Surprising facts about high blood pressure you might not have heard of
One of the most common diseases in the modern generation era is the issue of high blood pressure. Any blood pressure reading above 120/80 mm Hg is considered to be higher than normal and indicates that one needs to take extra care to maintain optimum blood pressure levels in his/her body.
There are some facts related to high blood pressure which might be unknown to many people out there. Following are those:-
It is not restricted only to older adults – Yes, while high blood pressure is more prevalent among older adults, younger adults are not left untouched with this problem. Curse the challenging lifestyle issues, irregular eating habits and higher anxiety and stress levels in the modern generation, one out of four younger adults, who are aged between 21 to 44 are suffering from the issue of high blood pressure.
It is directly linked to dementia – For those who don’t know what dementia is, it is a mental disorder caused by a chronic brain disease, the major forms of which are memory disorder, impaired reasoning and abrupt changes in personality. Higher anxiety and stress levels cause an adverse effect on the nervous system of a person, the pace of which can differ from person to person. People suffering from uncontrolled high blood pressure have shown higher risk levels of dementia in their later life.
It might not have any symptoms – High blood pressure is one of the most silent diseases which can happen to a person. And in case of a healthy person, it can happen without any prominent early symptom or sign. One should get his/her blood tests while conducting general health check, in order to ensure whether his/her blood pressure levels are optimum or not.
There are two types of readings of blood pressure – The blood pressure tests involve two types of readings – systolic (on top) and diastolic (on bottom). While the systolic reading shows the amount of force exerted by blood flow against the walls of arteries during the beating of your heart, the diastolic reading shows the same in the duration when your heart rests between two beats.
It can lead to major heart disease – Heart is one of the most important organs of a person’s body which is responsible for the flow of blood throughout the body. If one is suffering from high blood pressure, in the longer run, it will directly impact the condition of his/her heart and can lead to more severe health conditions related to it such as sudden stroke or heart failure.
Only medication is not enough – While there are several medicines and treatments in the modern era which are there for controlling high blood pressure, they simply are not enough to keep the whole situation under control. One needs to make significant changes to his/her lifestyle and eating habits to complement the medications he/she is undergoing. For controlling high blood pressure, one should practice enough workout and exercises and clean eating habits.
It is more prevalent among alcoholics and smokers – For those who consume alcohol or smoke on a regular basis, the risk of high blood pressure is higher than usual. While consumption of alcohol leads to gradual dehydration, smoking has an adverse effect on the functioning of lungs, both of which are big factors of deterioration of oxygen levels which are important for normal blood flow.
Genetic and racial factors matter too – Strange it may sound, but the factors like your predecessors and your race are somehow responsible too if you are suffering from high blood pressure. People whose predecessors have suffered from high blood pressure problems in the past can suffer from the same problem as well, because of genetic transfers. In addition, studies have shown that descendants of African-American origins are more prone to the problem of high blood pressure.
It is related to pregnancy as well – Women have to deal with more issues as compared to men when it comes to health, and high blood pressure is one of them too. Studies have shown that types of birth control and development of preeclampsia during pregnancy are a couple of risk factors which can increase the probability of high blood pressure in women. In addition to it, if a woman who is suffering from high blood pressure becomes pregnant, there are higher risks of complications during pregnancy, both for herself as well as the child she is carrying.