Hypertension: Information for Patients

If you, or someone you care for, have hypertension, or high blood pressure, this Web site may help you learn more about the illness. You will find some basic information and tips for managing your condition. In addition, you will find a number of other Web sites and resources that will give you more detailed information and guidance in managing hypertension.

The information in this Web site is designed to help you prevent and control high blood pressure when the cause is unknown. This is known as essential hypertension and accounts for 90 to 95 per cent of cases of elevated blood pressure. Excess abdominal weight, limited physical activity and other lifestyle choices are risk factors for hypertension. In the other 5 to 10 per cent of cases, there may be a serious underlying cause of high blood pressure that requires urgent medical attention. Consult your physician on a regular basis to rule out any underlying causes and to help you monitor your condition.

What is hypertension?
What causes hypertension?
What are the symptoms of hypertension?
Complications of hypertension

What is Hypertension?

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. Blood pressure refers to the force of blood against the blood vessel walls.

During the course of a day, a person's blood pressure continually rises and falls. However, when blood pressure constantly stays at 140/90 mm Hg or higher, a person is considered to have hypertension.

What Causes Hypertension?

Hypertension can be caused by risk factors that you can and cannot change. Age (45 and over for men and 55 and over for women) and a family history of hypertension or cardiovascular disease are risk factors that you cannot control. However, risk factors you can control include smoking, excessive alcohol consumption, being overweight and being physically inactive.

Changes in your diet, such as those recommended by the DASH (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) diet can help prevent or reduce high blood pressure. This includes reducing the amount of fat and salt in your diet.

If you are overweight and carry excess abdominal fat, you put yourself at risk for diabetes as well as hypertension.

Mild elevations in blood pressure can be effectively controlled and often prevented through adopting a healthy lifestyle that includes:

• eating a diet that is lower in fat and salt;
• reducing abdominal fat;
• exercising regularly; and
• reducing your consumption of alcohol.

What are the Symptoms of Hypertension?

Hypertension usually has no symptoms. You must be tested for it. Most people find out they have hypertension as a result of a regular medical check-up, or when being examined for some other medical condition. Hypertension is a dangerous condition.

If you think you may be at risk of developing hypertension have your blood pressure tested by your physician or a nurse. Sometimes your local pharmacy, or other community program, will have blood pressure testing clinics that you can attend.

Complications of Hypertension

Hypertension can lead to a number of potentially life-threatening conditions if not controlled or treated, including:

Blood vessel damage: Constant high blood pressure can damage the lining of the blood vessels. The damage can also accelerate accumulation of fatty material on blood vessel walls (atherosclerosis). This build-up, also known as plaque, narrows the walls of the blood vessels, reducing the amount of blood flowing to the body's organs. The reduced blood flow makes the heart and kidneys work harder, and over time can damage body organs. The narrowing also makes the circulation more prone to blockage by blood clots leading to heart attacks and strokes.

Heart disease: Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart attack, and the number one risk factor for congestive heart failure (CHF).

Stroke: Hypertension is the leading risk factor for stroke. Very high blood pressure can make a weakened blood vessel rupture and bleed into the brain, causing a stroke. A blood clot blocking a narrowed artery can also cause a stroke.

Chronic kidney disease: Hypertension is the second leading cause of chronic kidney disease (diabetes is the first). Hypertension not only causes kidney disease, but it also speeds the deterioration of kidney function to the point where life-saving measures, such as dialysis or kidney transplant, are needed.

Retinopathy (eye damage): High blood pressure can cause a blood vessel to burst or bleed. This can lead to impairments such as blurred vision, or even blindness.

The higher your blood pressure, the greater the risk you have of developing these medical problems.

Furthermore, you are at greater risk of complications if you have hypertension and:

• you smoke
• your cholesterol level is high
• you have diabetes
• there is a history of coronary heart disease in your family (e.g. parent or sibling)
• you are male
• you are overweight
• you are physically inactive
• you have an enlarged lower left heart chamber

Last Revised: February 14, 2007