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Blood pressure is a measurement of the force exerted by blood as it flows through the arteries. High blood pressure occurs when there is an increase of force against the wall of the artery, with potentially damaging consequences. Among adults, a normal blood pressure measure is considered to be lower than 120/80 mm Hg. If a blood pressure reads higher than this, that pressure should be considered as high.

 High blood pressure (or hypertension) has been called the silent killer because of its far-reaching consequences. It has been associated with damage to blood vessels in the eyes, heart, brain, and kidneys. An alarming note seen amoxil cheap in many of the studies carried out on blood pressure is that the optimal blood pressure target was identified as less than 140/90 mg Hg, the cut-off level normally used to diagnose high blood pressure. However, some other studies have shown that a level of less than 120/80 mg Hg is even safer. This means that millions of patients may be candidates for blood pressure control even though they have not been identified as having high blood pressure.

Because high blood pressure is a multifactorial problem, effective management is rarely achieved through a single therapy option. Instead, optimal management often requires a broad-based approach that includes nutritional and lifestyle components, along with regular self-monitoring of blood pressure. Compelling evidence indicates that many conditions that lead to and sustain high blood pressure can be corrected through an integrative approach that recognises lifestyle modification and nutritional support.

High blood pressure is dangerous partly because it rarely causes symptoms in the generic amoxil beginning. According to data gathered as part of a study carried out in 2003, people who have high blood pressure are at an increased risk of developing dangerous conditions related to high blood pressure. In this study, for every 10 mm Hg increase in systolic pressure, there was a doubling of the risk of having a heart attack or stroke or of having kidney failure.

In recent years, researchers have made tremendous strides in understanding the connection between high blood pressure and various cardiovascular diseases. It has been discovered that elevated blood pressure damages arteries at a basic level, the endothelium.

Arteries, the blood vessel that take blood away from the heart, are made up of three layers. The outer layer is mostly connective tissue that provides support to the inner two layers. The middle layer is smooth muscle that contracts and expands to support circulation and maintain optimal blood pressure. The inner layer of arteries is known as the endothelium. This layer is composed of a thin layer of cells that protects the integrity of the artery, promotes blood clotting in case of injury, communicates with the smooth muscle layer, and helps prevent toxins such as low-density lipoprotein (LDL) from penetrating into the middle of the artery. When the endothelial layer is damaged, it can result in a thickened arterial wall, arteriosclerosis, and the abnormal aggregation of white blood cells in the middle layer where they should not be. The accumulation of lipids such as LDL and triglycerides in the area can also occur.  Sensing an injury, the endothelium stimulates a healing response that ultimately leads to an atherosclerotic plaque. Endothelial dysfunction is linked with the development of atherosclerosis, a leading cause of cardiovascular events.

High blood pressure and endothelial dysfunction are closely associated. Elevated blood pressure has been shown to contribute significantly to endothelial dysfunction. Doctors measure the effects of high blood pressure by looking at target organ damage. In other words, treatment options are sometimes based on how much damage is being caused to organs such as the kidneys, eyes, or heart by the elevated blood pressure. In recent years, the endothelium has been added to the list of target organs that can be damaged by high blood pressure. High blood pressure has been shown to cause functional alterations in the endothelium that, in turn, are associated with decreased arterial mobility and increasing stiffness in the arterial wall, arteriosclerosis.

This stiffness can have serious consequences. Arteries are far from passive tubes through which blood flows. Healthy arteries actually contract with the heart to help maintain haemostasis and regulate blood pressure. When the arteries can no longer contract sufficiently because they are too stiff, additional stress is placed on the heart’s main pumping chamber, the left ventricle. As a result, the left ventricle may be enlarged (left ventricular hypertrophy). Left ventricular hypertrophy is often the first sign that damage from uncontrolled high blood pressure has started to occur. If left untreated, it may evolve into congestive heart failure.

The connection between endothelial dysfunction and high blood pressure is strong enough that progressive researchers believe endothelial function should be routinely measured among people who have high blood pressure. By the time symptoms develop, significant damage has already been done. If endothelial dysfunction is diagnosed early, however, treatment can mitigate the damage.

As has already been mentioned, many factors contribute to the development of high blood pressure.  The error in current management options is that we sometimes concentrate on one of the factors to the exclusion of other equally important contributors to the problem.  For example, giving a diuretic, a drug that tries to remove more water by making the body produce more urine, is concentrating on reducing the blood volume.  It may have lost sight of the fact that the arteries and veins, the pipes of this closed pumping circuit, could have become stiff and inflexible contributing to the heart, the pump, needing to raise its pressure to get the same volume of blood flowing to the tissues.

Next, we will take a look at the treatment modalities for treating high blood pressure.

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