'What is Hypertension?' : Compilations that will leave you better informed.

In every healthcare institution nationwide, patients with a high blood pressure are regularly encountered. 

 
A senior colleague, told me during his externship training that hypertension medication, were always being requested for at the community pharmacy where he was then.
In most extended families, there are one or two or more individuals managing a high blood pressure condition. 

 
Some manage it effectively, sustaining a good quality of life. Others manage it poorly and as a result show no signs of progress and are lucky to still be alive.

 
Sadly, a lot of people don't understand how to handle the condition optimally.
In our various offices, we are subjected to a high amount of work load, different from individual to individual, depending on the the work place and various working conditions. 

 
As a result, we are always constantly under stress. 

 
Coupled with hectic living and the typical hustling lifestyle of a typical Nigerian, the stress eventually causes us to break down. 

 
Genetically, some of us aren't 'favoured' so to say, seeing that there's a link between genetics and hypertensive tendencies. Therefore, a person with a family history of hypertension, ought to be on guard. 

 
Environmental factors, ranging from lifestyle to dieting, and amounts of physical activity, also determine who gets to be hypertensive or not. 

 
But then, is hypertension a death sentence?
The answer is 'It doesn't have to be!' 

 
This brings us to the question; 

 
What Is Hypertension?   

Hypertension is a medical condition characterized by an elevated blood pressure reading— The force exerted on the blood vessels, as a result of the pumping action of the heart. 

 
Blood moves through arteries and veins, from the lungs to the heart and then from the heart to the body, travelling a long distance, and carrying a lot of substances. 

 
When blood is moving with a higher pressure than normal, the occurrence is known as hypertension. 

Clinically, the optimal blood pressure value is 140/90 mmHg. 

 
The upper figure (140mmHg) is the systolic pressure—the force with which blood leaves the heart to the rest of the body.   

The lower figure (90mmHg) is the diastolic pressure— the force at which blood enters the heart, from the rest of the body. 

 
This means that generally, a blood pressure reading that's above this, is considered as a high blood pressure, and anyone with such blood pressure readings, is hypertensive. 

 
Hypertension is generally of two types, though it occurs in other special cases.

 
(a) Primary hypertension, that is nonspecific and due to an interplay of genetic and environmental factors;
(b) Secondary hypertension, that is specific to an already existing disease. Kidney diseases and hormonal disorders are the commonest causes. 

 
Hypertension generally, is caused and/or worsened by excessive salt intake, alcohol intake, tobacco smoking, obesity, depression, certain drugs and genetic factors. 

The truth is, we all need to understand hypertension to know how to manage it. With lifestyle changes and various preventive measures we can adopt in this regard, it's obvious we have a responsibility to see to our staying healthy. 

 
Author
The blue pharmacist is B.Pharm candidate Koyejo Sowunmi. When he's not drawing structures, he loves to write.