High Blood Pressure Specialist

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure is a condition in which the blood your heart is pumping around your body is exerting too much pressure on your blood vessels.

High blood pressure (which doctors call hypertension) puts undue stress on the blood vessels and, in turn, your heart. Long periods of stress damage your blood vessels and encourages the formation of plaque.

Plaque is a substance consisting of cholesterol and waste products circulating in your blood. It gathers on the inside of your artery walls and makes the arteries narrower, which reduces blood flow.

What causes high blood pressure?

High blood pressure has two forms. Primary hypertension has no recognizable cause, but secondary hypertension can be a complication of chronic conditions like diabetes, thyroid disorders, or kidney disease.

Other causes of secondary hypertension include:

• Certain medications
• Smoking
• Having a family history of hypertension
• Obstructive sleep apnea
• Being overweight or obese
• Chronic stress
• Getting little or no exercise
• Eating a high-salt or low-potassium diet

Many of the causes of high blood pressure relate to poor diet and lifestyle issues that are preventable and reversible.

How is blood pressure measured?

Measuring your blood pressure is a simple procedure that only takes a few minutes. Your provider wraps a blood pressure cuff around your upper arm, then inflates it until your blood stops pumping. They take two readings, one of which shows your blood pressure as your heart beats (systolic) and the other in-between heartbeats (diastolic).

The blood pressure measurements identify hypertension at different levels:

• Normal blood pressure - below 120 systolic and 80 diastolic
• Elevated blood pressure - between 120 and 129 systolic up to 80 diastolic
• Stage 1 hypertension - between 130 and 139 systolic or 80 to 89 diastolic
• Stage 2 hypertension - 140 or above systolic and 90 or above diastolic

If your blood pressure is higher than 180 systolic and 120 diastolic, you're experiencing a hypertensive crisis and need emergency medical attention.

What problems can high blood pressure cause?

High blood pressure can be responsible for serious complications, including:

• Heart failure
• Myocardial infarction (heart attack)
• Stroke
• Aneurysms
• Arrhythmia
• Kidney disease

However, with expert treatment at Prime Heart and Vascular, you can reduce your blood pressure to healthy or near-healthy levels.

What treatments can reduce my blood pressure?

To treat your high blood pressure, Prime Heart and Vascular first addresses the causes of your condition. Managing chronic diseases like diabetes can help, and making changes to your lifestyle where necessary is vital.

If your high blood pressure puts you at risk, you might also need to take medication to help reduce it to a less dangerous level. Depending on the cause of your high blood pressure, you may need to take blood pressure medicines for a short period or long term.

To arrange your blood pressure check, call Prime Heart and Vascular today or book an appointment online.