High blood pressure,causes,symptoms and natural home remedies/trearment/cure (2016/2017) volume 2

High Blood Pressure: Symptoms and Diagnosis

  

Symptoms of high blood pressure

Most people with high blood pressure will not experience any symptoms until levels reach about 180/110 mmHg.
High blood pressure symptoms typically include:

• Headache - usually, this will last for several days.
• Nausea - a sensation of unease and discomfort in the stomach with an urge to vomit.
• Vomiting - less common than just nausea.
• Dizziness - Lightheadedness, unsteadiness, and vertigo.
• Blurred or double vision (diplopia).
• Epistaxis - nosebleeds.
• Palpitations - disagreeable sensations of irregular and/or forceful beating of the heart.
• Dyspnea - breathlessness, shortness of breath.

Anybody who experiences these symptoms should see their doctor immediately.
Children with high blood pressure may have the following signs and symptoms:

• Headache.
• Fatigue.
• Blurred vision.
• Nosebleeds.
• Bell's palsy - inability to control facial muscles on one side of the face.

Newborns and very young babies with high blood pressure may experience the following signs and symptoms:

• Failure to thrive.
• Seizure.
• Irritability.
• Lethargy.
• Respiratory distress.

People who are diagnosed with high blood pressure should have their blood pressure checked frequently. Even if yours is normal, you should have it checked at least once every five years, and more often if you have any contributory factors.

Diagnosis of high blood pressure

Sphygmomanometer
Most lay people have seen this device. It consists of an inflatable cuff that is wrapped around the upper arm. When the cuff is inflated it restricts the blood flow. A mercury or mechanical manometer measures the pressure.
A sphygmomanometer is always used together with a means to determine at what pressure blood flow is just starting, and at what pressure it is unimpeded. For example, a manual sphygmomanometer is used together with a stethoscope.

• The cuff is placed snugly and smoothly around the upper arm, at approximately the same altitude as the heart while the patient is sitting up with the arm supported (resting on something). It is crucial that the size of the cuff is appropriate. If it is too small the reading will be inaccurately high; if it is too large the reading will be too low.
• The cuff is inflated until the artery is completely obstructed (occluded).
• The nurse, doctor, or whoever is doing the examination listens with a stethoscope to the brachial artery at the elbow and slowly releases the cuff's pressure (deflates it).
• As the cuffs pressure falls the examiner will hear a whooshing sound or a pounding sound when blood flow starts again.
• The pressure at the point when the sound began is noted down and recorded as the systolic blood pressure.
• The cuff is deflated further until no sound can be heard. At this point the examiner notes down and records the diastolic blood pressure.

With a digital sphygmomanometer everything is done with electrical sensors.
With advances in new wearable technology, people can now keep track of their blood pressure at home. You can read our review of the best home blood pressure monitors currently available to buy.

Confirmation of high blood pressure requires several readings

One blood pressure reading is not enough to diagnose hypertension in a patient. People's blood pressure can vary during the day, a visit to the doctor may spike the reading because the patient is anxious or stressed, having just eaten may also temporarily affect blood pressure readings.
As the definition of hypertension is defined as "repeatedly elevated blood pressure" the GP (general practitioner, primary care physician) will have to take several readings over a set period. This may require three separate measurements one week apart - often the monitoring goes on for much longer before a diagnosis is confirmed. On some rare occasions, if the blood pressure is extremely high, or end-organ damage is present, diagnosis may be made immediately so that treatment can start promptly. End-organ damage generally refers to damage to major organs fed by the circulatory system, such as the heart, kidneys, brain or eyes.
Kidney disorder - if the patient has a urinary tract infection, urinates frequently, or reports pain down the side of the abdomen, they could be signs/symptoms of a kidney disorder. If the doctor places the stethoscope on the side of the abdomen and hears the sound of a rush of blood (a bruit), it could be a sign of stenosis - a narrowing of an artery supplying the kidney.

Additional tests for high blood pressure

The doctor may also order the following tests to aid in diagnosis of high blood pressure:

• Urine and blood tests - underlying causes might be due to cholesterol, high potassium levels, blood sugar, infection, kidney malfunction, etc. Protein or blood in urine may indicate kidney damage. High glucose in the blood may indicate diabetes.
• Exercise stress test - more commonly used for patients with borderline hypertension. This usually involves pedaling a stationary bicycle or walking on a treadmill. The stress test assesses how the body's cardiovascular system responds to increased physical activity. If the patient has hypertension this data is important to know before the exercise test starts. The test monitors the electrical activity of the heart, as well as the patient's blood pressure during exercise. An exercise stress test sometimes reveals problems that are not apparent when the body is resting. Imaging scans of the heart's blood supply might be done at the same time.
• ECG (electrocardiogram) - this tests the heart's electrical activity. This test is more commonly used for patients at high risk of heart problems, such as hypertension and elevated cholesterol levels. The initial ECG is called a baseline. Subsequent ECGs may be compared with the baseline to reveal changes which may point to coronary artery disease or thickening of the heart wall.
• Holter monitoring - the patient carries an ECG portable device for about 24 hours.
• Echocardiogram - this device uses ultrasound waves which show the heart in motion. The doctor will be able to detect problems, such as thickening of the heart wall, defective heart valves, blood clots, and excessive fluid around the heart.
      ON THE VOLUME 3 IN THE NEXT POST.......WE SHALL CONSIDER THE TREATMENTS OF HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE PLUS THE NATURAL HOME REMEDIES/CURE THROUGH DIET....ENJOY