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DISUSUN OLEH:
VEGI BUMULO
FAHRIN AHMAD
2016
ARTICLE ABOUT HYPERTENSION
Definition
Hypertension is high blood pressure. Blood pressure is the force of blood pushing
against the walls of arteries as it flows through them.
Causes of Hypertension
As acute stress, intense exercise and other factors can briefly elevate blood
pressure even in people whose blood pressure is normal, a diagnosis of hypertension
requires several readings showing high blood pressure over time. Blood pressure does
vary throughout the day, lowering during sleep and rising on awakening. It also rises in
response to excitement, anxiety and physical activity.
Blood pressure also increases steadily with age as arteries become stiffer and
narrower due to plaque build-up. Vascular and heart disease also contribute to rising
blood pressure in older adults, and a high systolic reading is a major risk factor for
cardiovascular disease in adults over 50 years old. Other key contributors include
lifestyle factors, such as:
1. Physical inactivity
2. A salt-rich diet associated with processed and fatty foods
3. Alcohol and tobacco use.
Certain diseases and medications (as described below) can cause high blood
pressure, and there are a number of general risk factors for hypertension, including:
1. Age - everyone is at greater risk of high blood pressure as they get older.
Prevalence of hypertension is higher in people over 60 years of age
2. Race - African-American adults are at higher risk than white or Hispanic American
adults
3. Size - being overweight or obese is a key risk factor for hypertension
4. Sex - males and females have different risk profiles. While lifetime risk is the same
for everybody, men are more prone to hypertension at a younger age and women
have a higher rate of hypertension at older ages
5. Lifestyle - greater intake of dietary salt, excessive alcohol, low dietary potassium,
and physical inactivity all contribute to an increased risk of hypertension.
1. Breathlessness
2. Headache
3. Bleeding from the nose
4. Fatigue and Sleepiness
5. Confusion
6. Tinnitus or ringing in the ears
7. Vomiting
8. Profuse sweating
9. Blurred vision
Treatment of Hypentension
If lifestyle modifications are insufficient to achieve the goal BP, there are several
drug options for treating and managing hypertension. Thiazide diuretics, an
angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor/angiotension receptor blocker
(ARB), or calcium channel blocker (CCB) are the preferred agents in nonblack
populations, whereas CCBs or thiazide diuretics are favored in black hypertensive
populations. [8] These recommendations do not exclude the use of ACE inhibitors
or ARBs in treatment of black patients, or CCBs or diuretics in non-black persons.
Often, patients require several antihypertensive agents to achieve adequate BP
control.