High Blood Pressure Specialist

What is high blood pressure?

High blood pressure refers to when the pressure of the blood circulating throughout your body is higher than it should be. When the pressure is too high, it slams against the artery walls repeatedly, causing severe damage along the way.

Also referred to as hypertension, high blood pressure can be extremely dangerous if left untreated.

What causes high blood pressure?

The exact cause of high blood pressure has yet to be determined. Nonetheless, various factors can contribute to increasing your chances of developing and maintaining high blood pressure.

In most cases, hypertension stems from a combination of genetics and age. As you get older, your arteries naturally start to narrow and stiffen. When your arteries stiffen, your blood puts an increasing amount of pressure on your artery walls. Unfortunately, there’s not much you can do about this except be vigilant.

High blood pressure can also be caused by an unbalanced or unhealthy diet, especially one that involves overuse of alcohol and tobacco products. You also run the risk of high blood pressure if your struggle with obesity.

If genetics, age, and diet aren’t the cause of your high blood pressure, then it’s possible that an underlying condition contains high blood pressure in its list of side effects. Some of these conditions can include high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney diseases, or hormone imbalances.

Dr. Gandhi works closely with you to determine the exact cause of your hypertension before recommending treatment.

What are the symptoms of high blood pressure?

High blood pressure is often referred to as the silent killer, which means that it doesn’t always exhibit symptoms. When it does, it’s usually too late.

However, asymptomatic hypertension isn’t common. In most cases, hypertension exhibits any of the following symptoms:

• Lethargy
• Chest pain
• Severe headaches
• Shortness of breath
• Bloody urine
• Sweating and anxiety

The sooner you address these symptoms, the faster Dr. Gandhi can stabilize your blood pressure.

How do you treat high blood pressure?

The best treatment for high blood pressure is preventive care. For instance, if you know you have a family history of hypertension, Dr. Gandhi works with you to craft a series of lifestyle changes you can make to avoid the condition altogether.

However, if you have been diagnosed with high blood pressure, Dr. Gandhi can recommend any of the following treatment options in addition to lifestyle changes:

• Diuretics
• Beta-blockers
• Alpha blockers
• Calcium channel blockers
• Angiotensin-converting-enzyme (ACE) inhibitors

If you’d like to find effective ways of keeping your blood pressure in check, contact Medinet Family Care Clinic today by phone or online to book an appointment.