HYPERTENSION Vicki is a 45-year-old African American women who is self-employed. She travels a lot for work and eats at fast food restaurants for most of her meals. Vicki has been diagnosed with hypertension (high blood pressure). Hypertension is a common disease that affects the heart and blood vessels. Hypertension usually develops slowly and is often overlooked, some people go years without knowing they have it, however, this disease can be managed with medication, a healthy diet, exercise, and lowering stress levels (Mayo clinic, 2016).
HOW HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE IS DETERMINED Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood the heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood the heart pumps and …show more content…
Sometimes hypertension is referred to as the “silent killer” this is because most people are not aware they suffer from it. Although, high blood pressure shows little to no signs or symptoms, it is easily detected through checking your blood pressure regularly. Some people might experience headaches, shortness of breath, or nosebleeds. People that do not check their blood pressure regularly can suffer from uncontrolled hypertension, which puts the person at a high risk for heart attacks, kidney failure, aneurysms, heart failure, and strokes. Causes of hypertension can be linked to kidney problems, obstructed sleep apnea, stress, obesity, Thyroid problems, adrenal gland tumors, illegal drug use, excessive alcohol, and smoking. Other than health related issues causing hypertension there are social aspects that are linked to the disease as well, such as, African Americans are at higher risk than Caucasians, women around the age 45 are at higher risk than men, people who have a high sodium diet, and people who get too little vitamin D and potassium are also at a higher risk (Mayo clinic, …show more content…
Some medications that a doctor will do to help lower blood pressure are diuretics, beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzymes (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARBs), calcium channel blockers, and renin inhibitors to name a few. Sometimes through a healthy diet and exercise hypertension can be controlled without medication if it is caught soon enough. People who are affected with high blood pressure will benefit from healthy eating habits, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. This diet plan was first created to lower blood pressure. The diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish, low fat dairy foods, and much more. Other important things that can be done to naturally lower blood pressure is to increase exercise to 30 mins a day, decrease the use of alcohol, quit smoking, manage stress, and cut out foods with trans fats and saturated fats (Mayo clinic, 2016).
THE COST OF HYPERTENSION There are about 70 million Americans that suffer from hypertension that is 1 out of every 3 people. As of 2011, the direct and indirect national cost associated with hypertension was around $46 billion dollars. This cost included care settings, medications, and lost wages due to missed work. As a result of this the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds programs in all 50 stated and DC that focuses
HOW HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE IS DETERMINED Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood the heart pumps and the amount of resistance to blood flow in your arteries. The more blood the heart pumps and …show more content…
Sometimes hypertension is referred to as the “silent killer” this is because most people are not aware they suffer from it. Although, high blood pressure shows little to no signs or symptoms, it is easily detected through checking your blood pressure regularly. Some people might experience headaches, shortness of breath, or nosebleeds. People that do not check their blood pressure regularly can suffer from uncontrolled hypertension, which puts the person at a high risk for heart attacks, kidney failure, aneurysms, heart failure, and strokes. Causes of hypertension can be linked to kidney problems, obstructed sleep apnea, stress, obesity, Thyroid problems, adrenal gland tumors, illegal drug use, excessive alcohol, and smoking. Other than health related issues causing hypertension there are social aspects that are linked to the disease as well, such as, African Americans are at higher risk than Caucasians, women around the age 45 are at higher risk than men, people who have a high sodium diet, and people who get too little vitamin D and potassium are also at a higher risk (Mayo clinic, …show more content…
Some medications that a doctor will do to help lower blood pressure are diuretics, beta blockers, angiotensin-converting enzymes (ACE) inhibitors, angiotensin II receptor blocker (ARBs), calcium channel blockers, and renin inhibitors to name a few. Sometimes through a healthy diet and exercise hypertension can be controlled without medication if it is caught soon enough. People who are affected with high blood pressure will benefit from healthy eating habits, the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) diet. This diet plan was first created to lower blood pressure. The diet includes fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish, low fat dairy foods, and much more. Other important things that can be done to naturally lower blood pressure is to increase exercise to 30 mins a day, decrease the use of alcohol, quit smoking, manage stress, and cut out foods with trans fats and saturated fats (Mayo clinic, 2016).
THE COST OF HYPERTENSION There are about 70 million Americans that suffer from hypertension that is 1 out of every 3 people. As of 2011, the direct and indirect national cost associated with hypertension was around $46 billion dollars. This cost included care settings, medications, and lost wages due to missed work. As a result of this the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) funds programs in all 50 stated and DC that focuses