About 1.3 Billion People world wide suffer from this disease and it kills about 10 million people yearly . From this data , it’s imperative that it’s properly managed and even reversed

What is High Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure is also known as Hypertension. Hypertension: Hyper means high and Tension is force or pressure . So hypertension is a condition in which the force of the blood against the walls of the arteries is consistently too high

How is it measured ?

It’s measured in the unit of millimetres (m) of mercury (Hg) and it’s given as 2 numbers :
Systolic pressure – the pressure when the heart is beating ( top value )
Diastolic pressure – presser when heart is at rest between beats ( bottom value )
Normal blood pressure is usually 120/80 mm Hg
High blood pressure starts from 130/80 mm Hg or higher

Causes :
There are 2 types of hypertension:
Primary or Essential Hypertension and Secondary Hypertension

Primary hypertension: there’s no identifiable cause and it tends to develop gradually over the years

Secondary hypertension: where the cause is an underlying condition . It tends to happen suddenly and is caused by various conditions and medications:

📌Kidney disease such as renal artery stenosis
📌Adrenal gland tumours
📌Thyroid disorders – both hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism can result in high blood pressure
📌Obstructive sleep apnea – breathing stops and starts during sleep. Quite a number of people suffer from this
📌Certain congenital conditions such a the narrowing of the aorta in the heart . This can be present at birth
📌Certain medications – both prescription drugs, OTC and supplements can lead to high blood pressure. Examples are :
birth control pills
Cold remedies
Decongestants
📌OTC non steroidal anti inflammatory medicine like ibuprofen
📌Antidepressants and immunosuppressants
📌Illegal drugs like cocaine
📌Chronic alcohol consumption
📌Hormonal disorders like Cushing’s syndrome ( high cortisol levels ) can raise blood pressure