What is hypertension? Stages of high blood pressure

High blood pressure is one of the health problems many people suffer from today. To have a better look at hypertension as well as its causes and remedies, let’s find out through the following article with Tnhelearning.edu.vn!

What is high blood pressure?

Hypertension (or high blood pressure) is a condition in which the blood pressure on the artery walls is higher than normal . You can have high blood pressure without any symptoms, but in the long term, it can lead to serious complications such as heart attack and stroke.

Using the Microlife B6 Advanced automatic blood pressure monitor, you can easily monitor your blood pressure at home, preventing hypertension

When measuring with a sphygmomanometer, people determine 2 readings: systolic blood pressure (first number) and diastolic blood pressure (second number), eg 120 over 80 (written as 120/80 mmHg). . You have high blood pressure when one or both of them are too high.

• Normal blood pressure : less than 120/80 mmHg mostly.
• High blood pressure (hypertension): reaching 140/90 mmHg or higher for a long time.
• Pre-hypertension : from 120/80mmHg to less than 140/90mmHg .

Common symptoms of high blood pressure

Most people with high blood pressure have no signs or symptoms even though the disease is quite serious. Very few of them have some of the common symptoms of high blood pressure such as headaches, shortness of breath or nosebleeds.

However, signs and symptoms are not obvious and often do not occur until the disease has reached a severe or potentially life-threatening stage.

Headache is one of the common symptoms of high blood pressure

Stages of high blood pressure

Normal blood pressure

A normal blood pressure reading is when the systolic blood pressure is less than 120 mmHg and the diastolic is less than 80 mmHg . For people with blood pressure in this range, the risk of cardiovascular disease is low.

Normal blood pressure readings fall between 120/80 mmHg

Pre-hypertension

A blood pressure reading greater than 120/80 mmHg is a warning sign, a systolic blood pressure reading between 120 and 129 mmHg and a diastolic blood pressure below 80 mmHg means you are in the pre-hypertension stage.

Without timely intervention, the condition will progress to the stage of high blood pressure very quickly, and at the same time accelerate the rate of complications of heart failure and stroke.

Grade 1 hypertension

You will be diagnosed with stage 1 hypertension when your systolic blood pressure is between 140-159mmHg or your diastolic blood pressure is between 90-99mmHg .

To accurately determine if you are in stage 1 of high blood pressure, take several measurements over a set period of time and take an average from those blood pressure readings.

Grade 1 hypertension has a systolic index of 140-159 mmHg

High blood pressure grade 2

Stage 2 of high blood pressure indicates that the disease has become more severe. At this stage, your blood pressure reading will be 160/100 mmHg or higher.

If you enter stage 2, your doctor will recommend one or more medications to control the disease. However, you should not only rely on medication but also practice healthy living habits for the treatment to be effective.

Typically, this stage will experience symptoms such as: chest tightness, shortness of breath, visual impairment, blood in the urine, dizziness, headache, and symptoms of a stroke, such as paralysis or loss of control of facial muscles and extremities.

Some symptoms of grade 2 hypertension

Grade 3 hypertension

In case your blood pressure is above 180 mmHg or reading is 110 mmHg or higher, take a break for 5 minutes and take it again. If the results are still the same, you have stage 3 hypertension, you should contact your doctor immediately.

Grade 3 hypertension with upper blood pressure of 180 mmHg or readings of 110 mmHg or higher

What is the cause of high blood pressure?

There are two types of high blood pressure with different causes:

Idiopathic high blood pressure:

Or known as primary hypertension with no specific cause. Some causes are prone to disease: eating salty foods, smoking, drinking a lot of alcohol, being overweight, being physically sedentary, and having a lot of stress.

Secondary hypertension:

Known as secondary hypertension. This type of hypertension tends to come on suddenly and cause higher blood pressure than essential hypertension.

Certain medical conditions and medications can cause secondary hypertension:

• Endocrine diseases : adrenal myeloma, hyperaldosteronism, Cushing’s syndrome, hyperthyroidism, etc.
• Cardiovascular disease : coarctation of the aorta.
• Certain medications : birth control pills, corticosteroids, NSAIDs,…

Alcohol is one of the factors that cause essential hypertension

An effective way to help improve high blood pressure

Exercise regularly

You should spend 30-40 minutes on sports practice with subjects such as: Yoga, swimming, cycling, jogging, … regularly every day. As a result, you will have a toned body, helping to stabilize blood pressure in the body.

Reduce salt intake

Eating too much salt is a common cause of high blood pressure. You should change your eating habits, reduce the amount of salty foods, fried foods, eat more vegetables and fresh fruits.

However, for people with low blood pressure, they should have a little more salt combined with drinking lots of water!

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Losing weight

Some studies suggest that losing weight helps lower blood pressure naturally. In order to lose weight, you need to follow a diet with many foods that quickly fill up with low calories such as vegetables, fruits, …

A balanced diet with lots of vegetables helps you lose weight and support natural blood pressure reduction

Abstain from alcohol and coffee

Alcohol and coffee are drinks that directly affect high blood pressure. You should reduce to drinking no more than 1 cup of coffee or 1 glass of beer per day.

You should abstain from alcohol to avoid high blood pressure

Build a healthy diet

Diet is also a major factor in both weight and blood pressure. You should maintain a diet with adequate nutrients needed, limit fat, grease and limit salty foods.

Besides, you should choose foods high in calcium, potassium or vitamins A, C, and D to help maintain normal blood pressure.

You should maintain a diet with adequate and balanced nutrients

Maintain peace of mind and stability

Sadness, anxiety, often anger or pressure are all factors that make the heart unhealthy, easily causing high blood pressure.

Therefore, meditation is one of the ways to help you control your emotions and keep your mind at ease to avoid adverse effects on your health.

Meditation is one of the ways to help you control your emotions and keep your mind at ease

Reference source:

1. Link 1: https://www.nhathuocankhang.com/ban-tin-suc-khoe/tang-huyet-ap-la-gi-nguyen-nhan-tang-huyet-ap-co-the-ban-chua -bit-1445530

2. Link 2: https://yhoctphcm.ump.edu.vn/?Content=ChiTietBai&idBai=3849%20

With the above information, hope you have a more specific view of high blood pressure to prevent as well as protect the health of your family!