High Blood Pressure/Hypertension Treatment
Hypertension or high blood pressure is often called the silent killer. You can have high blood pressure without any symptoms, but it can be impacting your cardiovascular health, increasing the chance of heart attack, stroke and death. There are risk factors that can contribute to hypertension, but anyone can have this condition. At Primary Care Joliet, we offer high blood pressure/hypertension treatment at our medical centers in Wilmington and Joliet, IL.
High blood pressure occurs when the heart needs to exert more to pump the blood. This is measured by the pressure applied to the blood vessels. There are two elements that are measured to determine if you have normal blood pressure or if it is too low or too high (hypertension). When your blood pressure is measured, it is listed in millimeters of mercury. There are two numbers, systolic and diastolic pressure. In general, blood pressure should be below 130/80, but these numbers can vary depending on your age and other factors.
Causes and Symptoms of High Blood Pressure
Most people have no symptoms of high blood pressure. In some cases, you may experience headaches, nose bleeds or shortness of breath, but this is usually only when it has reached dangerous levels. Primary hypertension can occur with no known cause, but there are risk factors that can contribute such as age, smoking and obesity. Secondary hypertension is caused by another health condition or factor, such as kidney disease, sleep apnea, thyroid issues and certain drugs or substances.
High blood pressure can lead to serious complications, including death by heart attack or stroke. In many cases, you can lower blood pressure with lifestyle changes. Quitting smoking, losing weight, exercising more, eating a low sodium diet and other changes can be very effective at lowering high blood pressure. There are also medications that can manage your blood pressure.
Hypertension is a serious condition but there are treatments available. To schedule a high blood pressure checkup, contact our team at Primary Care Joliet. Call our medical center in Joliet or Wilmington, IL, to schedule an appointment to talk about high blood pressure treatment.