High blood pressure, or hypertension, occurs when the long-term force of your blood pushes against your blood vessel walls. While short-term high blood pressure typically isn’t cause for concern, hypertension can damage your blood vessel walls over time. Persistently high blood pressure raises your risk of stroke, heart disease, and even aneurysms.
What makes high blood pressure dangerous is that it rarely causes symptoms. Hypertension can damage your arteries for quite some time before you notice the signs. The signs can be vague for those who experience high blood pressure symptoms. Common symptoms of hypertension include:
The symptoms of high blood pressure can be life-threatening without proper care. Talk to the team at Today’s Wellness and Primary Care if you experience any of the above symptoms.
Today’s Wellness and Primary Care treats two types of high blood pressure:
Primary hypertension has no known cause. Instead, the condition develops gradually, sometimes for many years, before it begins causing health complications.
Underlying conditions can also cause hypertension. Secondary hypertension typically occurs more suddenly than primary hypertension. Your blood pressure may also be higher than with primary hypertension. The most common health conditions that cause secondary hypertension include:
Certain medications, such as over-the-counter (OTC) pain relievers and birth control pills, can also lead to secondary hypertension.
Lowering your blood pressure is possible with the proper diet and lifestyle modifications. A combination approach is ideal for treating high blood pressure. Common treatments for hypertension include:
If you have high blood pressure, the team may recommend regular checkups to lower your levels. To learn more about high blood pressure, call Today’s Wellness and Primary Care or schedule an appointment online today.