HYPERTENSION

What do the numbers mean?

Arteries are like hoses that carry blood from your
heart to the rest of your body.
If you put a crimp in a hose, pressure builds up
inside it.
High blood pressure (also called hypertension)
occurs when your blood moves through your
arteries at a higher pressure than normal.
Blood pressure is really two measurements, separated
by a slash when written, such as 120/80. You may also
hear someone say a blood pressure is "120 over 80.
The first number is the systolic blood pressure. This is
the peak blood pressure when your heart is squeezing
blood out.
The second number is the diastolic blood pressure.
It's the pressure when your heart is filling with blood--
relaxing between beats.
Causes
Essential Hypertension (cause unknown)
95 % of all cases
Kidney disease
Hormonal abnormalities
Drugs e.g. steroids
Pregnancy
RISK FACTORS
African race
Male sex
Smoking
Diabetes mellitus
Elevated cholesterol levels
Obesity
Excess alcohol intake
Increased salt intake
Causes
Causes
Symptoms
Most of the time, there are no symptoms. However
one may present with:-
Confusion
Chest pain
Ear noise or buzzing
Irregular heart beat
Nose bleed
Tiredness
Vision changes
Who to treat
All patients with sustained BP above 140/90
All patients with sustained BP above 130/80
with increased risk eg diabetics, obese.

Treatment Goals
BP below 130/80
Complications
Cardiomegaly: Uncontrolled hypertension leads to
thickening of heart musculature.
Damage to the target organs:
1. Hypertensive occulopathy.
2. Hypertensive nephropathy.
3. Hypertensive encephalopathy.
4. Myocardial infarction.
5. Stroke.

Complications
Diet management
Reduce intake of sodium (salt)
Eat more fruits and vegetables
Take more low-fat dairy foods, increase the intake
of essential fatty acids (omega 3 & 6)
Avoid food that is high in cholesterol
Food that is rich in potassium (asparagus, potato,
banana)
Food that is rich in calcium (almonds, milk)
An apple a day keep the doctor away
Prevention
DASH diet= Dietary Approaches to Stop
Hypertension. To it more vegetarian friendly, make
add Lean meats, poultry, and fish.

When following a vegan diet dairy products can be
replaced with low-fat versions of soy and grain
products such as Soy milk, Soy or grain cheese,
Soy sour cream, Soy yogurt
THANK YOU