Women's health: Hypertension and women
Post by on Wednesday, September 8, 2021
Hypertension is an increase in the blood pressure by which the heart pumps blood to all the organs of the body. When BP increases, the heart has to work harder to send blood to organs causing damage to brain kidneys heart and other organs. BP Is diagnosed when the BP is above 140 mmHg systolic and >90MM Hg diastolic.
Some factors which contribute to Hypertension cannot be controlled like your family history, age or ethnicity. But most risk factors like salt intake, physical activity, a diet high in saturated fats, obesity, using alcohol and tobacco can be minimized.
Hypertension is a silent killer. Most people do not have any symptoms. When symptoms occur they include headache, nosebleeds, irregular heart beat, changes in vision and buzzing in the ears.
Severe, uncontrolled Hypertension can cause headache, vomitting, confusion etc
The complications of Hypertension include pain in the heart, stroke or a bleeding in the brain, kidney failure, heart failure and loss of vision.
Health tip: cut down your salt intake to less than 5g per day. Manage your stress. Eat a healthy diet. Move often. And most importantly please take your prescribed meds daily and not when you feel like you have symptoms.
Dr Rehana Kousar
Consultant Maternal and Child health
