Hypertension
During the flow of blood through the blood vessel it applies sudden force on the endothelial layer of blood vessel which is known as Blood Pressure (BP).
Normal BP in human is about 120/80 mmHg where 120 is systolic blood pressure & 80 is diastolic blood pressure. When the blood pressure is more than its normal range than it is called as hypertension whereas if the blood pressure is less than its normal range than it is known as hypotension.
Hypertension can be persistent or prolonged
Persistent: Blood pressure increases for a while but gets back to normal within few minutes. This happens in a case while playing, climbing up & down the stairs, etc.
Prolonged: Blood Pressure remains more than its normal pressure for a longer period of time or throughout the lifecycle.
Types of Hypertensions
Type I – Here the systolic & diastolic pressure jumps from 120 to 128 & from 80 to 89 respectively. It is very common nowadays due to our lifestyle and the amount of stress which we take and therefore it is considered normal nowadays.
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Type II – Here the systolic & diastolic pressure jumps from 130 to 139 & from 90 to 99 respectively. Here doctors prescribe the medicine and gives advice to change your lifestyle e.g. avoid fatty foods, quit smoking/drinking, reduce the amount of salt in your food. The condition can be made normal by following the same and the medicine may not be required.
Type III – Here the systolic & diastolic pressure jumps from 140 to 149 & from 100 to 110 respectively which could be highly dangerous. Here the patient has to take medicine throughout its lifecycle.
Type IV – Here the systolic & diastolic pressure remain more than 150 & 110 respectively. Here the chances of survival are negligible.
Etiology of Hypertension
Hypertension can develop due to following conditions:
Genetics
Sympathetic Adrenergic Nervous System
Renin Angiotensin system
Endothelial dysfunction
Sodium / Potassium Ratio.
Genetics:
Hypertension can be genetical due to the transfer of faulty gene from one generation to another.
Sympathetic Adrenergic Nervous System:
Imbalance for neurotransmitter such as acetylcholine & adrenaline leads to contraction or vasodialation of blood pressure which in turn increases or decreases the blood pressure.
Renin Angiotensin system:
Normally when our blood pressure decreases, kidney releases an enzyme known as renin in our body which converts the angiotensinogen which is already present in our blood to angiotensin I which is future converted to angiotensin II by the ACE enzyme (Angiotensin Converting Enzyme). The Angiotensin II formed increases the blood volume by retaining the water which is to be filtered by the nephron. The increase in blood volume increases the blood pressure which helps to keep the blood pressure in normal range. However, if the renin angiotensin system fails due to some disease condition, it will continuously release renin in though if the blood pressure is normal which will lead to increase in blood pressure.
Endothelial dysfunction
The lumen of the endothelial blood vessel decreases as a result the blood pressure increases. This could be due to contraction of blood vessel, presence of lump in a vessel or due to damage of blood vessel.
Sodium / Potassium Ratio
Sodium potassium ions are responsible for sending signals in our body. If the ration of sodium & potassium is disturbed in our body could be due to more intake of salt, can result in contraction of smooth muscle & blood vessel which will in turn increase our blood pressure.
Article by: Ashaya Desai