High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure (hypertension) or hypertension means high pressure (tension) in the arteries. Arteries are the vessels that carry blood from the heart pumping all tissues and organs in the body. High blood pressure does not mean excessive emotional tension, although emotional tension and stress can temporarily increase blood pressure. Normal blood pressure is less than 120 on high level and 80 minimum; blood pressure between 120 and 80 and 139 / 89 is called "prehypertension"and a blood pressure of 140 and 90 or higher is considered high.

The top number, systolic pressure, represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart contracts and pumps blood forward into the arteries. The bottom number, diastolic pressure, represents the pressure in the arteries as the heart relaxes after contraction. The diastolic pressure reflects the lowest pressure at which the arteries are exposed.

Causes Of High Blood Pressure :

There are two forms of hypertension: essential (or commonly primary) hypertension and secondary hypertension. Essential hypertension is a condition which is much more common and accounts for 95% of hypertension. The cause of essential hypertension is multi factorial, that is, there are several factors whose combined effects are of hypertension. In secondary hypertension, accounting for almost 5% of hypertension, hypertension is secondary to (OR caused by) a specific abnormality in one of the organs or body systems. (secondary hypertension is discussed in a separate section).
Essential hypertension affects approximately 70+ millions Americans, but its basic causes or underlying defects are not always known. Nevertheless, some associations have been detected in people with essential hypertension

Symptoms Of High Blood Pressure :

Hypertension usually occurs without symptoms (silent) and if hypertension has been called "the silent killer. " It is so named because the disease can progress and eventually develop one or more of the many life-threatening complications of hypertension such as heart attacks or strokes. Uncomplicated hypertension may be present and remain undetected for many years, even decades. What happens when there are no symptoms are found, and those affected then fails to undergo periodic screening for high blood pressure.
Some of the important symptoms of high blood pressure are headache, feeling shorter breath, feeling blur in vision ( blurred vision ) etc.