Doctors say hypertension is a killer

HYDERABAD: “Hypertension is one of the leading depressive illnesses that cause serious threats to human life,” said cardiologist and professor at the ISRA University Hospital, Hyderabad, Feroz Memon on Monday. Hypertension prevails among people who feel guilty or anxious about things in the past, present or future, said Memon, who added that the medical condition is commonly termed as “high blood pressure” and is formally called “arterial hypertension”, if no qualifier is offered.

People who have high blood pressure have a higher chance of getting heart attacks, strokes, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, while the disease can also lead to chronic renal failure, Memon said, adding that the disease is believed to be the single biggest cause of deaths worldwide through strokes, heart attacks and kidney related diseases.

Hypertension is classified as “a silent killer” because it has no symptoms, Memon went on to explain. High blood pressure often runs in the family, which indicates that the disease has a strong genetic component. People with high blood pressure may also experience headaches, dizziness or a ringing sound in their ears, but the reasons behind these symptoms can also be accredited to other diseases. The best way to determine if someone has high blood pressure is to visit a doctor, he added.

Medication for the disease, however, can cause side effects, depending on the person as well as the type of drug being taken. Side effects could include dizziness, nausea, stomach problems, fatigue, impotence, insomnia and loss of appetite, said Memon, who contended that preventing hypertension is better than treating it. Excercise, weight control and a healthy diet are some ways to avert hypertension as blood pressure controls a number of organs and systems within our body, including the heart, kidney, brain and adrenal glands, he added.

The disease is classified either as Essential or Secondary, he added, explaining that while in the past many doctors diagnosed high blood pressure based on diastolic pressure (the smaller number), recent research suggests that systolic pressure is a much better indicator of hypertension, particularly among older people.

When no specific medical cause can be found to explain a patient’s condition, Essential hypertension is usually the reason behind the symptoms. Secondary hypertension, however, accredits high blood pressure to kidney diseases or certain tumours, Memon explained.

“Blood pressure varies from person to person and can fluctuate from moment to moment. Which is why a few high readings do not necessarily mean that a person has hypertension,” Memon said, who added that people should nevertheless check their blood pressure regularly to avoid falling prey to the disease.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 22^nd, 2010.