Related topics: blood pressure
Hypertension
hideHypertension, also referred to as high blood pressure, HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. In current usage, the word "hypertension" without a qualifier normally refers to systemic, arterial hypertension.
Hypertension can be classified as either essential (primary) or secondary. Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient's condition. About 90-95% of hypertension is essential hypertension. Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of (i.e., secondary to) another condition, such as kidney disease or tumours (adrenal adenoma or pheochromocytoma).
Persistent hypertension is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, and is a leading cause of chronic renal failure. Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure leads to shortened life expectancy. At severely high pressures, defined as mean arterial pressures 50% or more above average, a person can expect to live no more than a few years unless appropriately treated. Beginning at a systolic pressure (which is peak pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the end of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles are contracting) of 115 mmHg and diastolic pressure (which is minimum pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the beginning of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles are filled with blood) of 75 mmHg (commonly written as 115/75 mmHg), cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk doubles for each increment of 20/10 mmHg.
For more information about Hypertension, read the full article at
Wikipedia.
This text uses material from Wikipedia and is available under the GNU Free Documentation License.
News tagged with high blood pressure
Physicians Explore Link Between Vitamin D Deficiency and Hypertension
Nov 25, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Drs. William White and Pooja Luthra at the University of Connecticut Health Center are investigating a possible link between vitamin D deficiency and high blood pressure.
High salt intake directly linked to stroke and cardiovascular disease
Nov 24, 2009 |
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High salt intake is associated with significantly greater risk of both stroke and cardiovascular disease, concludes a study published in the BMJ today.
Small increases in phosphorus mean higher risk of heart disease
Nov 05, 2009 |
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Higher levels of phosphorus in the blood are linked to increased calcification of the coronary arteries— a key marker of heart disease risk, according to a study in an upcoming issue of Clinical Journal of the American So ...
Key player identified in cascade that leads to hypertension-related kidney damage
Nov 05, 2009 |
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A key player in a cascade that likely begins with stress and leads to high blood pressure and kidney damage has been identified by researchers who say the finding may lead to better ways to control both.
High Blood Pressure Medicines Show Promise for Treating Heart Disease
Medicine & Health / Medications
Oct 29, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Two medications commonly used to treat high blood pressure appear to be effective in treating one of the most common and potentially deadly forms of heart disease, according to a report by ...
Depressed pregnant women could be at higher risk for severe response to flu infection
Oct 28, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- Pregnant women with significant symptoms of depression tend to have a stronger biological reaction to the seasonal flu vaccine than do women with lower depression levels, according to a new study.
Does diabetes speed up memory loss in Alzheimer's disease?
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Oct 27, 2009 |
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ST. PAUL, Minn. -Research has shown that diabetes increases the risk of Alzheimer's disease and the risk of memory loss in people who don't have Alzheimer's disease. But it hasn't been clear whether people with Alzheimer's ...
Increased stroke risk from birth control pills
Medicine & Health / Medications
Oct 26, 2009 |
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She was only 30 years old, but she was experiencing the classic symptoms of a stroke. Her speech suddenly became slurred, and her left hand became clumsy while eating.
Illness often undiscovered and undertreated among the uninsured
Oct 20, 2009 |
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A new study shows uninsured American adults with chronic illnesses like diabetes or high cholesterol often go undiagnosed and undertreated, leading to an increased risk of costly, disabling and even lethal complications of ...
People who work after retiring enjoy better health, according to national study
Oct 13, 2009 |
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Retirees who transition from full-time work into a temporary or part-time job experience fewer major diseases and are able to function better day-to-day than people who stop working altogether, according to a national study. ...
Mercury in fish seems to raise blood pressure in spite of nutrients
Oct 05, 2009 |
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(PhysOrg.com) -- The negative impact of high amounts of methylmercury in seafood on blood pressure may outweigh the protective effects of fish nutrients, researchers report in Hypertension: Journal of the American Heart As ...
What proportion of psychotic illness is due to cannabis?
Medicine & Health / Psychology & Psychiatry
Sep 29, 2009 |
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In this week's PLoS Medicine, a team of researchers from Australia and the US, led by Louisa Degenhardt at the University of New South Wales, Sydney, makes the case for estimating the role that cannabis has worldwide as a r ...
1 in 8 strokes is preceded by 'warning stroke'
Medicine & Health / Neuroscience
Sep 28, 2009 |
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One out of every eight strokes is preceded by a "warning stroke," which is a transient ischemic attack (TIA) or mild stroke, according to research published in the September 29, 2009, print issue of Neurology.
Vitamin D deficiency in younger women increases risk of high blood pressure
Sep 24, 2009 |
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Vitamin D deficiency in premenopausal women may increase the risk of developing systolic hypertension 15 years later, according to research reported at the American Heart Association's 63rd High Blood Pressure Research Conference.
High-sugar diet increases men's blood pressure; gout drug protective
Sep 23, 2009 |
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A high-fructose diet raises blood pressure in men, while a drug used to treat gout seems to protect against the blood pressure increase, according to research reported at the American Heart Association's 63rd High Blood Pressure ...
