Hypertension
(High Blood Pressure)
Hypertension is one of the most common diseases. The vast majority of people who develop hypertension do not have any clinical symptoms. It is often known as the silent killer, due to it's lack of symptoms until the late stages.
Causes of Hypertension
Many cases of hypertension are caused by increased resistance of the vasculature. This can occur if the blood vessels, particularly the smaller ones, become narrowed. Disorders of the adrenal glands can lead to hypertension. Renal artery narrowing, or stenosis, can produce hypertension. Chronic glomerulonephritis and renal failure are both secondary causes of hypertension. Pregnancy and the use of oral contraceptives in women can also lead to hypertension. When a cause of hypertension cannot be found, which is very common, it is termed primary or essential hypertension.
Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension
It produces severe headache, drowsiness, confusion, numbness, tingling in the hands and feet, coughing blood, nosebleeds, and severe shortness of breath.
At least half of the people with hypertension are probably unaware of having it. The reason is that it often does not produce clinical symptoms. Strokes are a common complication of long standing hypertension. Chronic hypertension can lead to renal disease. Severe, acute hypertension, or a hypertensive crisis, is rare.
Left untreated, the increased blood pressure can lead to heart disease, vascular disease and kidney disease, just to name a few of the areas of the body that can be affected.
A blood pressure above 130/80 in any person needs to be invesigated & if necessary treated. The cause of high blood pressure cannot be traced in 95% of the patients. However in any patient with 3-4 consecutive readings above 130/80 within a span of 2-3 weeks needs to be investigated .
Routine tests which must be done include an electrocardiogram(ECG), Chest X-Ray, blood tests for kidney function, diabetes & cholesterol.
Patients with lower value upto 100 sould restict salt , cholestrol in their diet and should do regular exercise. This if done regularly often avoids the need for medicines.
However for higher BP or for patients in whom the above measured fail to reduce the BP, medication is necessary.
In patients who are on high doses of BP reducing allopathic medicines or in patients whose lower value is above 120, allopathic medicines may need to be continued with homeopathic medicines for sometime. Later as the BP lowers, the dose of allopathic medicines can be tapered.
|
