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Hypertension: Main Cause Of Stroke And Kidney Failure

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Hypertension as defined by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2015 is “a serious medical condition. It happens when the force of the blood pumping through your arteries is too strong”. Hypertension is a very serious disease because of its complications. This disease may lead to heart failure and/or hypertrophy, and cause damage to blood vessels. Also, increases the risk kidney failure, stroke and may lead to death if left untreated. Hypertension is considered as one of the most common diseases that can be identified as the main cause of stroke and kidney failure. Hypertension usually present as one of a group of multiple illnesses always accompanied by diabetes, obesity, kidney disease or many other pre-existing problems …show more content…

70 million American adults –contributed 27% of the population- are diagnosed with hypertension. Also, one in every three American adults has prehypertension; blood pressure reading is higher than normal values but not yet in the hypertension range. Hypertension costs the United States about $46 billion each year. This cost includes medications to treat high blood pressure, the cost of health care services, and missed days at work because the patient is unable to go to work or has to seek medical help. (Centers for disease control and prevention, …show more content…

The National Heart, Lung, and Blood institute implemented High Blood Pressure Education Program (NHBPEP). The program’s main goal is to educate through recommending prevention of hypertension “through both a population-based strategy and an intensive strategy focused” (Whelton, 2002) on individuals at high risk for high blood pressure. The population-based and the intensive strategies are complementary and constructed to point out six approaches: Increase individuals’ physical activity; control body weight and avoid obesity; limit alcohol consumption; lower sodium intake; lower intake of potassium; and increase daily consumption of fruits and vegetables, and low-fat dairy products and contain low saturated and total fat. Applying these approaches can prevent the incidence rate of hypertension rising in the population and also can lower blood pressure in persons with pre-hypertension or diagnosed with hypertension. (Whelton,

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