HEALTHY REASONING: High Blood Pressure – A Silent Killer

By Allan Jones
Pride Health Columnist

High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a medical condition in which the blood pressure is chronically elevated. In Canada there are approximately 6 million Canadians living with high blood pressure, but it is estimated that more than 2 million Canadians, are not aware of that they have high blood pressure.

Persistent high blood pressure is one of the risk factors for strokes, heart attacks, heart failure and arterial aneurysm, and is the leading cause of chronic kidney failure. High blood pressure occurs when the force of blood against the walls of the blood vessels is too high. You can have high blood pressure and do not know. Without treatment, high blood pressure can cause serious complications and even death.

The Government of Canada does not collect health data by race or ethnicity. Therefore, Canadian national health surveys do not provide specific information on the health of Black Canadians. However, the United Kingdom and the United States, collect health statistics on the significant numbers of Black people living there.

Here is some information collected which is useful for Blacks living in Canada:

> African Americans and people of African descent in the United Kingdom have among the highest rates of high blood pressure of any race or ethnic type in the world.

> 35% of African Americans have high blood pressure. This accounts for 20% of the African American deaths in the United States, which is two times greater than the percentage of deaths among whites from high blood pressure.

> Compared with whites, high blood pressure develops earlier in life, and average blood pressures are much higher in African Americans.

> African Americans with high blood pressure have an 80% higher chance of dying from a stroke than in the general population.

> African Americans with high blood pressure have a 20% higher chance of developing heart disease than in the general population.

> African Americans with high blood pressure have a 4 times greater risk of developing hypertension related end stage kidney disease than the general population.

According to the American Heart Association, in 90 percent to 95 percent of high blood pressure cases, there is no identifiable cause. The other 5 percent to 10 percent of high blood pressure cases are caused by an underlying condition. This type of high blood pressure, called secondary hypertension, appears suddenly.

Various conditions can lead to secondary hypertension, including kidney abnormalities, tumors of the adrenal gland, certain congenital heart defects. Some medications, including birth control pills, cold remedies, decongestants, over-the-counter pain relievers and some prescription drugs, also may cause secondary hypertension. Some illicit drugs, including cocaine and amphetamines, can increase blood pressure.

High blood pressure is usually found by a family doctor, nurse or other healthcare professional during a routine checkup.

According to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Canada, blood pressure that is consistently more than 140/90 mm Hg when measured in the doctor’s office or 135/85 mmHg when measured at home is considered high.

If you have diabetes, 140/90 mm Hg is high. Normal blood pressure is between 120/80 mm Hg and 129/84 mm Hg. If your blood pressure is between 130/85 mm Hg and 139/89 mm Hg, you have “high-normal” blood pressure, which is more likely to develop into high blood pressure.

In isolation, high blood pressure, usually produce no symptoms, but some people report headaches, fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, facial flushing or ringing in the ear.

High blood pressure has many risk factors, some you cannot control, and some you can.

High blood pressure is particularly common among Black individuals, often developing at an earlier age than it does in whites. Serious complications, such as stroke and heart attack, also are more common in Blacks. The risk of high blood pressure increases as you get older. Through early middle age, high blood pressure is more common in men. Women are more likely to develop high blood pressure after menopause. High blood pressure tends to run in families.

Other risk factors include too much salt in your diet, excess weight, inactivity, smoking, stress, low potassium intake, excessive alcohol. Certain chronic conditions, including high cholesterol, diabetes, kidney disease and sleep apnea, also may increase your risk of high blood pressure. Sometimes pregnancy contributes to high blood pressure.

If you are an adult and do not know your blood pressure measurement, ask your family doctor to do a measurement when next you visit him or her. If you are found to have high blood pressure, your doctor will institute measures, lifestyle adjustments and / or medications to keep your blood pressure under control. It is a good routine to have your blood pressure checked every time you visit your family doctor.

High blood pressure is a silent killer….You can have high blood pressure and not know….The longer high blood pressure remains untreated, the greater the possibility to inflict serious damage or even cause death.

For more information about blood pressure, speak to your family doctor or visit heartandstroke.com

Allan Jones is a Health Promoter and Broadcaster. He can be reached at ajones@jjmedical.ca