(USA Today) — Despite the well-known perils of high blood pressure, more than half of the 67 million American adults who have the condition don’t have it under control, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says in a new report out today.
“High blood pressure is public health enemy No. 2,” behind tobacco, says CDC director Thomas Frieden. “There is nothing that will save more lives than getting blood pressure under control,” he says.
“An elevated blood pressure reading is a life-threatening reading and prompt action of some sort needs to be taken.”
High blood pressure is defined as a reading greater than or equal to 140/90.
High blood pressure means the blood running through your arteries flows with too much force and puts pressure on your arteries, stretching them past their healthy limit and causing microscopic tears, the American Heart Association says.
The scar tissue that forms to repair those tears traps plaque and white blood cells, which can lead to blockages, blood clots and hardened, weakened arteries, the heart association says.
Hypertension is a major risk factor for heart disease and stroke, the first and fourth leading causes of death in the USA. This is leading to nearly 1,000 deaths a day every day of the year, Frieden says. The direct cost of high blood pressure is almost $131 billion annually, he says.
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My husband’s BP runs high and he is 84 years old. He takes Diovan 160 mg. The reading this morning was 160/92. Should I get him back in to see the Cardiologist?
I also have had problems with my blood pressure. When I discovered I had it, it was 180/110. I took all sorts of medication that did nothing so I decided to go to a Cardiologist. He put me on Diovan 320mg. Its the strongest dosage of Diovan you can get. Immediately my blood pressure came down. I still have it but the Diovan 320mg keeps it under control. I take the Diovan in the morning when I get up then at night I take Tenormin 50mg. I hope your husband will talk to his Dr. about increasing his dosage.
A good article, but one should be concerned up front about the direct effects on the heart, esp. the left ventricle, as well as effects on arteries of HBP. Hypertension leads to hypertrophy (abnormal enlargement) of the heart and eventually to a dilated heart and heart failure. Many cases have additional problems beyond congestive heart failure; they may also lead to problems with dyssynchrony, i.e., various locations of the heart do not activate and contract in the same synchronous way a normal heart does. This results is reduced ejection fractions (cardiac output of the blood) which may drop in half or even lower than normal.
And here it is 2012 and we still can’t find a cure for this. Modern medicine just goes down the same path they did 50 years ago by treating symptoms which have nothing to do with the underlying root cause nor does it prevent occurrences of heart attack or stroke according to the statistics.
I tend to agree with you, Ray F.
If millions of people are affected than one would expect that it would be worthwhile to find the root of this evil and to try to eliminate it by treating the cause, in order to save lives and reduce health care costs. Medications that need to be taken for the rest of your life are very expensive and become burden on the health care system.
Doctors will tell you hypertension is ‘inherited’ but not a single doctor will provide you with prove that tells you whether this indeed is a fact, or just an ‘assumption’. My mom’s blood pressure went out of control despite medication and a doctor on the other side of the globe, who does not know my mother, nor her medical history, told me that she did not take her medications. I know she did. She looked so sick that it was very obvious that she was on a cocktail of drugs. How does a medical practitioner get away with ‘assumptions’ being presented as facts?
I think their may actually be a cure, it’s just that most conventional docs don’t have a clue how to cure it. I have studied my own case based on the data for the past 10 months and yes this gets boring but I treated it as a detailed study and used a scientific approach much like I do in my career. I read extensively on hypertension and cardiovascular disease and came to the conclusion that this whole constellation of cardiovascular related conditions are caused by endothelial dysfunction which is the precursor to atherosclerosis. The western diet of meats, dairy and oil progressively injures the endothelium cells that line the arteries. The endothelium has a remarkable capability to heal itself over time. For me, plant based nutrition was the key to results. It has normalized my BP beautifully without the need for medication.
Quote: “There are several reasons why people who know they have high blood pressure don’t have it under control, Frieden says. The treatment plan either isn’t optimal or they are not taking their medication. They may be having trouble paying for it, he says.
Still, “medicine for high blood pressure works for nearly all patients.”
Does anybody ever ASK THE PATIENTS why they don’t take their medications?
Does anybody ever LISTEN TO PATIENTS when they say that due to debilitating side-effects they decided to discontinue the medications?
I am thankful for this forum, which helps bring together the many and diverse fine points of HBP and its causes; IMO it is like “inflammation”, a common symptom, with a wide set of many causes. I studied my own case, much the way I studied/resolved system problems at my job, and evaluated what my doctor said and prescribed. Now, instead of 5 medications that did not work, I take 2 meds, that do work, bringing my BP to nearly normal levels most of the time. I believe some supplements have aided my exercise routine, and healthy snacks and meals also help. Relying on prescriptions alone simply added to my BP problems; your doctor has to be willing to recognize that adding yet one more prescription is a warning that the treatment plan needs thorough re-evaluation.
Just curious, Mike. What meds did work for you? I have been on many different meds they all wear off and stop working after a while and the effects have been bad.