What is Blood Pressure

Blood Pressure is the pressure required by your body to keep the blood flowing uninterrupted in your arteries. Most of this pressure is generated by the heart. The two phases of heart beat are called systole (when heart contracts to push the blood out) and diastole (when it relaxes and refills). The difference between these two is your blood pressure. The two numbers in blood pressure reading like 120/80 simply measure the highest and lowest pressure that your blood vessels experience with each heartbeat. The first number is systolic, the second diastolic and measures how many millimetres mercury is pushed on the standard measuring instrument.

Well into the twentieth century, doctors thought that high blood pressure was a sign of good health. Up until a few years ago, a blood pressure of 140/90 was considered baseline for high blood pressure (hypertension), but the American Heart Association in 2017 revised the number down to 130/80, overnight tripling the number of people worldwide who should be considered unhealthy.

 

What does Blood Pressure tell me about my health?

Blood Pressure along with respiratory rate, heart rate, oxygen saturation, and body temperature is the key parameter medical professionals use to asses the patient’s health.  Blood pressure readings are vital indicators of the state of your cardiovascular system. A condition of high blood pressure in an individual is called hypertension, and a low blood pressure is called hypotension. While both are unhealthy for the body, hypertension is generally considered to be much more dangerous. This is a myth. Both forms blood pressure abnormalities are dangerous.

Hypertension is dangerous not only because it impacts your heart, kidneys and brains but also because it usually has no warning symptoms and is therefore also called the “silent killer”. The key risks associated with high blood pressure are:

• Heart Damage High BP can lead to hardening of arteries which reduces the flow of blood to heart. This increases the load on the heart, increasing risk of heart failure.
• Kidney Damage: Out of all the organs in the body, kidneys process the most blood after the heart. High BP damages and narrows the arteries around kidneys, thus impacting their functioning. This leads to gradual accumulation of toxins in the blood.
• Stroke: High blood pressure can result in the blood vessels in the brain to be blocked or even burst, resulting in severe brain damage.

Hypotension also impacts the health of an individual and for the same reason, i.e. a lack of proper blood flow to the organs. Low Blood pressure will cause the heart to work more to pump blood. Lack of blood in the organs leads to organ failures and strokes.

Risk factors & preventive steps for Hypertension

The risk factors for Hypertension are:

• Unhealthy lifestyle: Alcohol consumption, smoking, high salt diet and a lack of exercise.
• Obesity: High Obesity is directly correlated with high blood pressure.
• Age: Old people are more susceptible to high blood pressure, however even young adults are experiencing blood pressure issues these days.
• Family history

Indians have a much higher incidence of hypertension as compared to the global average. As per some estimates 1 in 5 Indian adults suffer from High Blood Pressure. The reasons are related to genetics, lifestyle and food choices. The preventive steps you can take to reduce the chances of suffering from high blood pressure are:

• Keep Obesity in check. Most people aim for a good BMI. But a much more accurate measure is the waist to height ratio. This should ideally be less than 0.5.
• Stop smoking and limit alcohol consumption
• Eat a well balanced and healthy diet, rich in nutrients, high in fibre and low in salt and saturated fats.
• Regularly monitor your BP as blood pressure problems will often have no symptoms.

Risk factors & preventive steps for Hypotension

The risk factors for hypotension are as follows:

• Heart and Lung conditions: If the heart is beating too fast or too slow or if your lungs are not working properly.
• Central Nervous system conditions like parkinsons or other disease.
• Alcohol and drugs consumption
• Prescription medicine for some other disease/condition can also lead to low blood pressure.
• Extreme temperatures.

There are no specific steps you can take to avoid Low blood pressure except avoiding alcohol.

Blood pressure is a chronic condition which, if left unattended, can lead to severe consequences for an individual. Unfortunately, it is not taken as seriously by the Indian public since there are no early visible symptoms. As per India today, Almost 30% Indian adults have never ever even measured their blood pressure. There is a common perception that high/low blood pressure is an old-age condition. This is a complete myth. Even school age children, when tested have been found to have blood pressure issues. The only way to keep yourself is to take regular blood pressure readings and make sure that you are not letting the disease build slowly in your symptom.

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