Blood Pressure Secrets

Many people who suffer from high blood pressure (hypertension) may not complain of any symptoms. This is the reason why high blood pressure is called the silent killer because it appears to give no specific symptoms or warning signals before it strikes its victim. This is the case with majority of high blood pressure patients even after a protracted period. Hypertension itself is not a specific disease but a vital sign that your health is in trouble! Hypertension as such is a systemic disease. High blood pressure is another instance where lack of symptoms does not mean lack of problems. Routine medical tests may even be normal and that does not rule out hypertension. Because of this, many hypertension sufferers decide to do nothing about it, hoping that high blood pressure will go the way it came. Of course, this does not happen. Half of those who decide to seek medical help and treat their hypertension experience symptoms of anti-hypertensive side effects. This is why many hypertension sufferers stop taking their blood pressure lowering medications.

However, in about one third of cases, hypertension may present with obvious symptoms when there is dangerous and sustained elevation of blood pressure or when there are complications. Presenting symptoms of hypertension may occur with or without end organ damage. Here are the list symptoms of high blood pressure you should watch our for:

•Headaches. Presenting headaches may take any form, but it is usually pounding vascular headache. It may even resemble migraine headache.
•Chest tightness, pressures, or chest pain (angina) radiating to the shoulders or arms.
•Heart palpitations, or racing heart beats.
•Drowsiness, forgetfulness, or mental confusion.
•Dizziness or ringing in the ears
•Fatigue or low tolerance for exercise
•Nose bleeding.
•Numbness or tingling in the hands or feet. Sometimes hypertension may present as pain in the legs due to intermittent claudication or Reynaud’s phenomenon.
•Loss of consciousness or sudden falls.
•Sudden death may be the only presenting symptom of dangerously elevated blood pressure.

Other symptoms of hypertension depend on specific end organ compromise. For instance, if there is cardiac failure, the complaint include breathlessness, fatigue, leg swelling, and epigastric pain.

When it comes to hypertensin, the old saying is true, “to be forewarned is to be forearmed.” Please check your blood pressure at least three times in a year. This is particularly necessary if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease, stroke, or diabetes. This is because inflammation, oxidation, atherosclerosis and glomerulosclerosis can go on for many years before hypertension manifests with overt symptoms. This may also apply to people who are 30 and above. Thirty is about the time people deplete their enzyme bank account and poor nutritional habits, abusive lifestyle and chronic inflammation begin to catch up on them.