The Silent Killer: Hypertension
From its first beat 22 days after conception to its last beat decades later, our hearts do their jobs tirelessly. Most of us don’t often think about our hearts or how well they work.
But like everything in life, our hearts do get tired and don’t always work the best for one reason or another. Damage to the heart often happens gradually, only showing it needs help when it can no longer hide it. The biggest cause of damage is high blood pressure, or Hypertension.
How does blood pressure help your body?
You need blood pressure. As with all things in the human body, there is a safe range for your age and health status for your blood pressure to stay in. Your primary care provider is the best person to ask what range your blood pressure should be in. A good blood pressure, neither high nor low, is important for your body to function properly. Your blood carries the good things to your organs and the bad things away. Without the right blood pressure, your organs may not be able to gain the good things or remove the bad things they need to be healthy.
Good things your blood brings to your body:
- Oxygen
- glucose
- Electrolytes
- Vitamins
- protein
- Other nutrients your organs need to function properly
- Immune cells for infected areas
- hormones
Bad things your blood carries away to be removed from your body:
- Carbon dioxide
- Urea
- Creatinine
- Lactate
- Hydrogen
- Used immune products
If your organs cannot receive all the nutrients, hormones, and oxygen they need to function right, they will slowly stop functioning. Add to that the bad things, toxins, that can build up in your body, and you’ll find your organs will be poisoned.
Blood Pressure Ranges
Depending on your age and your health status, the range for a safe blood pressure will differ. Basic parameters have been set for a general person, but always check with your provider to see where you, personally, should be.
Children – 1 year old to 13 years old
For a one-year-old child, blood pressure around 98/52 is a good spot to be in. As a child ages, a good blood pressure for them also rises. By the time they reach the age of 13, a child’s good blood pressure sits around the same level as an adult’s – 120/80. You may find that many teenagers will have lower blood pressure due to several factors. The Baylor College of Medicine has a nice chart with breakdowns for specific ages.
Children can also have hypertension, often for the same reason as adults. Treatment for them focuses on lifestyle changes and, occasionally, treating with medication.
Adults
Back in 2017, the American Heart Association changed their guidelines on good blood pressure and hypertension. This was done based on research showing that the current guideline numbers still cause damage to the body.
Previously, blood pressure for an average adult below 130/80 was considered a good level. This number was also adjusted for age; those over the age of 65 had good blood pressure, below 150/80. These were, and often still are, the numbers most people think of as in the safe zone.
The chart below shows the new ranges advised by the American Heart Association to use when determining if someone has high blood pressure or not.
High Blood Pressure
One abnormal blood pressure reading should not cause you to worry. Things like stress, exercise, and pain can cause your blood pressure to rise temporarily. Your doctor will want to monitor your blood pressure over a period of time to help determine if you truly have hypertension.
White Coat Syndrome
A word on “White Coat Syndrome” – White Coat Syndrome is a condition where you have anxiety about being at the doctor’s, so your blood pressure is always high while you are there. Some people will relax as the appointment goes on, so your doctor will often recheck your blood pressure again during the visit. This is another reason why your doctor does not take one or even two elevated blood pressures to mean you have hypertension. It will be why they suggest you purchase a blood pressure cuff and monitor your blood pressure at home.
Monitoring Your Blood Pressure at Home
The American Heart Association has wonderful instructions on the best way to check your blood pressure to collect the best numbers possible. I have included an infographic from the American Heart Association at the bottom of this article.
Keys to Taking Your Blood Pressure
- Make sure you have the correct cuff. One that fits properly around your upper arm. Wrist/finger blood pressure machines are not advised to be used. Take your blood pressure machine to a doctor’s appointment to show them how you are using it and have it measured against theirs.
- Take your blood pressure at the same time of day every day.
- Make sure to empty your bladder right before checking your blood pressure\Avoid caffeine, smoking, or exercise in the 30 minutes before taking your blood pressure.
- Sit in a firm chair, not a sofa or recliner. Sit up straight and have your feet flat on the floor. Rest your arm on a table or other flat surface.
- Keep a record of the day, time, and blood pressure number to take to your next doctor’s appointment.
Damages done by HTN
Many patients I have worked with do not understand the importance of keeping their blood pressure under control. Often, they look at their numbers and tell me, “It’s not that high, so it’s not that big of deal”.
While that may be true at first, even slightly elevated blood pressure will, over time, cause damage to your body. Because this damage is slow to develop and often does not cause immediate symptoms, patients do not believe they need to worry about it.
Hypertensive Crisis
Most of my patients worry about a hypertensive crisis. They take immediate action when they notice their blood pressure is high, often going to the emergency room for treatment. This is the correct thing to do. Never put off going to the emergency room when you notice a blood pressure this high or develop symptoms of a hypertensive crisis.
Symptoms of Hypertensive Crisis:
- Headache
- Vision changes
- Difficulty breathing
- Unusual weakness
- Chest Pain
- Nausea/vomiting
Any one of these symptoms with elevated blood pressure warrants a call to 911 and a trip to the emergency room. If your blood pressure is at a hypertensive crisis level and you do not have symptoms yet, call your provider immediately.
Hypertensive Crisis can cause:
- Stroke
- Heart Attack
- Kidney problems
- Heart failure
- Swelling of your brain
- Fluid in and around your lungs
- Tear in your aorta, causing you to lose lots of blood quickly
- Death
A hypertensive crisis is a scary thing to go through. It is very noticeable that there is something wrong with your body, and you need to seek medical help right away.
The Silent Killer
Slightly elevated blood pressure is not nearly as noticeable as a hypertensive crisis but can be just as deadly. You may not die as quickly from hypertension, but it will cause damage to your body that will eventually lead to death.
The damage hypertension causes comes on so slowly that many people adapt to the changes and don’t even think there is a problem. They attribute these symptoms to just being older, and never that they could have prevented these symptoms or that there is treatment for these symptoms.
One thing I know from being a nurse, even for myself, is that it is hard to take care of my body correctly when I don’t feel sick. We do not think we need to do anything now; that’s a problem for the future. By the time we get to that future, the damage has been done, and we face the consequences.
How Does Hypertension Damage the Body?
The increased pressure on the insides of your blood vessels causes damage. That damage leads to a decrease in the functioning of those blood vessels and the organs they supply blood.
Heart – heart failure, heart attack, aortic dissection, heart disease
Blood vessels – stiffening of arteries, small tears that lead to plaque build-up, total blockage of a blood vessel
Brain – decrease in oxygen delivered leads to death of cells, stroke, burst aneurysm
Other organs – sexual dysfunction, inability to have an erection, lowered libido, kidney failure, gradual loss of vision
Ways to prevent Hypertension:
The best way to protect your heart is to be as healthy as you can be. Prevent problems, catch problems early, treat problems early.
This is done by maintaining a healthy lifestyle and seeing your primary care provider regularly. Even if you believe you are young and healthy, there may be things brewing your doctor can spot by doing simple blood tests and seeing you at least once a year in the office.
Hypertension occurs as you age. It can start developing in your 30s. With the rise in obesity, we are seeing younger and younger people develop high blood pressure. Don’t think being young protects you.
- Exercise regularly – at least 150 minutes of aerobic activity a week, spread out over 3-5 days
- Eat heart-healthy foods – eat more fruits and veggies, portion control, avoid processed foods, avoid added salt, and eat good fats
- Stopping bad habits – stop smoking, lose weight, decrease alcohol use, learn to manage stress
Treatment for Hypertension:
- Continue to do the things to prevent high blood pressure
- See your healthcare provider regularly
- Take medication appropriately
- Know your numbers – blood pressure, your risk scores for dying from heart disease, having a heart attack, or having a stroke, and lab numbers (like cholesterol)
Remember, treatment for any health condition is not just taking a pill and poof, you’re better. Lifestyle changes, regular follow-up appointments with your doctor, and knowledge are all part of your treatment plan.
You can read more about treatment plans in one of my previous posts.
Hypertension, high blood pressure, or the Silent Killer, no matter what you call it, needs to be controlled. Even the lowest level of what is considered high blood pressure will cause damage to your blood vessels and organs. The damage will start small and not be noticeable at first. Even if your blood pressure stays at the lowest level of high blood pressure, the damage will continue to worsen.
Damage caused by high blood pressure is rarely noticed until it reaches a critical stage. Some damage can be repaired, but most cannot. It is easier to adjust your lifestyle and manage high blood pressure early. Managing a long term health condition from the damage high blood pressure does is harder and decreases both the quality and quantity of life.
Federal Food and Drug Administration
National Institutes of Health
Baylor College of Medicine
The American Heart Association
Health Threats from High Blood Pressure | American Heart Association
Exercise and the Heart | Johns Hopkins Medicine
Heart-healthy diet: 8 steps to prevent heart disease – Mayo Clinic
High Blood Pressure – Treatment | NHLBI, NIH
Treatment Plans: What Are They?
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