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Anatomical Charts & Posters
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What is High Blood Pressure?
When the heart beats, it pumps blood out to all parts of the body thru the arteries creating force or pressure against thewalls of the
arteries.Likeair ina tire,bloodfillsarteries toacertaincapacity.But justas toomuchairpressurecandamagea tire,highbloodpressure
candamagehealthyarteries.Whenbloodpressure ishigh theheartmustworkharder topump the sameamountofblood through the
arteries.Bloodpressure rises and fallsduring theday, butwhen bloodpressure stayshigh over time, it is calledhigh bloodpressure
(HBP)orhypertension.Thewear and tear causedbyuntreatedhighbloodpressure can causedamage to theheart,kidneys and eyes,
and increases the risk forheart attack, stroke,kidney failure, coronaryarterydisease,andother serioushealthproblems.
How is Blood Pressure Measured?
Bloodpressure ismeasuredwith a simple testusingabloodpressure cuff.The cuff iswrapped around
yourupper arm and inflated enough to stop thebloodflow inyourartery fora few seconds.When the cuff
is releasedordeflated, thefirst soundheardbyyourhealth careprovider through the stethoscope is the
whooshing soundofyourheartpushingblood intoyour arteries.This is called the “systolic”bloodpressure.
The“diastolic”bloodpressure iswhen thisnoisedisappears, indicating theheart is relaxed.
The systolicbloodpressurenumber is always statedfirst followedby thediastolicnumber.
For example,yourbloodpressuremaybe read as“117over 76”,orwritten “117/76”.
Two numbers are used to describe blood pressure:
Diastolic (bottom number)
The second number is lower than the
systolic pressure and measures blood pressure when the heart relaxes between
beats.This is called “diastolic bloodpressure.”Anormal healthy number is around 76.
Your blood pressure normally changes throughout the day. It rises when you are
active, and lowerswhenyouare resting.
117
76
mm Hg
Systolic (top number)
The top number called “systolic blood pressure”
measures bloodpressurewhen the heartpumps blood forward through the arteries to
the restofyourbody.This force createspressureon thearteries.Bloodpressure ishighest
when theheartbeats,pumping theblood.Anormalhealthynumber isaround117.
mmHg
isameasurementofpressure
Types and Causes of High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
Primary or essential hypertension
is themost common type of high blood pressure. Inmost cases the exact causes are
unknown;however thereare several factors that increaseor contribute toyour chancesofdevelopinghighbloodpressure:
•Obesityorbeingoverweight
•Lackofphysical activity
•Poordiet, especiallyone that includes toomuch saltand too littlepotassium
•Genetics and familymedicalhistory
•Age andgender
•High levelsof alcohol consumption
•Ethnicbackground
•Stress
•Smoking and secondhand smoke
Secondaryhypertension
may result from aknown cause such as:
•Chronickidneydisease
•Adrenal and thyroidproblemsor tumors
•Diabetes
•Pregnancy
•Someneurologicdisorders
Signs and Symptoms of High Blood Pressure
Most of the time, high bloodpressuredoes not cause any symptoms. It is oftendiagnosedwhen apatient visits theirphysician for a
routine check-up.Many peopledo not realize they have high blood pressure until it has causeddamage to their body. In rare cases,
headaches can result from extremelyhighbloodpressure.
Complications of High Blood Pressure
Understanding
High Blood Pressure
BRAIN
Stroke
–Bloodvessels in thebrain thataredamaged,weakened
andnarrowedbyhighbloodpressuremaybulgeout (aneurysm)
andburst causingblood to seep into thebrain tissue (hemorrhage).
Orblood clotsmay form in thearteries leading to thebrain,
blockingbloodflow.
Transient IschemicAttack
–TIA (ministroke) isabrief,
temporarydisruptionofblood supply to thebrain. It’soften
causedby atherosclerosisor ablood clot—bothofwhich
canbe a resultofhighbloodpressure.
EYES
Thickened,narrowedor tornbloodvessels in the eyesmay result
invision loss.
Damagedbloodvessels
in the retinaof the eye
Thickened arterywalls
Arteriosclerosis
Plaquebuilduponwallsof artery
Atherosclerosis
Thickenedheartmuscle
LeftVentricularHypertrophy
Blocked coronary arteries
Angina
Blood clot
Hemorrhage
Aneurysm
BLOODVESSELS
Highbloodpressure candamage the innerwallsofarteries causing them to thicken
andharden, a condition called
arteriosclerosis
.Cholesterolandother substances
(plaque) in theblood can collecton thedamagedwallsof thearteries;a condition
called
atherosclerosis
; andmayblockbloodflow causingproblems such as chest
pain (angina),heart attack,heart failure,kidney failure, stroke,blockedarteries
inyour legsor arms (peripheral arterialdisease), eyedamage, and aneurysms.
High Blood Pressure in Children
Teens, childrenand evenbabies canhavehighbloodpressure.Althoughhigh
bloodpressure is farmore commonamong adults, the rate amongkids ison the
rise, a trend that experts link to the increase in childhoodobesity.Early
diagnosisandtreatmentcan reduceorprevent theharmful complications
ofhighbloodpressure.TheAmericanHeartAssociation recommends
thatall childrenhave theirbloodpressuremeasuredyearly.Children
have the same test forhighbloodpressure as adults;however,
interpreting thenumbers ismoredifficult.Your child’s
physicianwilluse chartsbasedonyour child’sgender,
height, age andbloodpressurenumbers todetermine
whetherornotyour childhashighbloodpressure.
KIDNEYS
Highbloodpressure isoneof themost common causesof
kidney failure. It candamageboth the large arteries leading
to thekidneys and the tinybloodvesselswithin thekidneys.
Damage to eitherprevents thekidneys from effectivelyfilteringwaste
from theblood,allowingdangerous levelsoffluidandwaste toaccumulate.
Glomerulus –filters
waste fromblood
Bloodvessel
damagedby
Arteriosclerosis
HighBloodpressure that isnot controlled can cause long-termdamage toyourblood
vessels,brain,heart,kidneys,and eyes.Learningaboutyourbloodpressure canhelp
reduceyour riskofhavinga strokeorheartattack. Askyourhealth careprovider to
checkyourbloodpressure today.
ANEURYSM
Over time, the constantpressureofbloodmoving throughaweakenedartery
cancauseasectionof itswall toenlargeand formabulge (aneurysm).Ananeurysm
canburst and cause internalbleeding.Aneurysms can form in anyartery in
thebody,but they’remost common in theaorta, thebody’s largestartery.
Aortic aneurysm
Burst aneurysm
HEART
CoronaryArteryDisease (CAD)
–Affects the arteries that supplyblood to
theheart.Thickened andnarrowed coronaryarteriespreventblood from
flowing freely to theheart, causing chestpain (angina),heart attackor irregular
heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
LeftVentricularHypertrophy (LVH)
–Highbloodpressure forces theheart to
workharder topumpblood to the restof thebody.This causes theheart’s leftpumping
chamber (the leftventricle) to thickenor stiffen limiting theventricle’sability topump
blood, increasing the riskofheartattack,heart failureand sudden cardiacdeath.
Heart failure
–Over time, the strainon theheart fromhighbloodpressure
can cause theheart toweakenandwork less efficiently, eventually
failing tomeet thebody’sdemand forblood.
PublishedbyAnatomicalChartCompany |
Developed in consultationwithDr.DouglasS.Moodie.
© 2014
Highbloodpressure canbepreventedandmanagedbestby adjustingyour lifestyle.Decreaseyourbloodpressureby:
•Reducebodyweight ifoverweight
•Maintainahealthyweight
•Eathealthy foods
•Decrease salt inyourdiet
•Decrease fat inyourdiet
• Increasefiber inyourdiet
•Donot smoke
•Avoidexcessive alcohol intake
•Exercise regularly
•Manage stress
•Followyourphysician’s instructionsand
takeanymedicationsasprescribed
Prevention and Management
*Your doctor should evaluateunusuallylow blood pressurereadings.
or
Diastolic
mmHg (lower #)
Hypertensive Crisis
(Emergency care needed)
Higher than
180
Higher than
110
90 – 99
100
orhigher
or
or
Healthy and Unhealthy Blood Pressure Levels
Blood Pressure
Category
Systolic
mmHg (upper #)
80 – 89
or
120 – 139
Prehypertension
High Blood Pressure
(Hypertension)
Stage 1
High Blood Pressure
(Hypertension)
Stage 2
less than
80
and
less than
120
Normal
140 – 159
160
orhigher
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