The Diagnosis Of Hypertension

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Hypertension is a disease that effects a third of all Americans (American Heart Association [AHA], 2013, p. 1). The American heart association expects the number of patients living with hypertension to continue to rise (AHA, 2013). Reversing this trend will be of vital importance to the health of our population. Several factors influence hypertension, including access to primary preventative care, the availability of medications, diet and exercise control, diet modifications, and self-care are required to mitigate the effects of persistent hypertension on the body.
People at risk for developing hypertension are overwhelmingly African-Americans. Nearly 50% of African-Americans will be diagnosed with hypertension. The American Heart Association reports that in 2009, 18.5 people out of 100,000 died from hypertension. Of these deaths, the majority were African-American (AHA, 2013, p. 2). These statistics make hypertension treatment a priority for this population.
Treatment for the client presenting to the APN diagnosed with hypertension, the first efforts should be focused on education. The patient should be informed of what current JNC 8 guidelines for the diagnosis of hypertension are. This will help the patient identify that he or she in fact has a problem and his blood pressure is abnormal. Further education should also include anticipated progression of the disease and complications from prolonged hypertension to help the patient understand the effects hypertension have on the body and risk of development of end-organ damage. Since hypertension is a silent disease, often void of symptoms, the patient must understand fully the implications of the disease and necessity to control the blood pressure.
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