Medical Information Weblog

Archive for the ‘Hypertension’ Category

When the heart beats; it pumps blood into the arteries and creates pressure in them. That pressure makes the blood circulate throughout the body. The values of an adult should be 140/90 but if the pressure is above these figures, the individual will suffer hypertension. Keep in mind that this is a medical condition and not a disease. However, it is important to prevent it.

Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease and a cause of kidney failure. If an individual has high blood pressure, it makes the heart work harder, which can damage blood vessels. This condition affects more than 20% of adults between 40 and 50 years and 50% of adults over 65 are sufferers.

There are many factors that determine whether a person has hypertension or not. Normally the genetic influences but also lifestyle. In hypertensive people tend to converge to such factors as family history or weight. It is also dangerous to have diabetes or high cholesterol. Time is essential to detect and control. The statistics say the majority of hypertensive patients are well controlled by your doctor.

A good diet is a good treatment to stop high blood pressure. You have to limit calories and fat, eating foods high in potassium and calcium, but on reducing salt intake.

High blood pressure refers to the state where the pressure or tension that makes our blood on the walls of the arteries is higher than normal. Headaches, dizziness and blurred vision often are some of the symptoms that identify hypertension, and knowledge is essential to prevent the severity of the problem.

The pressure has two values, the minimum, also known as diastolic pressure and the maximum or systolic pressure. A normal blood pressure value is less than 130 over 85. When we hypertension is diagnosed, it is important to recognize the factors that may be altering this state, so that in the same way, we can begin to combat it. Read the rest of this entry »

Cerebro Vascular Accident (CVA) or stroke is a vascular disease with degenerative consequences affecting the brain arteries that reach the brain.

Because even stroke, nerve cells (neurons and glia) of the brain are starved of oxygen and nutrients and lose their function, appearing box half-body paralysis, slurred speech, coma, etc.

The LCA is divided into two groups: ischemic (lack of blood) or bleeding.

In the first case there is an obstruction to the passage of blood to the brain.

In other cases, what occurs is the rupture of a cerebral artery (for aneurysms or hypertension). Intracerebral hemorrhage occurring abroad can not be released because the brain is enclosed in the skull bone.

Thus the blood as soft pressing, the brain, causing lack of oxygen to the area and the subsequent tissue injury (cerebral ischemia).

Many of our patients in consultation, are afflicted with this silent disease, hypertension. But the disease also has several types, sometimes we do not distinguish, here I leave this small classification:

1 .- Idiopathic hypertension (essential tell) is the most common type, most often in men than in women. The cause is not specified, has to do to many factors all of which give the disease.

2 .- Hypertension flashing occurs only in certain circumstances, when visiting the doctor, or to an emotional stress or exercise. These patients have a high probability of later hypertension and more pronounced.

3 .- Isolated systolic hypertension: Systolic blood pressure is high, while the diastolic pressure is normal (less than 90 mmHg), is characteristic in the elderly.

4 .- Borderline hypertension: defined as elevated blood pressure but not in range of hypertension. Usually these patients are in a state of transition in developing essential hypertension.

5 .- Malignant hypertension is a medical emergency where the pressure may rise usually greater than 180/120 mmHg. It relates to damage to other organs and loss of intravascular volume.

Unexplored effects of high blood pressure is the silent blockage of small blood vessels in the brain, which, in just five years, is able to reduce by 20% functions such as memory, language or orientation.

Is that hypertension is responsible for 70% of those mini-stroke (CVA), which may cause injury to only 1.5 cm. Also known as lacunar infarcts or subcortical, occur when a small vessel is obstructed lesion. If not caught in time can cause dementia and paralysis. Read the rest of this entry »