Hypertensive is defined as an irregular height in diastolic pressure and/or systolic pressure; mean arterial pressure is also elevated in hypertension, but it is not usually measured in people. Diastolic value was emphasized in assessing hypertension in past years, the. However, elevations in systolic pressure (“systolic hypertension”) are also associated with increased incidence of coronary and cerebrovascular disease (e.g., stroke). Therefore, we now recognize that both systolic and diastolic pressure values are important to note. According to the latest U.S. national guidelines (JNC 7 Report)), the following represents different stages of hypertension:
Hypertension is the situation of having high blood pressure. It is very general and affects around 50 million Americans of which about 30% are not yet diagnosed (NHLBI). We see that hypertension is an under-diagnosed condition because it causes damage to the body with no symptoms or only mild symptoms. “silent killer” is given a name for this reason.
Correct diagnosis of the cause of high blood pressure is main. Most cases of chronic hypertension are “primary hypertension” but a small percentage are “secondary hypertension” where the rise in blood pressure is caused by another underlying condition. During pregnancy hypertension is another common special case; it is called gestational hypertension, preeclampsia or eclampsia depending on its sternness.
