High Blood Pressure and Stroke
Keith Londrie
High blood pressure (hypertension) is among the first causes of stroke.
Almost 70% of all strokes are caused by hypertension, the statistics say.
Moreover a person with hypertension is four times more likely to have stroke
than a person with healthy blood pressure.
Having read the above, you probably have at least a few questions ready in
your mind. We have tried to answer them below.
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the measurement of the force that the blood exercises over
the arteries walls when passing through. If the hypertension is high the
blood is putting extra pressure to the artery walls.
What causes hypertension?
Hypertension is caused by various factors including an unhealthy diet
(including a lot of salt and fats), obesity, lack of exercise, smoking,
stress, drinking abuse, drug abuse, high cholesterol, family history of
cardiovascular problems, diabetes, gender (men are more likely to suffer
from hypertension).
Why hypertension is a risk factor for stroke?
Hypertension has different effects over the human body. It can accelerate
the effect of atherosclerosis (narrowing the walls of the blood vessels
because of build-up of fatty plaques). These plaques can be off the artery
walls and can block the blood supply to the brain and to cause a stroke. In
addition chronic hypertension weakens the walls of the blood vessels which
increase the risk of hemorrhagic stroke (caused by bleeding within the
brain). In other cases hypertension helps thicken artery walls due to the
constant strain applied which reduces their flexibility and makes them
fragile and easy to rupture. This may also result into a stroke.
What shall I do to prevent stoke if I have high blood pressure?
First of all ask your doctor to carry the required tests and estimate the
severity of the problem. He will prescribe you some medications that will
normalize your blood pressure. If you have close relatives suffering from
cardiovascular diseases and high blood pressure in particular, start making
regular checks early. One of the great dangers is that many people suffer
from hypertension and don't even realize it this is due to the fact that
there are no symptoms at the begging. A healthy diet will greatly help
improve not only your overall health but the health of your cardiovascular
system. A low-salt diet rich of fibers is great for this purpose. However
consult with a specialist and don't just apply a diet of your own. Try to
reduce stress as much as possible. Quit smoking. Smoking is a stroke factor
on its own and on the top of this it is among the risk factors for high
blood pressure. The substances contained in cigarette smoke increase the
blood pressure, increase the c
holesterol levels and harm oxygen supply
Keith Londrie II is the and publisher of http://life-after-strokes.info A
website that specializes in providing tips on Life After Strokes that you
can research on the internet. Please Visit
http://life-after-strokes.info
Today!
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