Hypertension is a non-communicable disease, but it is an important disease that should be properly treated in order to prevent future complications that can harm health such as heart disease, stroke and end-stage kidney failure. The foundation for healthcare in controlling your blood pressure includes modifying your own health behaviors and receiving medication treatment, which can help return your blood pressure levels back to normal and reduce risk of various diseases to allow you to live a happy, contented life.

How many types of hypertension are there?

Hypertension can be divided into 2 types based on cause as follows:

Primary or essential hypertension accounts for about 95% of all hypertension patients. Mostly, it is found in patients older than 60 years and is more common in females than males. Although its cause is still not clearly understood today, the United States Joint National Committee on Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure found that there are various associated risk factors that cause hypertension such as genetics, obesity, hyperlipidemia, consumption of very salty foods, lack of exercise, alcohol consumption, smoking, stress, older age and family history of cardiovascular disease.

Secondary hypertension is rarer and accounts for 5-10% of all cases. Mostly, it occurs as a result of pathologies in different parts of the body that contribute to high blood pressure. It can also develop as a result of pathologies of the kidneys, adrenal glands, diseases, neurological disorders, hormonal abnormalities, endocrinological diseases, preeclampsia, head injuries, drug use and chemical exposure, etc.

In any case, upon a doctor’s diagnosis of the cause, treatment of the cause will restore blood pressure back to normal levels.

Symptoms of Hypertension – The symptoms of hypertension can be quite varied as follows:

Dizziness, which is often present alongside a headache.
Nose bleed (epistaxis).
Fatigue at work or extreme fatigue to the point of being unable to lie down horizontally. This also indicates failure of the left ventricle.
Other possible symptoms include chest pain linked to cardiac ischemia due to cardiovascular stenosis or thickening of the heart muscles due to prolonged exposure to high blood pressure.

Complications from Hypertension

Hypertension is often accompanied by various disease-causing complications such as the following:

Heart: Heart failure or arrhythmia might occur, along with leg swelling.
Kidneys: Chronic kidney disease might occur alongside leg swelling, pale and dry skin.
Brain: Stroke might occur. Displayed symptoms include facial palsy, hemiparesis, numbness in half of the body or dementia.
Eyes: Hypertension can cause retinal abnormalities.

If you have hypertension, you should be careful and pay your doctor a visit.

People who have any of the following conditions or risk behaviors should seek medical advice in performing various activities before exercising:

Systolic blood pressure (SBP) > 180 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) > 110 mmHg.
Chest pain or breathing difficulty, especially after a minor exertion or while at rest.
Risk or prior history of heart failure.
Arrhythmia or tachycardia.
Diabetes with poor blood glucose level control.
Other acute illnesses.
Being elderly.
Being a heavy consumer of alcohol or a heavy smoker.

Don’t ignore hypertension. It is more dangerous than you think!