Presented  by Dr Anmol Arora BHMS ( DEL ) PG.PPHC(Apollo) EFAC MBA  (HCM ) [ GOLD MEDALIST ] Sr Homoeopathic Consultant & Physician

Hypertension, also referred to as high blood pressure, HTN or HPN, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated.Hypertension is a condition when your blood pressure is recorded consistently at the level of 140/90 mmHg or higher.

Hypertension is defined as systolic blood pressure  (SBP) of 140 mmHg or greater, diastolic blood pressure (DBP) of 90 mmHg or greater, or taking antihypertensive medication

Types of hypertension

• Essential hypertension indicates that no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient’s condition
       * 90%
       * No underlying cause
• Secondary hypertension indicates that the high blood pressure is a result of (i.e., secondary to) another condition, such as kidney disease or tumours (pheochromocytoma and paraganglioma).
     * Underlying cause
  

Causes of Secondary Hypertension

• Renal (Hypertension produced by diseases of the kidney)
    Parenchymal
    Vascular
    Others
   
• Endocrine
• Neurogenic
• Miscellaneous
• Unknown

Hypertension: Predisposing factors

• Age > 60 years
• Sex (men and postmenopausal women)
• Family history of cardiovascular disease
• Smoking
• High cholesterol diet
• Co-existing disorders such as diabetes, obesity and hyperlipidaemia
• High intake of alcohol
• Sedentary life style

 1999 WHO-ISH Guidelines : Definitions and Classifications of BP Levels

How to diagnose Hypertension

Use of Sphygmomanometer: – Sphygmomanomete is a device used to measure blood pressure, comprising an inflatable cuff to restrict blood flow, and a mercury or mechanical manometer to measure the pressure.

If the reading is 140/90 mmHg or higher, it is termed as high blood pressure or hypertension.

Hypertension can be detected with the help of a physical examination also. But to find out which type of hypertension treatment you require, you need to undergo some tests. These include blood tests and urinalysis, an exercise stress test and an electrocardiogram.

Blood tests and a urinalysis: This test is basically performed to find out the underlying cause of hypertension. The underlying cause could be cholesterol, high potassium levels, blood sugar, infection, kidney malfunctions, and the likes. An exercise stress test: This test is conducted for those who have borderline hypertension. An electrocardiogram (ECG): An electrocardiogram (ECG) records your heart’s electrical activity. This is used as a screening test for people who are at a high risk of heart problems, including people with high blood pressure (hypertension) and high cholesterol.

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