Can High Blood Pressure Med Cause to Couching Alot

Last updated on 9 Feb 2021

Dr Kenneth Guo, cardiologist at Mountain Elizabeth Novena Hospital, explains how hypertension (high blood pressure) is treated.

What is high blood force per unit area?

Every bit the name suggests, high blood pressure (also known as hypertension) is the force of blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels. If you have high blood pressure, this force is stronger, which means your heart needs to work extra difficult to ship blood around your torso.

Doctors measure both systolic pressure (the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts) and diastolic pressure (the force per unit area in the arteries as the heart relaxes) to determine an authentic claret pressure reading.

Normal blood pressure level

Normal blood force per unit area is generally considered to be a systolic pressure of less than 120mmHg and a diastolic pressure of less than 80mmHg.

High blood pressure

A person has loftier blood pressure when their claret pressure, which is the force of claret flowing through the blood vessels, is consistently high. There are several categories of high claret pressure:

Blood pressure category	Systolic mm Hg		Diastolic mm Hg
Elevated	120 – 129	and	< 80
Hypertension stage ane	130 – 139	or	lxxx – 89
Hypertension stage two	≥ 140	or	≥ 90
Hypertension crisis	> 180	and/or	> 120

Why is loftier claret pressure known as the 'silent killer'?

Most patients with high claret force per unit area have few or no symptoms, so information technology can be hard for them to recognise they have a problem and know whether treatment is working.

Symptoms of high claret pressure level

Symptoms like light-headedness, facial flushing or headaches might only ready in when systolic blood pressure level rises higher than 160 mmHg or above.

High blood pressure does not have whatever symptoms unless it is very severe. The all-time way to know if you accept high blood pressure is through regular checkups or monitoring at abode.

Symptoms of severe high blood pressure may include:

• Severe headaches
• Nosebleed
• Fatigue or confusion
• Vision problems
• Chest hurting
• Difficulty breathing
• Irregular heartbeat
• Blood in the urine
• Pounding in the chest, neck or ears

According to the American Eye Association, yous should have a loftier blood pressure screening during every visit to the doctor, or at least every 2 years, from the age of twenty. You'll need more regular screenings if your blood force per unit area is higher than 120/lxxx mmHg.

Complications of high claret pressure

High claret pressure increases your risk of eye assault, stroke, middle failure and kidney illness. A 40 year quondam obese male with a blood pressure level of almost 141/91 mmHg, for example, will be 6.eight times more likely to take a stroke than a salubrious private.

While these health risks may increase if your high claret force per unit area worsens, they tin generally be improved with treatment. That's why information technology'south and so important to go for regular check-ups, and seek handling early.

How to treat and lower loftier claret pressure

Lifestyle changes

Lifestyle changes can be a huge cistron when information technology comes to treating high blood pressure, equally is evident by the Ministry of Health's suggestions for a healthier heart:

Lifestyle measure	Expected decrease in systolic blood pressure (mmHg)
Limiting booze intake to less than ane unit/mean solar day for females and less than 2 units/day for males	2 – iv
Regular walks for 30min, 5 times a week	four – ix
Minimising salt intake	2 – viii
Weight management	ane – two per kg weight loss
Quitting smoking	one – 5

Monitor your blood pressure level

Keep checking your blood pressure at dwelling. Most people diagnosed with high blood force per unit area want to lower their blood pressure to 130/eighty mm Hg. All the same, your doctor is the all-time person to advise you on your personal target claret pressure level. Piece of work with your physician to develop a plan to lower blood pressure.

Healthy nutrition

Eat lots of fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low-fat dairy, and less of saturated and total fatty.

Do

Aim for at least 90 to 150 minutes of exercise per week. They should include:

• Aerobic exercise: walking, jogging, cycling, swimming or dancing
• Resistance exercise: lifting weights such every bit dumbbells, kettlebells, or sandbags, using resistance bands, squats, button-ups and chin-ups

Limit booze intake

Limit your alcohol intake to 1 drink a day for women or 2 a day for men.

One standard beverage contains ten grams of booze. This equals to 285 ml of total-force beer, 425 ml of low force beer, 100 ml of wine and thirty ml of spirits.

Quit smoking

When y'all smoke, your blood pressure increases for many minutes after yous end. Stopping smoking helps your claret pressure level return to normal. It also can reduce your risk of centre disease and improve your overall health.

Minimise salt intake

Ideally, attempt to eat less than 1,500 mg of sodium a day. If your daily consumption is style more than this, aim for at least a ane,000 mg per solar day reduction.

The Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Handling of High Claret Pressure level (JNC) released new guidelines in 2022 for the proper direction of high blood pressure level.

They analysed prove worldwide to recommend treatment goals for patients living with high blood pressure. For about people, the goal is 140/90mmHg. Withal, for elderly people, this is unremarkably slightly higher at 150/90mmHg.

Your doctor will assist you to set a treatment goal and regularly monitor your progress to assistance you stay on target.

Which medications are used to care for high blood force per unit area?

Various medication combinations can be used to aid treat high blood pressure. These may include:

• Diuretics, which help to reduce the amount of fluid in your arteries
• Calcium channel blockers, which assistance to relax your arteries and dull your heart charge per unit
• ACE-inhibitors, which assist to relax your arteries and decrease blood book
• Angiotensin Receptor Blockers (ARBs) which help to enlarge your arteries

The combination and concentration of these medications depends entirely on your needs and trunk type. Some examples of treatment plans include:

• Starting on one drug, with your dr. slowly adjusting the dosage for maximum benefit, before calculation a second drug
• Starting on 1 drug and so adding a second drug, before your physician slowly adjusts each dosage for maximum do good
• Starting two drugs at the same time, either taking ii carve up pills or a single pill combination

The JNC recommends combination therapy for patients with a loftier blood pressure over 160/100 mmHg, or for elderly patients with a high blood pressure over 170/110mmHg. This has been shown to get the patient on board with their treatment quicker, as well as assistance them to reach their treatment goals faster.

Beta-blockers to care for high claret pressure level

You've probably heard of beta-blockers – they're the picayune pills that help to slow your center rate by blocking the furnishings of sure hormones in your system.

But nowadays, they're non the first port of call when it comes to loftier blood force per unit area. This is partly due to a recent study that compared the effects of ARB and beta-blockers in patients aged between 55 and 80 years sometime, which found that ARB are 13% more than constructive at reducing the risk of expiry or stroke.

In some parts of the world, like England and Canada, beta-blockers are still a popular outset-handling choice for patients under 80. They are also useful for treating other atmospheric condition, including:

• Middle disease
• Chronic eye failure
• Atrial fibrillation (irregular heartbeat)
• Thyrotoxicosis (caused past an overactive thyroid gland)
• Liver cirrhosis (alcohol-related liver affliction)
• Migraines

How is loftier claret pressure treated in the elderly?

An uncommonly high systolic pressure together with an uncommonly low diastolic pressure might give a blood pressure reading like 150/70mmHg. This is known as isolated systolic hypertension, and it is specially mutual in the elderly.

The most common cause is arteries stiffening with age, just it tin can also be acquired by:

• Anaemia (not enough healthy red blood cells in the body)
• Hyperthyroidism (an overactive thyroid gland)
• Arteriovenous fistula (an abnormal connection between an avenue and vein)
• Severe aortic regurgitation (leaking valves in the middle)

A doc volition explore each of the possible causes before treating the condition. They will also be careful to avoid dropping the diastolic pressure too low with medication.

It's worth noting that elderly individuals are especially prone to postural hypotension, ie. depression claret force per unit area that occurs when standing up subsequently sitting or lying downwards. It normally doesn't last long, but information technology can make them experience dizzy or even faint. Ane report found that elderly individuals have a 43% higher hazard of hip fracture if they fall within the first 45 days of taking high blood pressure level medication. If you are worried an elderly relative may be at take chances, speak to your dr..

Article contributed by Dr Kenneth Guo, cardiologist at Mountain Elizabeth Novena Infirmary

References

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Austin, P.C, Barrel, D.A., Glazier, R.H., Gomes, T., Mamdani, Thou. & Tu, K. (2012). The Risk of Hip Fracture Later on Initiating Antihypertensive Drugs in the Elderly. Archives of Internal Medicine 172(22):1739-44.

Bakris, Thousand.Fifty., Blackness, H.R., Chobanian, A.V., Cushman, W.C., Green, L.A., Izzo, J.50. et al. (2003). Seventh report of the Joint National Commission on the Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure. Hypertension 42(vi):1206-52.

Bangalore, Due south., Kamalakkannan, 1000., Messerli, F.H & Parkar, Southward. (2007). Fixed-dose Combinations Improve Medication Compliance: a Meta-analysis. The American Journal of Medicine 120(8):713-9.

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Burt, V., Gu, Q., Nwankwo, T. & Yoon, S.S. (2013). Hypertension Amongst Adults in the US: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey, 2011-2012. National Heart for Health Statistics.

Corrao, 1000., Heiman, F., Merlino, L., Nicotra, F., Parodi, A., Zambon, A. et al. (2011). Cardiovascular Protection by Initial and Subsequent Combination of Antihypertensive Drugs in Daily Life Practice. Hypertension 58(four):566-72.

Crikelair, North., Glazer, R., Levy, D., Meng, 10., Rocha, R. & Weir, Thou.R. (2007). Fourth dimension to Attain Blood-Pressure Goal: Influence of Dose of Valsartan Monotherapy and Valsartan and Hydrochlorothiazide Combination Therapy. American Periodical of Hypertension 20(7):807-15.

Duh, M.Southward., Falvey, H., Gradman, A.H., Lafeuille, M.H, Lefebvre, P. & Parise, H. (2013). Initial Combination Therapy Reduces the Risk of Cardiovascular Events in Hypertensive Patients: A Matched Accomplice Report. Hypertension 61(2):309-eighteen.

Khan, Due north. & McAlister, F.A. (2006). Re-Examining the Efficacy of Beta-Blockers for The Treatment Of Hypertension: a Meta-assay. Canadian Medical Clan Periodical 174(12):1737-42.

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Source: https://www.mountelizabeth.com.sg/healthplus/article/how-to-treat-high-blood-pressure

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