High Blood Pressure And Heart Attack
There is a close corelation between hypertension - that is high blood pressure, and heart attack. As expalined by the Texas Heart Institute - amongst others:
Hypertension, the medical term for high blood pressure, is known as "the silent killer." At least 73 million Americans have high blood pressure, and as many as 20 million of them do not even know they have the condition. If left untreated, high blood pressure greatly increases your risk for heart attack and stroke.
Your heart pumps blood through a network of arteries, veins, and capillaries. The moving blood pushes against the arterial walls, and this force is measured as blood pressure.
High blood pressure results from the tightening of very small arteries called arterioles. Arterioles regulate the blood flow through your body. As these arterioles tighten (or constrict), your heart has to work harder to pump blood through the smaller space, and the pressure inside the vessels grows.
High blood pressure can affect your health in four main ways:
* Hardening of the arteries. Pressure inside your arteries can cause the muscles that line the walls of the arteries to thicken. Thickening causes the arteries to narrow. A heart attack or stroke can occur if a blood clot blocks blood flow to your heart or brain.
* Enlarged heart. High blood pressure increases the amount of work for your heart. Like any heavily exercised muscle in your body, your heart grows bigger. The bigger your heart is, the less able it is to maintain proper blood flow. As a result, you feel weak and tired and are not able to exercise or perform physical activities. Your heart has begun to fail. Without treatment, your heart failure will only get worse.
* Kidney damage. Prolonged high blood pressure can damage your kidneys if the arteries supplying your kidneys with blood are affected.
* Eye damage. If you have diabetes, high blood pressure can cause the tiny capillaries in the retina of your eye to bleed. This condition, called retinopathy, can lead to blindness.
What causes high blood pressure?
About 90% to 95% of all high blood pressure cases are what is called primary, or essential hypertension. That means the real cause of the high blood pressure is not known, but a number of factors are associated with the condition. You are at an increased risk of high blood pressure if you
* Have a family history of high blood pressure.
* Are African American. African Americans develop high blood pressure more often than whites, and it tends to happen earlier in life and be more severe.
* Are a man. Women are at an increased risk after age 55.
* Are older than 60. Blood vessels become more brittle with age and are not as flexible.
* Face high levels of stress. In some studies, stress, anger, hostility, and other personality traits have been shown to lead to high blood pressure, but the findings have not always been consistent. Emotional factors most likely add to the risk of high blood pressure for people who also have other risk factors.
* Are overweight or obese.
* Use tobacco products. Smoking damages your blood vessels.
* Use oral contraceptives. Women who smoke and use oral contraceptives greatly increase their risk.
* Eat a diet high in saturated fat.
* Eat a diet high in salt (sodium).
* Drink more than a moderate amount of alcohol. Experts say that moderate intake is an average of one to two drinks per day for men and one drink per day for women. One drink is defined as 1½ fluid ounces (fl oz) of 80-proof spirits (such as bourbon, Scotch, vodka, gin, etc.), 1 fl oz of 100-proof spirits, 4 fl oz of wine, or 12 fl oz of beer.
* Are physically inactive.
* Have diabetes.
Researchers have also found a gene that appears to be linked to high blood pressure. If you have the gene, it does not mean that you or your children will develop high blood pressure. But it does mean that you are more likely to develop high blood pressure, so your blood pressure should be closely watched.
The remaining patients with high blood pressure have what is called secondary hypertension. Secondary hypertension means that the high blood pressure is the result of another condition or illness. Many cases of secondary hypertension are caused by kidney disorders. Other conditions that can cause secondary hypertension are
* Problems with the parathyroid gland.
* Acromegaly, which is a condition where the pituitary gland makes too much growth hormone.
* Tumors in the adrenal or pituitary glands.
* Reactions to medicines for other medical problems.
* Pregnancy...
Full article here: http://www.texasheartinstitute.org/
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