Ms. Gm, my client, lived alone in the community housing corporation. On this faithful morning my patient woke-up complaining of severe headache, fatigue, inability to sleep, dyspnea and dizziness. Following this situation she was taken to the hospital by a neighbor and while she was in the emergency department she was seen by the physician where she was diagnosed with hypertension.
Hypertension is deadly and it is a silent killer, if not detected on time, it can cause severe complications to major organs in the body.
I chose this topic because I took care of a patient who had high blood pressure in my previous clinical placement. Ever since I have been taken care of this patient, I discovered that she has been withdrawal, depressed and this behavior challenged me to research on hypertension.
Hypertension can be defined as a force exerted against the wall of blood vessels. However, high blood pressure occurs when there is high pressure at the time of ventricle contraction during the systolic phase against decrease contract during diastolic phase as the ventricles relax and refill. This can be recorded as systolic over diastolic in millimeters of mercury. (Wallymahmed, M. 2008).
Blood pressure classification:
Systolic blood pressure is 120/80 the diastolic blood pressure within normal range. Any blood pressure above 139/89 is pre-hypertension. Stage one hypertension is between 140-159 or 90-99, Stage two 160-179 or 100-109 diastolic and Stage three 180 above diastolic110. (Lewis, S.M, Heitkemper M.M &Dirksen, S.R 2004) pg 779.
Etiology:
The causes of hypertension are unknown. However; hypertension can be classified into two categories primary and secondary. Primary (essential) hypertension is increas...
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...or cardiovascular disease in
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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
Blood pressure is measured by mmHg (millimetres of mercury) and it is written as two numbers. The first number is the highest pressure that the heart reaches in beats and the second number is the lowest blood pressure reached between the heart beats. A normal blood pressure level in adults is blood pressure less than 120/80 but for someone with CKD; high blood pressure is if it is 130/80.
O’Rourke [13] describes the pulse wave shape as: “A sharp upstroke, straight rise to the first systolic peak, and near-exponential pressure decay in the late diastole.” Arteries are compliant structures, which buffer the pressure change resulting from the pumping action of the heart. The arteries function by expanding and absorbing energy during systole (contraction of the cardiac muscle) and release this energy by recoiling during diastole (relaxation of the cardiac muscle). This function produces a smooth pulse wave comprising a sharp rise and gradual decay of the wave as seen in Figure 5. As the arteries age, they become less compliant and do not buffer the pressure change to the full extent. This results in an increase in systolic pressure and a decrease in diastolic pressure.
NICE (National Institute for Clinical Excellence) (2011) CG127 Hypertension: Quick Reference Guide. London: National Institute for Clinical Excellence.
One of the main reasons hypertension can be so dangerous is because you may not even know you’re suffering from it, in fact, nearly one-third of patients suffering from hypertension don’t even know that they have it (WebMD 2015). The number one reason hypertension goes undetected for so long is because in most cases, there are no clear warning signs of the blood pressure being high. Some signs/symptoms
Blood pressure is a measurement of the force against the walls of your arteries as your heart pumps blood through your body. Hypertension is another term used to describe high blood pressure. This common condition increases the risk for heart disease and stroke, two leading causes of death for Americans. High blood pressure contributed to more than 362,895 deaths in the United States during 2010. Approximately 67 million persons in the United States have high blood pressure, and only half of those have their condition under control. An estimated 46,000 deaths could be avoided annually if 70% of patients with high blood pressure were treated according to published guidelines (Patel, Datu, Roman, Barton, Ritchey, Wall, Loustalot; 2014).
Hypertension is diagnosed by measuring the blood pressure by a device known as the sphygmomanometer. Blood pressure is taken and presented by the systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure. The systolic and diastolic numbers will be recorded and compared to a chart of values. At the same time, doctor would also ask for patient’s family history of hypertension and the associated risk factors such as high cholesterol food intake.
Blood pressure, like a person's heart rate, will vary occasionally with exercise or stress. For people over age 18, an optimal blood pressure reading is considered 120/80 or lower. A blood pressure reading consistently higher than 120/80 is considered "pre-hypertension." High blood pressure or “stage one hypertension” is a measurement of 140/90 or higher. People who have high blood pressure have one and a half times the risk of having a stroke compared to those who consistently have optimal blood pressure of 120/80. Anyone who has had a previous heart attack, stroke, is diabetic, has kidney disease, high cholesterol or is overweight should speak with a doctor about aggressively controlling and lowering blood pressure. Maintaining a blood pressure reading below 140/90 may reduce the risk of further complications.
Hypertension is also known as high blood pressure about 25% of all adults have high blood pressure, normal blood pressure in an adult is measure is less than 120/80 the top number is known as systolic and the bottom diastolic any reading above this is known as hypertension. If the blood pressure is regularly high this can damage to the blood vessels kidney, heart and other parts of the body which can result in a stroke or heart attack, causes of high blood pressure may be more than one thing for example too much salt in a person’s diet, being overweight, not eating enough fruits and vegetables and other life factors like stress. It is known that doctors are not too sure of the causes but the lifestyle of a person can have an effect. As you get older you’re more at risk of getting high blood pressure (hypertension), but taking part in exercise can help reduce your changes and control your blood pressure if you have already been diagnosed with high blood pressure. Read in blood pressure “the American heart association estimates that a third of adults have a high blood pressure and that in America high blood pressure killed over 55,000 people in 2005 alone” (Davis,2013)
" Journal of Clinical Hypertension 13.5 (2011): 351-56. EBSOHost.com - a. Web. The Web.
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted against blood vessel walls by the blood as it travels through them. The blood pressure that we commonly see is the systolic pressure, or the pressure when our heart is contracting, over diastolic pressure, the pressure when the heart is relaxed. The body is able to sense a change in blood pressure when it is in certain body positions. An example of this is when blood pressure is measured lying down. When lying down a person does not have as much gravity being exerted against their blood and there is not much movement, therefore the blood travels through the vessels much easier making the blood pressure drop compared to when a person is standing and there is the factor of gravity having a resistance to
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a major health condition which affects many Americans. This health condition may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke. A normal blood pressure consists of systolic blood pressure divided by diastolic blood pressure, 120/80mmHg (millimeters of mercury). High blood pressure is defined as systolic pressure which is greater than 140mm Hg, and diastolic pressure which is over 90mm Hg. Hypertension influences the health outcomes of black Americans more than other races in the United States. Racial discrimination and socioeconomic status are two major factors which influence the rate of high blood pressure in the black American population.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood vessels have continually raised pressure, placing them under increased stress. Every time your heart beats; it pumps blood into the vessels, carrying blood throughout the body. Blood pressure is created by the force of blood pushing against the arteries as it is pumped by the heart. The bottom line, the higher the pressure, the harder the heart has to pump. Normal adult blood pressure is about 120 over 80. The top number represents the amount of pressure in your arteries during contraction of your heart muscle or systolic pressure, and the bottom number represents when the heart relaxes or diastolic pressure. Anything above 140 over 90 generally indicates
Blood pressure is measured by two pressures; the systolic and diastolic. The systolic pressure, the top number, is the pressure in the arteries when the heart contracts. The diastolic pressure, the bottom number, measures the pressure between heartbeats. A normal blood pressure is when the systolic pressure is less than 120mmHg and Diastolic pressure is less than 80mmHg. Hypertension is diagnosed when the systolic pressure is greater than 140mmHg and the diastolic pressure is greater than 90mmHg. The physician may also ask about medical history, family history, life style habits, and medication use that could also contribute to hypertension
Schnall, P., Landsbergis, P., Belkic, K., Warren, K., Schwartz, J., & Pickering, T. (1998). Findings In The Cornell University Ambulatory Blood Pressure Worksite Study: A Review. Psychosomatic Medicine, 60, 697.