HEALTH INFO > other conditions > Hypertension

Hypertension is the medical term for high blood pressure. When your heart beats, it pumps blood around your body. As the blood moves, it pushes against the sides of blood vessels (arteries).

Over time fatty material and other substances circulating in your blood can build up on the inner walls of your arteries causing them to narrow. The more blood your heart pumps and the narrower your arteries, the higher your blood pressure.

Your blood pressure is naturally higher when you are exerting yourself, such as during physical exercise or when you are excited, angry or afraid. These are usually short-lived episodes. If your blood pressure is high when you are resting your heart has to work extra hard to pump the blood around your body. This is a concern as extra stress is placed on your artery walls, which may eventually cause health problems, such as heart disease or problems with your eyes and kidneys. Having hypertension increases your risk of having a heart attack or a stroke.

Symptoms
Hypertension can be mild, moderate or severe, it generally develops over many years often without any symptoms. This means many people do not know they have hypertension, and it is often called the ‘silent killer’. The only way to find out whether you have hypertension is to get your blood pressure checked regularly (preferably yearly).

A few people with hypertension may experience headaches, shortness of breath or nosebleeds, but these signs and symptoms aren't specific and usually don't occur until the blood pressure has reached a severe or life-threatening stage.

Causes
Common causes of hypertension include drinking too much alcohol, eating too much salt, being overweight, not moving around enough each day, smoking, excessive caffeine intake, certain medical conditions (eg. sleep apnoea) and some medications. Hypertension can also run in families.

Diagnosis
Your doctor will likely take two to three blood pressure readings each at three or more separate appointments before diagnosing you with hypertension. This is because blood pressure normally changes throughout the day, and some people experience a condition called ‘white coat hypertension’ where their blood pressure is elevated when they visit a doctor.

Treatment
Lifestyle changes such as following a healthy low-fat diet with less salt, regular exercise, not smoking, reducing your alcohol intake and maintaining a healthy weight can help control your blood pressure.

As well as these lifestyle recommendations, your doctor may also prescribe medicine to lower your blood pressure.

Early detection and prevention are key to better long-term health. Our pharmacy staff can quickly and conveniently check your blood pressure without an appointment and one of our pharmacists can discuss and explain your results with you.

For more information on hypertension visit www.heartfoundation.org.nz.

Come in and see us to get your blood pressure checked today, or to chat to one of our pharmacists about managing hypertension, or if you have any questions about making healthier choices.