Introduction Hypertension is one of the most prevalent disorders in the US, affecting about 1 in 3 adults. Since uncontrolled blood pressure has been linked to consequences such as stroke, congestive heart failure, and chronic kidney disease, it poses considerable risk for a significant portion of the population. According to the American Heart Association, hypertension was responsible for 46,284,000 ambulatory care visits in 2007; and it is estimated that this condition will be either directly or indirectly responsible for $76.6 billion in health care costs in 2010.9 The morbidity and mortality associated with uncontrolled hypertension make initiatives to improve the quality of care in this area important in any outpatient practice. The LCME encourages medical schools to provide service learning opportunities for students, many medical schools have opted to support student run clinics as part of their service learning and today there are over 110 Student Run Clinics throughout the United States.12 The Student Family Health Care Center (SFHCC) is the student run free clinic at The New Jersey Medical School in Newark, NJ that has been in existence since 1967. The care provided at the clinic includes management of hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and many other chronic diseases, with hypertension being the most common diagnosis. The patients come from the city of Newark and the surrounding area. Most are uninsured and between the ages of 18 and 65. In 2003 The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) was released. Since then, it has become the most widely accepted guidelines for managing hypertension and is the guideline that i... ... middle of paper ... .... Heart disease and stroke statistics 2010 update. A report from the American heart association. Circulation 2010; 70-78. 10. Milchak JL, Carter BL, Ardery G, et al. Physician adherence to blood pressure guidelines and its effet on seniors. Pharmacotherapy 2008: 28: 843-851. 11. Philips LS, Branch WT, Cook CB, et al. Clinical inertia. Ann Intern Med 2001: 135: 825-834. 12. Simpson SA, Long JA. Medical student-run health clinics: important contributors to patient care and medical education. J Gen Intern Med 2007;22:352-6. 13. Umscheid CA, Gross R, Weiner MG, et al. Racial disparities in hypertension control, but not treatmen intensification. Am J of Hypertension 2010; 23 (1): 54-61. 14. Viera AJ, Hinderliter AL. Evaluation and management of the patient with difficult-to-control or resistant hypertension. American Family Physician 2009; 79(10): 863-869.
As early as the 1800s clinicians began to take a closer look at elevated blood pressure levels, they soon found high correlation between hypertension, stroke, and other heart diseases. They also established that high levels of blood pressure effected both privilege and underprivileged, and within the years they have noted the disease have become more prevalent in the African American culture. Long term studies, such as randomized controlled trial studies, unveiled
"Eliminating Racial and Ethnic Disparities in Health." Public Health Reports. July/August 1998: 372 EBSCOhost. Available <http://www.epnet.com/ehost/login.html>. (11 February 1999)
Whether it is Lipitor being used to lower cholesterol or aspirin to lower blood pressure, until the present, cardiovascular and heart diseases have been tackled by a variety of medications that address its various risk factors. However, this strategy focuses on secondary and tertiary prevention instead of heart diseases’ underlying causes. Yes, diabetes mellitus and hypertension have a concrete proven link to heart disease, but addressing them with medication only masks them and does not address the root of the problem.
Lee, D. E., & Cooper, R. S. (2009). Recommendations for Global Hypertension Monitoring and Prevention. Current Hypertension Reports , 444-449.
The aim of this assignment is to discuss blood pressure and its relation to its contribution and relevance to contemporary professional nursing practice.
Many health disparities within races in the U.S. are considered to be not fully explained by commonly blamed causes such as socioeconomic status, income, and health status. In fact, research suggests that implicit bias in health care providers plays a role in these disparities since implicit bias to race can affect not only the clinical decision but also treatment(Brooks KC. 2015.) Some articles I read in the past also suggest another mechanism that chronic stress caused by constant prejudice in daily lives of minority people would activate HPA axis that regulates stress hormone and end up with hypertension, which is disproportionately common among minorities in the
Cardiovascular disease is currently the nation’s leading non-communicable cause of morbidity and mortality. According to the American Heart Association, the most common form of cardiovascular disease is coronary artery disease, a condition in which the heart’s blood supply is reduced due to a narrowing of the coronary arteries. These arteries play a significant role in regulating the flow of oxygenated blood to the heart. As blood circulates through the arteries, it exerts a force against the vessel walls, known as blood pressure. To withstand this pressure, elastic fibers interspersed along the artery walls allow the arteries to expand and recoil. Abnormally high blood pressure, however, will cause these muscles to thicken as a result of tears in the damaged artery walls trapping particles that aggregate as plaque. Progressive build-up of plaque ultimately leads to a narrowing of the arteries, subsequently diminishing blood flow to the heart and other body organs. This cascade of events triggered by high blood pressure illustrates why hypertension is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease. Affecting 1 in every 3 adults in the United States alone, hypertension substantially raises the risk for heart disease in an affected individual who, most likely, does not show any signs or symptoms. In addition to the risks associated with this “silent killer,” comorbidities such as obesity, diabetes, and high cholesterol can drastically worsen health outcomes in hypertensive patients. Given the high prevalence and severe consequences of hypertension if undetected, researching this particular topic will increase our understanding of the causes of hypertension by identifying and narrowing down lead candidates for pot...
According to (Horacio J. Adrogué, 2007) “Hypertension affects approximately 25% of the adult population worldwide, and its prevale...
High blood pressure is a common problem across the globe. For instance, in England a lone, almost 30% of the population suffer from this condition. However, most people aren’t aware that they are suffering from this condition which is very sad. Remember, if this condition is left untreated, then the victim is at a risk of suffering from the following:
Recently, the World Health Organization (WHO) has deemed hypertension or high blood pressure a global public health issue (World Health Organization, 2013). Not only does hypertension affect over 1 billion people worldwide but in the Unites States alone, about 76.4 million Americans over the age of 20, equating to about 1 in 3 adults, have hypertension (AHA, 2012). This growing health condition occurs when an individual’s blood pressure when the heart beats (systolic) is higher than 140 millimeter of mercury (mm Hg) and their blood pressure when the heart relaxes (diastolic) is 90 mm Hg or higher (AHA, 2012). The higher the blood pressure means more force is used to pump blood from the heart to arteries, which causes several health problems (AHA, 2012). For instance, the increased force stretches out blood vessels which may lead to tears and ruptures (AHA, 2012). This can also form blood clots that can stop blood from reaching other parts of the body which can cause other organs, specifically the heart, to become overworked (AHA, 2012). Unfortunately, hypertension is also known as a “silent killer” as it does not cause any symptoms (World Health Organization, 2013). If left untreated, hypertension can lead to cardiovascular disease and other fatal health consequences, such as heart attacks, strokes, and kidney failure (World Health Organization, 2013). In fact, the WHO estimates that hypertension accounts for 9.4 million deaths each year (World Health Organization, 2013).
The morning started slowly, with a 63 year old woman with a history of hypertension, back in the office four months after her pills ran out. Her blood pressure, not surprisingly, was high. The doctor reminded her, wearily, to call the office for refills. She nodded. "Compliance," he told me, as we left the exam room, "is our biggest problem."
NATIONAL KIDNEY FOUNDATION., 2004. Clinical Practice Guidelines on Hypertension and Antihypertensive Agents in Chronic Kidney Disease [online]. [viewed 20 February 2016]. Available from:
Life expectancy has grown over the last 100 years. This leads to a variety of health issues and problems that affect these elder generations quality of life. According to the United States CDC, one in three American adults suffers from hypertension. With so many Americans having high blood pressure it is no surprise that hypertension is one of the most dangerous conditions, leading to death, in the elderly. Doctors often skip directly to subscription, medications to help control elevated blood pressures, but other problems can arise from these medications, like dementia. The earlier the hypertension is diagnosed, the faster doctors can help create a treatment plan individually tailored to help the sufferer.
WILLIAMS, P and POULTER NR et al (2004) Guidelines for management of hypertension: report of the fourth working party of the British Hypertension Society. British Hypertension Society, pp. 139-85
Developmental: The participants present recognized the need to improve their lifestyle in order to prevent hypertension. Those with risk for and hypertension have implemented changes in their eating habits, and started exercising. The individuals in this group are looking for improvement, because they recognize they are getting older and with age come dysfunctions in body functions.