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Hypertension

Hypertension

Hypertension 01

HYPERTENSION is the MOST COMMON primary diagnosis in clinical practice.

  • High prevalence particularly in adult with prevalence of 41% of people over 55 years and may reach up to 76% of elderly people above 75 years old. In general, the overall prevalence in all age group is between 18-32%.
  • Worldwide, more than 1 billion people have hypertension, responsible for 7.1 million death per year.
  • The rate of controlled hypertension in people taking the medication are very poor all over the world and in the range of 16-22% only.
  • Blood Pressure (BP) more than 140/90mmHg is defined as Hypertension
  • Hypertension may present with headache or dizziness or end organ damage like heart failure or kidney failure, but it is asymptomatic in many patients, that is why it is called “the silent killer”.
  • Assessment includes cardiac assessment like ECG, CXR and if indicated echo cardiography to assess cardiac status plus assessment of kidneys function, electrolytes, urine glucose, lipid profile and some other hormones if we suspect an underlying cause for the hypertension.
  • Treatment should include lifestyle changes like reduction of weight, salt intake, regular exercise plus anti-hypertensive medication.
  • Home BP monitoring (HBPM) is a good way to diagnose hypertension. If done in a proper way, it can help monitor the control of hypertension and effectiveness of treatment for BP.