Sandy Crest Medical Centre - Health Tips
Hypertension (High Blood Pressure)
This is a condition in which there is a
sustained elevation of blood pressure greater than 140/90 mmHg. This
sustained increase of pressure causes the muscular heart to work
much harder to pump blood around the body; this makes the heart a
larger and less efficient pump. The majority of patients develop
hypertension because it is present in their family history. The
increased blood pressure damages the delicate blood vessels of the
brain and the kidneys. The damaged blood vessels in the brain lead
to stroke, the eye to early blindness and the kidneys to kidney
failure. Almost all patients have to be on lifelong medication as
this illness can only be controlled and not cured. All patients
should have their blood pressures and general health checked by
their doctors at least four times per year and more frequently if
their blood pressure control is inadequate.
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