Who gets HBP?
HBP is very common. HBP stand for High Blood Pressure otherwise referred to as Hypertension in medical terms. (for more information check earlier post iOne in five adults suffers with high BP. For some types of HBP the cause is unknown. This is called Essential Hypertension. However, if you smoke, are physically inactive, if you are overweight, drink alcohol above the recommended 'sensible limits', eat a diet high in fat, have diabetes and/or a family history of HBP you are at greater risk of developing it. HBP can also occur in pregnancy and it is therefore not only the lifestyle factors previously mentioned that can cause it. HBP is also more common in African and Caribbean women and is a serious illness that should be picked up through ante-natal checks and treated.
For reasons not yet identified, HBP is more common in black people than white. So, if you have a family history of HBP, ask your Doctor or Practice Nurse to check your BP. If you are over 35, have your BP checked every three years or yearly if the condition is in family. If you are using the contraceptive pill have your BP checked every six months.
The myth that frequent headaches and tiredness can be a sign of HBP is not true.
HBP is known as the silent killer which means you can have it and feel nothing for a long time until the damage has been done.
Because of the hardening and narrowing of the arteries, our blood is forced through the system at high pressure and the artery walls receive a pounding. If your BP remains high it can lead to:
- A stroke: the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. This can lead to weakness and loss of feeling down one side of the body, loss of speech and sometimes death. HBP is one of the main causes of a stroke. Black men in their forties and fifties are at high risk of developing a stroke. Another type of stroke is when a blood vessel in the brain bursts because of the HBP.
- Angina: (heart pain) a main artery of the heart is damaged, usually by a clot of blood or a collection of fat, which prevents the normal flow of blood.
- Heart failure: because of the extra work on the heart caused by HBP, the heart 'grows tired' and finds it difficult to pump blood around the body. This causes breathlessness as fluid builds up in the lungs.
- Poor vision: the small blood vessels in the eyes are affected and can lead to blindness.
- Kidney failure: the kidneys help to regulate BP. The blood vessels in the kidneys are damaged due to the high pressure within them so the kidneys work less efficiently and cause the blood pressure to rise even further.
Discover the Truth about Cholesterol!
Do I have to take medicines for life?
The majority of people with HBP will have to take medicine for life. it is important that you take your medicines every day as prescribed by your Doctor.
Does having HBP mean I can't have a sex life?
Some people have the misguided belief that love making can burst a blood vessel and cause stroke. Abstaining from sex is more likely to make you feel worse than better. The stress and tension of abstaining may raise the blood pressure rather than lower it. During love making the BP rises but the relaxation and release of tension afterwards compensates for the rise.
What are the side effects of the medical drugs?
Some medicines do have unpleasant side-effects. These side-effects vary with the different drugs. Some of the common side-effects are: persistent coughing, headaches, palpitations, tiredness and sexual difficulties, especially impotence in men. If you have any of these problems ask you Doctor if your treatment can be changed - but do no stop taking your medication without consultation. In some cases stopping the medication suddenly can be more serious than the side-effects.
What about Herbal Medicines/Bush Teas? Can I take them?
Taking herbal medicine/bush teas as well as the medicines doctors prescribed can be dangerous. Some herbal medicines can cause damage to the liver if taken continuously over a long period of time. Some older Caribbean people take homemade tonics to strengthen and thicken the blood. Having a healthy diet will provide all the nourishment that the blood needs to keep the body healthy.
What do the different BP figures mean?
A healthy young adult will have a normal BP of around 120/80. The higher figure (120), called the systolic pressure, BP during each heartbeat. The lower figure (80), diastolic pressure, is your BP between heartbeats. A BP consistently above 160/90 will need attention, but it must be judged on age. Excitement, exercise, anger or anxiety will make your heart beat faster and increase your BP for a while.
Get more information about High Blood Pressure Symptoms here
HBP is very common. HBP stand for High Blood Pressure otherwise referred to as Hypertension in medical terms. (for more information check earlier post iOne in five adults suffers with high BP. For some types of HBP the cause is unknown. This is called Essential Hypertension. However, if you smoke, are physically inactive, if you are overweight, drink alcohol above the recommended 'sensible limits', eat a diet high in fat, have diabetes and/or a family history of HBP you are at greater risk of developing it. HBP can also occur in pregnancy and it is therefore not only the lifestyle factors previously mentioned that can cause it. HBP is also more common in African and Caribbean women and is a serious illness that should be picked up through ante-natal checks and treated.
For reasons not yet identified, HBP is more common in black people than white. So, if you have a family history of HBP, ask your Doctor or Practice Nurse to check your BP. If you are over 35, have your BP checked every three years or yearly if the condition is in family. If you are using the contraceptive pill have your BP checked every six months.
The myth that frequent headaches and tiredness can be a sign of HBP is not true.
HBP is known as the silent killer which means you can have it and feel nothing for a long time until the damage has been done.
Because of the hardening and narrowing of the arteries, our blood is forced through the system at high pressure and the artery walls receive a pounding. If your BP remains high it can lead to:
- A stroke: the blood supply to part of the brain is cut off. This can lead to weakness and loss of feeling down one side of the body, loss of speech and sometimes death. HBP is one of the main causes of a stroke. Black men in their forties and fifties are at high risk of developing a stroke. Another type of stroke is when a blood vessel in the brain bursts because of the HBP.
- Angina: (heart pain) a main artery of the heart is damaged, usually by a clot of blood or a collection of fat, which prevents the normal flow of blood.
- Heart failure: because of the extra work on the heart caused by HBP, the heart 'grows tired' and finds it difficult to pump blood around the body. This causes breathlessness as fluid builds up in the lungs.
- Poor vision: the small blood vessels in the eyes are affected and can lead to blindness.
- Kidney failure: the kidneys help to regulate BP. The blood vessels in the kidneys are damaged due to the high pressure within them so the kidneys work less efficiently and cause the blood pressure to rise even further.
Discover the Truth about Cholesterol!
Do I have to take medicines for life?
The majority of people with HBP will have to take medicine for life. it is important that you take your medicines every day as prescribed by your Doctor.
Does having HBP mean I can't have a sex life?
Some people have the misguided belief that love making can burst a blood vessel and cause stroke. Abstaining from sex is more likely to make you feel worse than better. The stress and tension of abstaining may raise the blood pressure rather than lower it. During love making the BP rises but the relaxation and release of tension afterwards compensates for the rise.
What are the side effects of the medical drugs?
Some medicines do have unpleasant side-effects. These side-effects vary with the different drugs. Some of the common side-effects are: persistent coughing, headaches, palpitations, tiredness and sexual difficulties, especially impotence in men. If you have any of these problems ask you Doctor if your treatment can be changed - but do no stop taking your medication without consultation. In some cases stopping the medication suddenly can be more serious than the side-effects.
What about Herbal Medicines/Bush Teas? Can I take them?
Taking herbal medicine/bush teas as well as the medicines doctors prescribed can be dangerous. Some herbal medicines can cause damage to the liver if taken continuously over a long period of time. Some older Caribbean people take homemade tonics to strengthen and thicken the blood. Having a healthy diet will provide all the nourishment that the blood needs to keep the body healthy.
What do the different BP figures mean?
A healthy young adult will have a normal BP of around 120/80. The higher figure (120), called the systolic pressure, BP during each heartbeat. The lower figure (80), diastolic pressure, is your BP between heartbeats. A BP consistently above 160/90 will need attention, but it must be judged on age. Excitement, exercise, anger or anxiety will make your heart beat faster and increase your BP for a while.
Get more information about High Blood Pressure Symptoms here
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