What is Hypertension?
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, happens when the pressure in your blood vessels is too high over time. It’s diagnosed if your blood pressure readings are 140/90 mmHg or higher on at least two different days.
How Common Is It?
According to the World Health Organization, over 1.2 billion adults have high blood pressure. Most of them live in low- and middle-income countries. In Nigeria, 3 out of every 10 adults are hypertensive, and 1 out of every 10 people die of hypertension. Sadly, most cases of hypertension in Nigeria are poorly managed.
What Causes Hypertension?
Hypertension often has no clear cause, but sometimes it is due to other health problems like kidney disease or certain drugs (called secondary hypertension). Pregnant women can develop high blood pressure conditions like pre-eclampsia, which can be dangerous.
Some people even experience “white coat hypertension,” where their blood pressure rises due to stress from seeing a doctor!
Risk Factors
- Things You Can Change:
- Eating unhealthy foods (too much salt or fat, not enough fruits and vegetables)
- Sedentary lifestyle
- Overweight
- Excessive consumption of alcohol
- Smoking
- Stress or poor sleep.
- Things You Can’t Change:
- Old age: Being over 65
- Family history or genetics
- Certain health conditions like diabetes or kidney disease
Signs and Symptoms
High blood pressure is often called a “silent killer” because most people don’t feel any symptoms. When symptoms do occur, they might include:
- Headaches
- Blurred vision
- Chest pain
- Dizziness or nausea
- Nose bleeding.
- Irregular heartbeats
How to Prevent Hypertension
You can reduce your risk by:
- Consumption of balanced diet containing less salt and more potassium-rich foods like bananas and leafy greens.
- Regular exercise (at least 150 minutes of moderate activity or 75 minutes of vigorous activity each week).
- Maintaining a healthy weight.
- Quitting smoking and limiting alcohol.
- Getting enough sleep—at least 7 hours a night for adults.
Treatment
If you have hypertension, you’ll need regular checkups and medication to manage it. Common medications include:
- Calcium channel blockers (e.g., Amlodipine)
- ACE inhibitors (e.g., Lisinopril)
- ARBs (e.g., Losartan)
- Diuretics (e.g., Furosemide)
- Beta blockers (e.g., Atenolol)
Do not self-prescribe any anti-hypertensive drug. Never stop taking your medications without talking to your doctor, even if your blood pressure seems normal. Also, do not modify your medication unless your doctor approves.
Why Treating Hypertension is Important
Untreated high blood pressure can lead to serious health problems like:
- Heart attacks
- Strokes
- Heart failure
- Kidney failure
- Loss of vision
- Loss of memory
Poorly managed hypertension can increase the risk of diabetes.
Conclusion
Hypertension is preventable and manageable. Regular health checks, healthy habits, and sticking to your treatment plan can save your life. Prevention is not only better than cure—it’s cheaper too! Let’s all take steps to beat this silent killer.