Benign
Essential Hypertension
Benign essential hypertension is a mild case of high blood pressure
that has no apparent cause. About 5% of people have the
slightly more serious, the malignant, one that causes organ damage
and it can lead to sudden death. The 95% who have high
blood pressure have essential hypertension.
It is thought that the condition has
several underlying unknown causes because treatment seems to work for
some people, but not for others.
The trouble with benign essential hypertension
While benign essential hypertension is less serious than malignant
hypertension, it can still cause serious problems if left untreated.
The condition puts extra pressure on the heart and in some cases, this
could lead to hypertrophy of the left ventricle. It can also lead to
small artery disorders and it could lead to the development of
atherosclerosis. Therefore, it is vital that essential hypertension be
treated as soon as possible.
The causes and symptoms to look out for
As already mentioned, the exact cause of sssential hypertension is not
currently known. It is thought that there are a number of different
causes. What caused one person’s benign hypertension may not have
caused another person’s condition. Which means that the cause is
usually
difficult to predict.
Possible causes of the health condition include the size of the
arteries, genetic, a salty diet, lack of exercise, conditions that
affect the blood vessels, kidneys or nervous system and stress. There
are many possible causes and what you really need to look out for is
the symptoms of the condition. Typically, benign essential hypertension
often shows no signs. A
person can feel completely healthy apart from a few mild symptoms.
These include headache, dizziness, shortness of breath, nose bleeds,
red or pale skin, tiredness and nausea. In very rare cases, the first
symptom that a patient may have is a stroke.
Diagnosing
and treating the condition
To diagnose benign hypertension, the doctor will test the blood
pressure. If it is considered high then the problem will be monitored
and if after around three visits the patient's blood pressure is still
quite high, hypertension will be diagnosed. If the doctor wants to
check the cause of the hypertension, they may also give the patient
urine or blood tests, as well as x-rays or an electrocardiogram. If no
cause is found for the hypertension then it will be diagnosed as
essential hypertension.
Treating
essential
hypertension often requires a little trial and
error. Some people react well to certain medication, while others find
that it has no affect on them at all. For this reason, it is considered
lucky if you find the right treatment straight away. Once you have
found a medication that works it is vital that you take it around the
same time every day. If you miss a dose, it could set the treatment
back as hypertension medications needs to be taken daily to be
effective. Before medication is offered, it is also likely that the
doctor will advise the patient to try various lifestyle changes to see
if that makes a difference.
This essential high blood pressure is a mild health condition, but if
left untreated it
can cause serious health problems. If you think that you are suffering
from the condition then you should see your doctor as soon as possible
to get a proper diagnosis.
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