Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension

James Lee, Department of Neurosurgery, Morehouse School of Medicine, Atlanta, USA, Email: leejames123@gmail.com

Received: 26-Aug-2022, Manuscript No. JMOLPAT-22-74882; Editor assigned: 29-Aug-2022, Pre QC No. JMOLPAT-22-74882 (PQ); Reviewed: 16-Sep-2022, QC No. JMOLPAT-22-74882; Revised: 22-Sep-2022, Manuscript No. JMOLPAT-22-74882 (R); Published: 30-Sep-2022

Description

High Blood Pressure (HBP), sometimes referred to as hypertension (HTN or HT), is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is consistently increased. Symptoms of high blood pressure are typically absent. However, long-term high blood pressure is a significant risk factor for dementia, atrial fibrillation, peripheral arterial disease, vision loss, coronary artery disease, heart failure, and dementia. The leading global cause of early death is hypertension. Lifestyle factors that raise the risk include eating too much salt, being overweight, smoking, and drinking too much alcohol. The other 5%–10% of instances are classified as secondary hypertension, which is high blood pressure that is brought on by a known condition, such as chronic renal disease, artery narrowing in the kidneys, an endocrine issue, or the use of birth control pills. Systolic and diastolic pressures, which represent the maximum and minimum pressures, respectively, are used to categorise blood pressure. For the majority of adults, normal resting blood pressure falls between 60 millimetres and 80 millimetres of mercury diastolic and 100 mmHg to 130 mmHg systolic. High blood pressure is prevalent in the majority of adults if their resting blood pressure is consistently at or higher than 130/80 or 140/90 mmHg. Children are subject to different numbers. It seems that 24 hour ambulatory blood pressure monitoring is more accurate than office-based blood pressure readings.

Signs and symptoms

Rarely does hypertension have symptoms; instead, it is frequently discovered through screening or when someone goes to the doctor for an unrelated issue. Aside from headaches, some persons with high blood pressure also experience lightheadedness, vertigo, tinnitus (a buzzing or hissing sensation in the ears), distorted vision, and fainting spells. However, rather than being caused by the high blood pressure itself, these symptoms may be linked to the underlying anxiety. On physical examination abnormalities in the ocular fundus seen by ophthalmoscopy may be linked to the presence of hypertension. Grades I and II may be challenging to distinguish between, and range from I to IV in terms of the severity of the alterations typical of hypertensive retinopathy. The length or severity of hypertension is roughly correlated with the degree of retinopathy.

Primary hypertension: Genes and environmental factors combine intricately to cause hypertension. Both frequent genetic variations with minor effects on blood pressure and uncommon genetic variations with significant effects on blood pressure have been found. Additionally, 35 genetic loci associated with blood pressure have been uncovered using genome-wide association studies, 12 of which were newly discovered. Low birth weight, maternal smoking, and not nursing may all be early life events that increase the likelihood of developing essential hypertension in adults, though the exact mechanisms by which this occurs are yet unknown. Untreated hypertensives have been reported to have a higher incidence of high blood uric acid than persons with normal blood pressure, while it is unclear whether the former is the cause or a symptom of impaired kidney function. In comparison to the summer, the average blood pressure may be greater in the winter. High blood pressure is also linked to periodontal disease.

Secondary hypertension: A known cause of secondary hypertension manifests itself. The most frequent secondary cause of hypertension is kidney dysfunction. Acromegaly, Conn’s syndrome or hyperaldosteronism, renal artery stenosis (from atherosclerosis or fibromuscular dysplasia), hyperparathyroidism, and pheochromocytoma are a few more endocrine disorders that can result in hypertension.

Diagnosis

A persistently elevated resting blood pressure is used to diagnose hypertension. At least three resting measurements should be taken during at least two different medical visits, according to the American Heart Association (AHA). If a clinic blood pressure is 140/90 mmHg or greater, the UK’s National Institute for Health and Care Excellence advises ambulatory blood pressure monitoring to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension.

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