preview

Hypertension And High Blood Pressure

Better Essays

Hypertension
Hypertension is referred to as high blood pressure. Hypertension is frequently asymptomatic in the early stages, and the initial signs are often vague and nonspecific. They include fatigue, malaise, and sometimes morning headache. Consistently elevated blood pressure under various conditions is the key sign of hypertension. Because of the insidious onset and mild signs, hypertension is often undiagnosed until complications arise and has been called the “silent killer.” The complications are also asymptomatic until they are well advanced.
Pathophysiology
Hypertension is one of the most common chronic health problems seen in the primary-care setting. Hypertension in adults age 18 and older is defined as a systolic blood pressure (SBP) of greater than 1400 mm Hg and or a diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of greater than 90 mm Hg, based on the average of two or more properly measured seated BP readings on each of two or more office visits. The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure cites the following three categories for adults age 18 and older: (1) prehypertension (SBP 120 to 139 mm Hg / DBP 80 to 89 mm Hg); (2) Stage 1 hypertension (SBP 140 to 159 mm Hg / DBP 90 to 99 mm Hg); and (3) Stage 2 hypertension (SBP ≥ 160 mm Hg / DBP ≥ 100 mm Hg) (Sisson, Rastegar, Rice, Prokopowicz, & Hughes, 2010). In hypertension thee is an increase in arteriolar vasoconstriction, which is

Get Access