Dangerous Blood Pressure Level Can Provoke Significant Cardiac Problems

Medical practitioners measure the blood pressure in millimeters of mercury. An elevated systolic blood pressure level is any number higher than 140. An elevated diastolic blood pressure level is any measurement more than 90. Those of us who test higher than these numbers over successive medical screenings are considered to have stage one hypertension. Stage 2 hypertension is a diastolic measure above 100 and a systolic blood pressure level of more than 160. People who have stage 2 hypertension are considered to be in a medical emergency. Find out more about dangerous blood pressure levels.

How Do We Recognize This And What Can We Do?

Dangerously high blood pressure level do not always have a known cause. Nor will an individual with high blood pressure levels necessarily notice any symptoms. Consequently, high blood pressure is often described as the "silent killer." In fact a person can have high blood pressure level for several years without even knowing it. The only way to establish whether or not you have high blood pressure is with regular medical screenings. It is not until a person develops stage 2 hypertension that they begin to notice that anything is wrong.

A person with highly elevated blood pressure levels may notice a strong headache, queasiness, debility, and blurred vision. If you notice any of these problems and you know, or think that you might have hypertension, go to your health care provider immediately.

The Vulnerability

If high blood pressure is left unchecked it can do severe damage to the heart, blood vessels, eyes, and kidneys. People with dangerously high blood pressure levels, who do not receive the needed treatment are at very high risk of eye damage, stroke, aneurysm, heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, and even death. Therefore regular blood pressure screenings from a health care professional are critical.

What Are The Treatment Choices?

If two or more successive tests demonstrate that you have high blood pressure, then there is a great deal that you can do to help yourself. A healthy low-fat diet and regular exercise can help to lower your blood pressure. Even a moderate healthy weight loss can help reduce the problem of high blood pressure.

You should also eat less salt, cut down on alcohol consuption, and stop smoking if you partake in any of these habits. Many medications are also available to treat high blood pressure levels. Diuretics are helpful for people with stage one hypertension because they reduce the amount of sodium in the blood and decrease blood volume.

Your health care professional may also prescribe calcium channel blockers, which lower high blood pressure levels by reducing the regidity of the the muscles of the artery walls. Beta blockers are another option since they reduce the heart rate and decrease the strength of heart contractions to reduce some of the pressure. Then there are ACE inhibitors which inhibit a hormone called angiotensin, which is a chemical that makes the blood vessels tighten and can therefore exacerbate hypertension.

To learn about the full range of medicines available to treat dangerous levels of blood pressure, talk to your health care professional. Alternative programs are also available for natural control of blood pressure readings. There are exercises which reduce tension and stress. Acupuncture and meditation can also reduce your stress levels and bring down your blood pressure levels.