What is high blood pressure?

When blood exerts too much pressure on the inner walls of blood vessels (arteries and veins), hypertension appears. Although it contains the root word "tension", he is not a condition exclusive to people who have an anxious temperament, moreover, a prolonged period of great stress can affect the measurement of blood pressure. It is estimated that a person has high blood pressure when she gets several times a measure of systolic pressure equal to or greater than 140 mmHg or diastolic blood pressure measurement greater than or equal to 90 mmHg. The numbers of optimal blood pressure fall below 120 mmHg for systolic and below 80 mmHg for diastolic pressure.

 

About 42% of people with hypertension in Canada do not realize their condition. Many people discover they have high blood pressure during a routine annual health examination.

The causes and categories

In 95% of cases, it is unclear the exact cause of high blood pressure and doctors call it essential hypertension or hypertension primitive. Lifestyle, environment and family history all play a role in these cases.

In other cases, 5%, the cause may be related to a medical condition. This is called secondary hypertension. In reviewing the medical and family history, it is often possible to determine what underlying medical problem caused high blood pressure. Among the medical conditions that may increase blood pressure of a person are:

•     a previous heart attack,
•     stroke in the background,
•     hormonal disorders,
•     kidney disease.

In cases of secondary hypertension, the underlying condition is treated first.

Categories

The medical class of hypertension in categories derived from the reading of blood pressure:

• prehypertension which is characterized by a measure of systolic blood pressure of between 120 and 139 while the diastolic blood pressure is between 80 and 89;
  
  
• stage 1 when measuring systolic blood pressure 140 to 159 accused and diastolic blood pressure from 90 to 99;
  
  
• stage 2 is reached when a measure of systolic blood pressure is greater than or equal to 160 and that of the diastolic blood pressure is greater than or equal to 100.

A diagnosis can be made if the number that corresponds to the systolic or diastolic blood pressure does not fall within the normal range.