What is High Blood Pressure, and What Are Its Causes and Symptoms?
The human body is a complicated structure. With over 100 trillion cells, how do you begin to understand the intricacies of one simple organ—the human heart? But this is exactly where we need to start when we talk about hypertension.
Let’s first take a look at the organ in more detail.
The human heart consists of two separate chambers—the left and the right atrium, as well as the left and right ventricle. The left and right atrium are from the first chamber of the heart. The left and right ventricles are formed by three chambers each, called the bulbus cordis, the ventricles, and the auricles. In short, the heart has four chambers and four valves.
So, what is high blood pressure?
High blood pressure is the state of having your blood pressure higher than the norm for your age and gender. This can be measured in two ways: The first way is the way it’s measured in hospitals: it’s a medical term called diastolic blood pressure. It refers to the low-pressure level in the arteries when the heart contracts.
The second way is the way it’s usually measured in clinical settings: it’s a medical term called systolic blood pressure. It refers to the high-pressure level in the arteries when the heart contracts.
If the blood pressure reading is 130/80, it means the arteries are between 130 and 80 millimeters of mercury, or mm Hg. If the pressure is around 150/80, it means the arteries are between 150 and 80 mm Hg.
High blood pressure is also called arterial hypertension or essential hypertension. The most common cause of high blood pressure is being overweight. People with a higher body weight generally tend to have lower blood pressure.
Another cause of high blood pressure is a condition called metabolic syndrome. This is the combination of high blood pressure with low HDL (“good”) cholesterol, high triglycerides (another type of fat in the blood), obesity, and high blood sugar.
Still, other possible causes of high blood pressure include kidney damage, thyroid problems, medications (like steroid medications and corticosteroids), certain genetic conditions, cancer, anxiety, stress, insomnia, chronic kidney disease, and dehydration.
So now that we have the basics out of the way, let’s move on to the symptoms.
What are some of the symptoms of high blood pressure?
Here are some common symptoms of hypertension:
You feel dizzy or light-headed when you stand up too fast.
The feeling that your heart is racing.
Feeling tired or weak, particularly when you exert yourself.
You have chest pain that occurs when your heart is beating fast.
Feeling short of breath, or a tight feeling in your chest.
Feeling pain or tightness in your neck, jaw, arms, and back.
You feel like you are constantly thirsty.
If you notice any of these symptoms, be sure to let your doctor know. They might not all be caused by high blood pressure, but they’re all symptoms you should tell your doctor about.
