Infectious Disease Blog Post

Infectious Disease Blog Post

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University of Phoenix

Infectious Disease Blog Post

High Blood Pressure

Anyone can get high blood pressure. But, some people have a greater chance of having it because of things they can’t change. These are:

Age. The chance of having high blood pressure increases as you get older.

Gender. Before age 55, men have a greater chance of having high blood pressure. Women are more likely to have high blood pressure after menopause.

Family history. High blood pressure tends to run in some families.

Race. African Americans are at increased risk for high blood pressure.

You can have high blood pressure, or hypertension, and still feel just fine. That’s because high blood pressure often does not cause signs of illness that you can see or feel. But, high blood pressure, sometimes called “the silent killer,” is very common in older people and a major health problem. If high blood pressure isn’t controlled with lifestyle changes and medicine, it can lead to stroke, heart disease, eye problems, kidney failure, and other health problems. High blood pressure can also cause shortness of breath during light physical activity or exercise. (National Institute on Aging, 2015)

High blood pressure is very common in older people. As we age, our vascular system changes. Arteries get stiffer, so blood pressure goes up. This is true even for people who have heart-healthy habits

Vaccine or Treatment

There are many lifestyle changes you can make to lower your risk of high blood pressure:

Keep a healthy weight. Being overweight adds to your risk of high blood pressure

Exercise every day. Moderate exercise can lower your risk of high blood pressure.

Eat a healthy diet.

Don’t smoke. Smoking increases your risk for high blood pressure, heart disease, stroke, and other health problems. 

Manage stress. Relaxing and coping with problems can help lower high blood pressure.

If these lifestyle changes don’t lower your blood pressure to a safe level, your doctor will also prescribe medicine. You may try several kinds or combinations of medicines before finding a plan that works best for you. Medicine can control your blood pressure, but it can’t cure it. You will likely need to take medicine for the rest of your life. According to the information, there is no known cure for high blood pressure.

Worldwide, raised blood pressure is estimated to cause 7.5 million deaths, about 12.8% of the total of all deaths. Globally, the overall prevalence of raised blood pressure in adults aged 25 and over was around 40% in 2008. The proportion of the world’s population with high blood pressure, or uncontrolled hypertension, fell modestly between 1980 and 2008. However, because of population growth and ageing, the number of people with uncontrolled hypertension rose from 600 million in 1980 to nearly 1 billion in 2008.

Across the WHO regions, the prevalence of raised blood pressure was highest in Africa, where it was 46% for both sexes combined. Both men and women have high rates of raised blood pressure in the Africa region, with prevalence rates over 40%. The lowest prevalence of raised blood pressure was in the WHO Region of the Americas at 35% for both sexes. Men in this region had higher prevalence than women (39% for men and 32% for women). In all WHO regions, men have slightly higher prevalence of raised blood pressure than women. This difference was only statistically significant in the Americas and Europe. (World Health Organization, 2018)

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Conclusion

References

National Institute on Aging. 03/01/2015. Retrieved from https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/high-blood-pressure

World Health Organization. (2018). Retrieved from http://www.who.int/gho/ncd/risk_factors/blood_pressure_prevalence_text/en/

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