Essential Hypertension is by far the most prevalent Cardiovascular disorder in the world and afflicts nearly one half the US population. It is amongst the highest causes of Heart Attack, Stroke and Kidney Disease. It can go on for years without having symptoms. That is why it is colloquially known as the “silent killer”. This is ironic as its detection is rather easy and can be accurately and reproducibly done by a $30 dollar blood pressure machine!
It is defined as Systolic Pressure (upper number) over 130
OR Diastolic Pressure (lower number) over 80.
The commonly recognized risk factors are:
- Older age, (age >50)
- Genetics, (either parent with history of hypertension)
- Being overweight, ( BMI ≥ 24 kg/m2 carries a 3 to 4X higher risk of hypertension)
- Not being physically active, (sitting professions, drivers, office work)
- High-salt diet, (greater than 2500 mg per day)
- Drinking too much alcohol, (more than one drink for female and two for male)
The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends initiating one or two medications from the Vasodilator Class with a Diuretic Class medication AND a Betablockers and Calcium channel blockers to be added as needed to achieve normal blood pressure readings.
So it is conceivable, and quite common, for a patient to be on 3 or 4 medications and still not have their blood pressure under control with our current Healthcare Paradigm!
Being on 3 or more medications for the treatment of Hypertension, is not due to lack of medications….It is actually a cry for help by the body to:
- Rule out a secondary causes of Hypertension, endocrine problem (high cortisol, or aldosterone) or an Arterial Blockage of the Renal Arteries or Sleep Apnea.
- Reduce stress, with meditation, social support, having fun!
- Increase exercise, duration or intensity
- Weight loss, every pound lost equals at least one point of BP lowering!
- Decrease sitting time, and inflammatory foods
- Reduce alcohol and Salt intake by eating a heart-healthy diet with less than 1500 mg (less than 1/2 teaspoon of salt a day), such as the DASH Diet:
