Interventional Therapies for Acute Pulmonary Embolism: Current Status and Principles for the Development of Novel Evidence: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Hypertension: What Guys Need To Know
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What is Hypertension?Hypertension is a very common condition, affecting about half of all adults in the U.S. But it doesn't always have symptoms, so about one in three people don't know they have it.
Hypertension develops when the force of the blood coming from your heart consistently puts too much pressure on the walls of your arteries. Over time, this pressure can cause small tears in your arteries. Plaque can collect in and around these tears, causing your arteries to narrow and obstructing the flow of blood to and from your heart.
When plaque builds up inside your arteries, it can further increase your blood pressure and increase your risk of heart disease.
When you have high blood pressure, your heart has to work harder to move blood through your body. This puts strain on your heart muscle and can lead to problems like heart attack and heart failure. (Learn more about Calculating Your BMI.)
Without proper treatment, hypertension can lead to:
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Symptoms of HypertensionDoctors sometimes call hypertension the "silent killer," because people don't typically notice it until it starts causing health problems.
You might only experience high blood pressure symptoms if your blood pressure is very high.
Very high blood pressure can cause symptoms like:
Nosebleeds
Anxiety
Severe headaches
Chest pain
Dizziness
Vision changes
Buzzing in the ears
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Causes of HypertensionThere are many different causes of high blood pressure, but often one single cause isn't found. When this happens, it's known as essential hypertension or primary hypertension.
High blood pressure can be caused by a combination of lifestyle factors like:
Having overweight or obesity
Eating unhealthy foods, especially salty foods
Not getting enough exercise
Not getting enough sleep
Drinking too much alcohol
Smoking
Experiencing a lot of stress
When a medical condition or medication causes high blood pressure, it's known as secondary hypertension.
Secondary hypertension can be caused by:
Sleep apnea
Problems with your adrenal glands
Chronic kidney disease
Renal artery stenosis (when the artery leading to your kidney is narrowed)
Medications like cold medications
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Risk Factors for HypertensionThere are many hypertension risk factors. Some, we have control over, others we have no say in.
Risk factors we have some control over include:
Eating an unhealthy diet (high in salty or processed foods)
Not exercising regularly
Drinking too much alcohol
Smoking
Stress
Not getting enough sleep
Living with overweight or obesity (Learn more about Weight Loss for Men.)
Risk factors we don't have control over include:
Age. Our blood vessels thicken and stiffen as we age, which can lead to higher blood pressure.
Genetics. If you have a family member with high blood pressure, you're at increased risk of developing high blood pressure. Genetics can also affect how sensitive you are to the salt in your diet.
Medical conditions. Some medical conditions can increase your odds of high blood pressure. These include sleep apnea, diabetes, high cholesterol, thyroid problems, and chronic kidney disease.
Medications. Medications that can raise your blood pressure include antidepressants, birth control pills, decongestants, and non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), like ibuprofen and aspirin.
Race. You have a higher risk of high blood pressure if you're Black.
Sex. Men have a higher risk of high blood pressure than women in middle age, but women have a higher risk than men in older age.
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Diagnosing HypertensionThe only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to check your blood pressure with a blood pressure monitor. You should get your blood pressure checked at least once a year to make sure it's within a healthy range.
You can get tested by a healthcare professional in a doctor's office, clinic, or pharmacy. You can also buy an easy-to-use blood pressure cuff at a pharmacy or online retailer.
Blood pressure tests are quick and painless.
Before you test your blood pressure:
Avoid coffee, exercise, and cigarettes for 30 minutes
Go to the bathroom
Relax and sit down for five minutes before testing
Try — as best as possible — not to get too excited or nervous. This can increase your blood pressure and affect your reading.
During the test, a healthcare provider will put a blood pressure cuff around your upper arm. The cuff is connected to a small machine.
The cuff will inflate with air, and you'll feel some pressure around your arm. After a few seconds, the cuff will deflate, and you'll see your blood pressure reading on the machine.
Your healthcare provider may repeat the test a few times and check your blood pressure at different appointments before diagnosing you with high blood pressure.
They may also recommend an at-home test. There is a phenomenon known as "white coat hypertension" that can occur when your blood pressure is higher in a doctor's office than it is at home — often do to stress or nerves. An at-home test can help get a more accurate reading.
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How Blood Pressure is MeasuredBlood pressure is measured with two numbers, measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).
The first number — the top number — is your systolic blood pressure. This is the pressure of your blood against your artery walls when blood is pumped out of your heart.
The second number — the bottom number — is your diastolic blood pressure. This is the pressure of your blood against your artery walls back toward the heart, in between heartbeats.
You have hypertension when you consistently have:
Above is a full breakdown of blood pressure readings.
If you've checked your blood pressure and the reading indicates a hypertensive crisis, wait five minutes and then check it again. If it's still high, contact your healthcare provider immediately.
Call 911 if your reading indicates a hypertensive crisis and you're experiencing any of the following symptoms:
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Diagnosis Next StepsIf your healthcare provider finds you have high blood pressure, they may recommend further testing to determine what's causing it or to find out whether it's damaged your organs.
They may test for:
High cholesterol
Kidney disease
Heart disease
They may also do a physical exam and ask about your symptoms, medical history, and family history. This can help them recommend the best treatment plan for you.
Your provider might recommend home blood pressure monitoring or have you come in for regular checkups.
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Hypertension TreatmentThe treatment for hypertension will depend on how high your blood pressure is and what's causing it.
For example, elevated blood pressure and hypertension stage 1 may require some lifestyle changes. If you have hypertension stage 2, on the other hand, you may need medication alongside lifestyle changes.
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Lifestyle ChangesThe treatment of hypertension often includes:
Eating heart-healthy foods. These include fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy products. Your healthcare provider might recommend the DASH eating plan (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension). This includes eating heart-healthy foods and limiting how much salt you eat.
Quitting smoking. Your provider can instruct you on the best way to quit. They may recommend smoking cessation resources like nicotine patches or gum, support groups, or prescription medications that help you quit.
Getting active. Try incorporating more movement into your week, including walking, jogging, swimming, standing, and general physical activity.
Losing weight. Losing three to five percent of your body weight — or more — can help reduce your blood pressure.
Getting more sleep. Aim for at least seven hours of shut-eye each night. Keeping a regular sleep schedule, winding down before bed, and cutting back on caffeine can help.
Cutting down on alcohol. You can do this by swapping alcoholic drinks for non-alcoholic versions, sparkling water, or sugar-free soft drinks.
Reducing stress. Take steps to keep your stress levels under control. This can include practicing meditation, exercising regularly, spending time in nature, or speaking to a therapist.
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High Blood Pressure MedicationsYou may need to take medication if your blood pressure levels are high. You may need to take this medication for the rest of your life, and it may take a while to find the right dose for you.
Medications to lower blood pressure include:
Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors. ACE inhibitors are drugs that can relax and open up your blood vessels.
Angiotensin-2 receptor blockers (ARBs). These drugs also help your blood vessels relax and open up.
Diuretics. These medications help reduce how much water and salt is in your body.
Calcium channel blockers. As the name suggests, these medications block calcium from entering your heart's cells and arteries. This can relax and open up your blood vessels.
Alpha-blockers. Alpha-blockers can relax the muscles in your artery walls.
Beta-blockers. Beta-blockers can lower your heart rate and help your heart not work so hard. You might be prescribed a combined alpha- and beta-blocker.
Alpha-2 receptor agonists. These can block signals from your brain that narrow blood vessels and increase your heart rate.
Vasodilators. These help to open up your blood vessels so blood can flow more easily.
This sounds like a lot, but your healthcare provider can recommend the best antihypertensive medication for you, depending on your situation. They can also walk you through the potential side effects and what you can expect.
If you decide to lose weight to help with hypertension control, weight loss medications may be useful.
Drugs like Ozempic® (semaglutide) and Mounjaro® (tirzepatide) can help people lose weight, and some — like Wegovy® and Zepbound® — are FDA-approved for those with overweight or obesity and high blood pressure.
Your healthcare provider can walk you through the pros and cons of weight loss medications and which ones could help you.
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Hypertension Prevention TipsYou can't always prevent high blood pressure, but there are some steps you can take to lower your odds of developing it.
Most of these steps involve healthy lifestyle changes.
You can reduce your chances of developing high blood pressure by:
Eating heart-healthy foods or following the DASH diet
Making physical movement part of your daily routine
Getting plenty of sleep
Maintaining a healthy weight
Limiting or avoiding alcohol
Managing stress
Quitting smoking
Keeping your cholesterol and blood sugar levels within healthy ranges
This article originally appeared on Hims.Com and was syndicated by MediaFeed.Org.
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More from MediaFeedHypertension: The Silent Killer And How To Manage Your Blood Pressure
Hypertension, or simply put as high blood pressure, has been considered the "silent killer." It is a kind of disease that symptomatically doesn't show its existence unless it has reached its final stages. Thought to be so small and not alarming at all, it seriously causes health issues related to it, could even include heart disease and stroke that may eventually be fatal enough to cause kidneys failure. Knowing the risks of hypertension and proper care very much are important to good health. In this blog, we are going to break it down-first and foremost-about what hypertension is, causes of hypertension, types of hypertension, and how medications such as MT 50_tablet help to control it. What is Hypertension? High blood pressure is hypertension. Under this condition, the reading of blood pressure stays at or above normal because your blood pressure is never normally low. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg) and pronounced as numbers: systolic stress, the pressure on your arteries whilst your heart is thrashing; diastolic strain, the stress for your arteries when your coronary heart is at relaxation among beats. Normal analyzing of blood pressure is typically much less than 120/eighty mmHg. When your blood stress reads a hundred thirty/eighty mmHg and extra on a ordinary foundation, you'll be recognized with high blood pressure. Types of Hypertension There are two types of hypertension: Primary (Essential) Hypertension: This constitutes almost 90-95% of all patients. It develops gradually and, up to this date, could not be associated with any recognizable cause; however, lifestyle factors, including diet, sedentary, and genetic factors, all play a role. Secondary Hypertension: It is acquired as because of any other disease, like renal disease, hormonal disorder or use of certain specific medicines. As against primary hypertension, this secondary hypertension is curable in nature, by removal of the cause of the disease. Symptoms of Hypertension Hypertension is often described as the silent killer because most patients lack relevant symptoms. However, there are some patients who might experience manifestations, which include: Headaches Shortness of breath Dizziness Chest pain Disturbances in vision Nosebleeds Most of the symptoms occur when blood pressure increases significantly and thus need to be watched keenly for earlier detection of hypertension. Causes and Risk Factors The causes of primary hypertension are unknown but predisposing factors abound which puts one at risk for this condition. Age: It increases with age. Most people are affected after the age of 45 years . Family history: It is hereditary, and you are likely to be more prone to hypertension if other family members have the disease. Obesity: You end up exerting more pressure to your heart and arteries because you are overweight than what you are supposed to be. Being less active: Sit for long hours and become grossly overweight, which then escalates the condition of your blood pressure. Unhealthy Diet: You should have diets with high salty intake, excessive alcohol, and reduced intake of fruits and vegetables. Tobacco Use: Smoking damages the blood vessels and increases your risk to both hypertension and heart diseases. Stress: The chronic stress indirectly causes hypertension because of the behaviors in the form of overeating and poor sleep. How to Control Hypertension This is a critical condition, yet easily controlled by mere simple changes in lifestyle and through use of drugs. Here's how you can keep your blood pressure in check: 1. Healthy Diet A diet full of salt, saturated fats, and large amounts of sugar will make one suffer from high blood pressure. Generally, this diet will make one obese. Therefore, to manage high blood pressure, ensure that you maintain a healthy diet. Diet: A first-class balanced eating regimen with more fruits, greens, complete grains, lean proteins, and coffee-fat dairy will decrease blood stress. Most hypertensives also follow the DASH weight loss plan: a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension diet. It is focusing on: Reduction in salt/sodium Increased food rich in potassium like bananas, spinach, and sweet potatoes Reduces red meat, processed foods, and sweets 2. Exercise Often To surely lessen your blood stress, you need to get ordinary bodily pastime. Most humans need to be able to achieve at least one hundred fifty mins of moderate-degree exercising each week via sports like on foot, cycling, or swimming. Exercise will make your coronary heart pump blood round your body more successfully and for this reason lessen the stress that your blood puts to your arteries. 3. Healthy Weight This would overstrain the heart, and therefore, the blood pressure will be on the higher side. Gradual small weights loss will help cut down and eliminate complications in blood pressure caused by it. Healthy dieting, preferably accompanied with regular exercise, would go as an ideal way for attaining and maintaining a healthy weight. 4. Reduction in Alcohol Use and Smoking In addition to worsening other conditions, excess alcohol consumption would raise the blood pressure. Moderate alcohol intake should not exceed one drink a day for a woman; a man should not take more than two drinks a day. Thus, there is regulated blood pressure. Smoking damages your blood vessels, and this makes it much more likely that you may have heart diseases. Smoking cessation promotes general health in the heart and tends to lower blood pressure. 5. Stress Management Unhealthy ways of dealing with stress sometimes are overindulging or avoidance. Engage yourself in some deep breathing, meditation, yoga, or simply sit back and do what you want. 6. Medications Some patients require lifestyle changes to be insufficient in regulating the blood pressure. Consequently, the physician prescribes a medication so that the blood pressure levels normalize to a standard. MT 50 (Amlong MT 50) is one of such medications. It contains Amlodipine 5 Mg as it belongs to the calcium channel blockers. The medicine reasons relaxation of the blood vessels, thus making them dilate. Metoprolol Succinate 50 Mg: This is a beta-blocker. It decreases the rate of the heart together with its contractile strength. The blood pressure lowers, and the probabilities of any stroke or heart attack reduce. In such a scenario, if your doctor has prescribed MT 50 for you, strictly you have to follow what your doctor has prescribed and take the medicine precisely as your doctor has prescribed. Except for lifestyle pattern alteration, medication sometimes is needed to augment the treatment of high blood pressure. Role of Intermittent Monitoring The monitoring of high blood pressure implies regular checking of the blood pressure. Thus, you may use home blood pressure monitors that will relatively make it easy to monitor your levels so as to ensure that they remain within a good range. A record of these readings with a share to your healthcare provider will enable them to adjust the treatment plan in your life. Some Fatal Complications of Uncontrolled Hypertension Uncontrolled Hypertension causes several fatal complications among them are as follows : Cardiovascular disease: Due to the damage caused by the constrictive effect of the hypertension to the arteries, which causes heart attacks and failure. Stroke: Due to the weakening effect of the high blood pressure in the blood vessels in the brain which caused a stroke. Kidney disease: It affects the blood vessels around the kidney, so it may be a possible disease or failure of the kidney. Eye damage: High blood pressure affects the vessels surrounding the eyes and is a leading cause of loss of sight or complete blindness. Conclusion High blood pressure is a serious condition but can be controlled with the right approach. A healthier lifestyle ensures that it would be controlled with the prescribed medication, which in fact is MT 50, and is monitored at the same time by blood pressure. Remember that types of hypertension is a "silent killer," but the power is still in your hands to prevent it. If you feel any symptoms of hypertension or think that you are having them, or simply become concerned about your blood pressure, look to your doctor for analysis in determining a plan that would fit you. Secondary Hypertension In Young Adults With Hypertension Common Despite Age, BP
Secondary hypertension among young adults with hypertension is common regardless of blood pressure (BP) level and age, according to study findings published in Hypertension.
Investigators sought to describe the causes and prevalence of secondary HTN among young adults.
The investigators conducted a cross-sectional study using computerized electronic health records for consecutive patients referred to the Georges Pompidou Hospital (HEGP) Hypertension Unit, Paris, France, and the Bordeaux University Hospital Hypertension Unit, Bordeaux, France, from January 2019 through January 2023. Overall, 2090 patients aged 18 to 40 years with confirmed hypertension were included in the analyses. Patients with hypertension diagnosed during childhood were excluded.
Patients (mean age at diagnosis, 29.8 years; 47.2% men) mostly had family history of hypertension (59.6%), body mass index (BMI) of greater than 25 (66.9%), and few had diabetes (4.7%). Nearly half were taking at least 2 antihypertensive drugs (43.5%), 18.8% had potassium levels below 3.5 mmol/L, and 27.7% were current smokers.
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…2HTN [secondary hypertension] is frequent and significantly more common in patients with hypertension aged 18 to 40 years than the prevalence reported in the general hypertensive population.
The investigators found 29.6% of patients had secondary HTN, which was most frequently associated with primary aldosteronism (54.8%), renovascular hypertension (18.4%), primary kidney disease (12.9%), pheochromocytoma/functional paraganglioma (6.0%), and hypertension caused by drugs or substances (5.2%).
Regardless of the number of treatments, a lower prevalence of secondary HTN was not found among patients with BP of less than 160/100 mm Hg. Patients aged between 30 and 40 years had a greater prevalence of secondary HTN compared with those aged 18 to 30 years (P =.024).
Diabetes, BMI of less than 25, no familial history of hypertension, treatment with at least 2 medications, hypokalemia, and female sex were associated with higher prevalence of secondary HTN.
Study limitations include possible residual referral bias, hyperparathyroidism was not evaluated, thyroid dysfunction was not considered for analysis, and there was no control group aged greater than 40 years.
"According to our study, 2HTN [secondary hypertension] is frequent and significantly more common in patients with hypertension aged 18 to 40 years than the prevalence reported in the general hypertensive population," the investigators concluded. "We failed to identify a population with a low risk of 2HTN, and studies analyzing precisely the determinants of each cause of 2HTN are needed to narrow the population of patients at risk for 2HTN."
This article originally appeared on The Cardiology Advisor
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