May 17th: WORLD HYPERTENSION DAY
To the smokers, alcoholic drinkers, people with sedentary lifestyle, obese, elders, people with positive familial disease of Hypertension, Salt addicts, Coffee addicts
May 17th is World Hypertension Day by World Hypertension League.
Being in the nursing field, I am obliged to do Vital Signs (review my previous post). Blood pressure is an essential factor in determining one’s health status. High blood pressure or Hypertension could lead to cardiovascular diseases which is the number 1 cause of mortality in the world.
Hypertension (HTN, HPN) is known as the “silent killer” because it doesn’t show any early symptoms it can progress for years, you might not be aware that you have it and it is indeed deadly. Although some might feel headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, and blurred vision. These symptoms are good for the person can seek medical support immediately.
Hypertension is defined to be a “High Blood Pressure”. A blood pressure that is greater than 120/80 is called a Pre-Hypertension phase and a blood pressure that is 140/90 is considered as Hypertension. There are two kinds of hypertension:
1. Essential (Primary) – It means that there is no underlying cause of your Hypertension but there are certain predisposing factors which are lifestyle, smoking, diet, genetics and age.
2. Secondary – It means that there is another medical cause for your Hypertension like kidney disease, diabetes mellitus and etc.
However, Hypertension can be treated by lifestyle modification and strict compliance to the medication regimen. That is why World Hypertension Day is created. It aims to let us see the importance of Hypertension, how morbid it can be and how it can be prevented.
As I am exposed to patients, It always give me a shock when I read a high blood pressure. I always doubted my skill and repeat my reading again but I was correct. There are a lot of them and it alarms me. Patients I have done Blood Pressure can’t also believe what I got so I must say that Hypertension really is a silent killer.
Let us not take Hypertension for granted. Have your blood pressure checked occasionally in the nearest health center or just with a nursing student (there are plenty, as we all now) for free. Fight Hypertension, fight heart complication.
Posted by: Dianne Peña | 05-17-2008 | 03:05 AM
Posted in: Rhapsodies
