercise lowers blood pressure numbers. It increases muscle mass and exercise capacity, helps control weight and reduce cardiovascular risk achieved.
* Practice a heart-healthy diet. Hypertensive patients should reduce salt intake and foods that contain it. It is also necessary to consume fruits, vegetables, legumes, nuts, bread and other cereals. Finally, using olive oil as main fat and increasing intake of poultry and fish at the expense of red meat.
* Drug treatment. If you are hypertensive you can not settle for the above recommendations, as you may need to continue drug treatment. The results do not always reflect an immediate reduction in blood pressure, so it is necessary to wait a bit before the doctor put to a medication change.

Antihypertensive drugs are grouped into several types:

1. Diuretics.
2. Renin angiotensin system inhibitors (ACEI).
3. Antagonists of angiotensin receptor (ARB)
4. Calcium antagonists.
5. Beta-blockers.
6. Association of drugs.

Patients who continue antihypertensive treatment should consider these tips:

* Although blood pressure has returned to normal should not stop taking the medication before.
* Strictly adhere to the treatment and try to always keep the time of intake of the pills.
* Consultation with the doctor if treatment is not successful here, because sometimes it is necessary to involve several drugs to control blood pressure. Check also whether a specific food diet (eg, salt) is blocking the antihypertensive effect of the medication.
* The treatment should always be reconciled with the heart-healthy lifestyle.
* Watch other risk factors, because if not, your good blood pressure numbers will not help much.

How to diagnosis?

Diagnosis is based on a simple measurement procedure, although in some cases the need for further tests such as blood pressure holter. It is imperative to complete the study with laboratory tests (blood and urine) and an electrocardiogram. To facilitate a diagnosis is very important to consider these recommendations:
* High blood pressure causes no symptoms and may go unnoticed.
* It is more common after age 40 but can appear at any age.
* There is familial predisposition, but also occurs in people with no history.

How to measure?

Blood pressure is measured by devices called a sphygmomanometer, popularly known as sphygmomanometers, which are subject to regulatory approvals and validations. To correct the measurement obtained must follow a number of indications:
* As the blood pressure changes throughout the day and night, make the measurement always at the same time.
* Find a quiet room without noise or interruption, with a temperature of 20-25 º C.
* You must be relaxed. No drinking, eating, smoking or physical exercise half an hour earlier.
* Rest 5 minutes before the seizure.
* Sit comfortably with your back against the back of the chair, uncross your legs and take off clothing that may oppress his arm.
* If the tensiometer is arm cuff placed two or three inches above the elbow. Let the palms face up and the elbow slightly flexed at heart level.
* If the tensiometer is wrist, put the wrist strap to the heart.
* Do not talk during measurement.
* Make two separate measures at least two minutes and keep the result of the average of both.
* Point values obtained to inform your doctor.

The disease may go unnoticed and is most common after age 40 but can appear at any age. Learn.

Hypertension: what is it?
In the elevation of blood pressure levels on a continuous and sustained. To better understand the importance of defining the pressure. The heart puts pressure on the arteries so that they lead the blood to different organs of the body. This action is what is known as blood pressure. The maximum pressure obtained in each heart contraction and the lowest, with each relaxation.

Hypertension: why is a risk factor?
* Hypertension is a greater resistance to the heart, which responds by increasing muscle mass (left ventricular hypertrophy) to deal with that overexertion. This increase in muscle mass turns out to be harmful because it is not accompanied by an equivalent increase in blood flow and can lead to heart failure and angina. In addition, the heart muscle becomes irritable and occur more arrhythmias.
* In patients who have already had a heart problem, hypertension can increase the damage.
* It promotes atherosclerosis (accumulation of cholesterol in the arteries) and thrombosis phenomena (can cause heart attack or stroke). In the worst cases, hypertension may soften the walls of the aorta and cause its dilatation (aneurysm) or break (which would inevitably cause death).