Diagnosing And Treating Hypertension

Most cases of hypertension are caused by reasons that cannot be medically determined, but the risk factors are certainly no mystery, as having high blood pressure can cause stroke or myocardial infarction, heart failure and many other kinds of dangerous problems. Usually when you are going to have this diagnosed, the doctor will use different kinds of measurements. First, the doctor will take a complete history and do a physical examination of you. You will have to supply all your medical history and experiences and stats and then you will have to give up blood samples, urine samples, and perform a vast array of tests so the doctor can get a complete work up of where you stand. At that point, even, the doctor might find it, if the case is bad or severe enough or if it has caused organ damage in your body already.

Once it has been diagnosed through those means, doctors will try to figure out what caused it based on the risks and symptoms that you are showing. For example, in children secondary hypertension is more common and caused by renal disease and failure. Usually it will be either caused by renal, endocrine, metabolic, or other types and doctors use these probable factors to determine what might have caused it so they know how best to treat it. Treating hypertension can be done with ease but it might include some changes in lifestyle. For instance, once the doctor determines what exactly is causing it, then changing one's diet, doing more exercises, losing weight, and changing the patterns of a perhaps rigorous schedule are all thins necessary to lowering high blood pressure.

Sometimes doctors prescribe medications that help lower blood pressure but it is not enough and life changes need to be made. A low sodium diet is often undertaken so that people will have lower blood pressure if they eat less salt and eat healthier. Also in taking more fish and poultry, nuts, wheat, grain, and other kinds of proteins and vegetables can really help naturally treat the problems of hypertension. Trying to relax and live a low stress life is another way to help.

Some medications that serve as a great way to treat hypertension include antihypertensive drugs and are usually used to reduce the blood pressure and can help you reduce your chances of having a stroke or having a heart disease and also reduce the chances of getting dementia or heart failure and ultimately death. Usually the doctor will prescribe something like ACE inhibitors, alpha blockers, angiogenesis II receptor antagonists, beta blockers, calcium channel blockers, diuretics, and direct renin inhibitors. All of these things and sometimes the combination of these things together can help lower blood pressure and can help avoid all of the potential risks.

In fact, hypertension can be avoided, as well, with a good diet, frequent exercise, and reducing sugar and salt in excess from diets. Also, not having tobacco and alcohol can definitely help, as well as trying to reduce stress in your life with therapy or meditation is another way you can be free from the dangers of hypertension.