Hypertension in Sherman Oaks
Hypertension is a common health threat in America. It affects around 75 million people (approximately 29 percent of the entire adult population in the country) with a great percentage of those affected unaware they have the condition.
Often referred to as a "silent killer", high blood pressure has no obvious symptoms in its early stages and may go undetected until it results in complications such as kidney disease, heart disease and stroke.
That is however not to say that high blood pressure cannot be detected at home. Some signs are common in a few cases of the condition. If you experience one or a combination of the following symptoms, consider seeing a specialist for high blood pressure such as an internist or cardiologist to be checked and treated:
- Headaches
- Dizziness
- Facial flushing
- Blood Spots in the eyes
- Nosebleeds
Note that most of these symptoms are common in other medical issues and cannot be directly attributed to high blood pressure. In fact, only a few people who experience these symptoms have high blood pressure.
What Causes High Blood Pressure?
Your physician may not always tell you the cause of your high blood. Some factors are however known to increase one's risk for hypertension and can be used to trace the cause of your condition. The most common include:
Alcoholism And Tobacco Use
Two or more drinks per sitting can temporarily raise your blood sugar. Daily use can make your blood sugar to shoot for good.
Being overweight and obesity
Fatty tissues around blood vessels increase the effort the heart has to work through pumping blood to body organs.
Unhealthy diets
Too much salt increases the content of sodium in your blood and irreversibly shatters the delicate balance, increasing the fluid, and consequently the pressure in the vessels connecting to the kidneys.
Age
Older people are likely to have high blood pressure than children and young adults
Race
African Americans have been shown to be more vulnerable to high blood pressure than people of any other racial background in the US. They also exhibit more intense symptoms and respond less positively to certain medications.
Gender
Studies show that males below the age of 65 are more likely to develop high blood pressure than females – who are more susceptible above that age.
Family history
You may develop hypertension if a parent or a close family member has it. A considerable percentage of people with high blood pressure inherited it.
Physical inactivity
Inactivity often leads to a higher heart rate, prompting your heart to pump harder to meet the body's demand.
Clearly, one has little control over some of these risk, which makes hypertension a little difficult to foresee and prevent. But that's not to say that hypertension is uncontrollable. Early diagnosis and treatment has been shown to play a key role in enhancing the manageability of the condition.
Consider seeing a high blood pressure specialist for testing if you have any of the above risk factors or just want to know your status early. Call (818)-986-7399 today to schedule an appointment with a qualified Sherman Oaks high blood pressure specialist.