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Hypertension

What is Blood Pressure?

The pressure that blood exerts on the wall of blood vessels when the heart pumps.
Blood pressure is measured by mmHg
Normal blood pressure should be <140/90 mmHg
Normal blood pressure is not constant

-It is lower while sleeping

-And higher when nervous or smoking

Risk Factors

Smoking
Excessive alcohol drinking
Lack of exercise
Obesity
Stress
Family members with hypertension

Common Symptoms

Majority have no symptoms
When you have a very high blood pressure:

Headache
Dizziness
Shortness of breath
Tiredness
Blurring of vision

Treatment

Drug treatment is very effective but depends very much on patients’ cooperation

-Take the medication regularly

Regular follow up

What is hypertension?

Hypertension is a chronic disease , when blood pressure is persistently higher than the normal level even during rest

i.e. higher than 140/90

Hypertension is the major cause of the top two killer (Heart disease and Stroke)

Causes

90% of essential Hypertension has no obvious cause
10% Secondary Hypertension has an underlying causes, such as kidney, heart and endocrine diseases
High blood lipid (i.e high cholesterol)
Side effect of some drugs, such as steroid

Complications

Coronary heart disease
Heart failure
Stroke
Kidney failure

Prevention

Low salt diet
Quit smoking
Avoid overstress
Do regular exercise (30mins/day)
Go for periodic health checks for early detection
Eat >3 portions of fruits and vegetables per day

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