Young, Healthy Husband Diagnosed with Hypertension... Why Ta Posted: 01-28-06 16:28pm
my husband recently went to the doctors
for a health check and has basically been
diagnosed with high blood pressure. i have
a few worries about the diagnosis being
made so quickly with no answers as to why
he is now taking drugs for high blood
pressure.
every person on this earth is different -
no two alike - so how can a blood pressure
measurement be set at a certain target
that should be reached by every person?
i have read all the guidelines on what can
cause high blood pressure but i dont
believe any of them apply to my husband -
he hardly drinks any alcohol, he does
regular excersise at a gym, we add no salt
to any of our meals, he definetly has his
recommended daily allowance of fruit n veg
every day, and he hardly eats any junk
food, he is not over weight and he is not
old - the only thing the doctor can say is
that it runs in the family - can this be
the only reason? and if so why?
he is currently taking 10mg of Ramipril a
day - as far as we know this will be for
the rest of his life - will he really
benefit from taking these all his life?
are doctors sure that taking these wont
cause any other illness?
any help with answering my questions would
be great as we are just so
confused due to there being so much
controversy over whats good and bad for
your health!
|
DoctorAnswer
Doctor Answer
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High Blood Pressure, Hypertension, High Cholesterol Answer A Posted: 02-09-06 14:44pm
I understand your concern because your
husband is very young and has
hypertension. Systolic/diastolic blood
pressure levels (above 140 mmHg for
systolic and 90 mmHg for diastolic) are
taken as arterial hypertension (HTA). It
is impossible to correctly diagnose HTA
with only one measurement. Blood pressure
should be measured each day for at least
one week for proper diagnosis. If the
pressure is always above the normal,
accepted levels I mentioned, the
diagnosis for HTA is established.
According to its etiology HTA is
classified in two categories:
1. Essential (primary, idiopathic)
2. Non-essential (secondary, symptomatic)
Essential HTA is termend "cause
unknown" and is present in about 95% of
all cases. It is believed that this type
of HTA is genetically conditioned. Some
conditions (overweight, old age) and
life-style (smoking, alcohol, consumption
of fatty food, no physical activity…)
are risk factors for developing this kind
of HTA.
Non-essential HTA is present in about
5% of all cases and it is a symptom of
other diseases (renal vascular disorders,
hyperaldosteronism, feochromocytoma…).
In your husband’s case, HTA is
probably genetically conditioned
(essential HTA) because the disease is
present in his family. Therapy for
essential HTA is a life-lasting. Putting
HTA under control is very important
because HTA can damage the kidneys, heart,
brain, blood vessels, eyes… Ramipril is
an ACE-inhibitor. ACE-inhibitors are one
of the most commonly used drugs for HTA
treatment. Their most significant side
effect is a cough (in 10% of patients).
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