Hypertension
Say it: hy-pur-TEN-shun
Hypertension is a long-term condition in which the pressure of blood against artery walls stays higher than normal, straining the heart and vessels.
Also: high blood pressure
Definition
What is hypertension?
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, means that blood presses on the walls of the arteries with more force than normal over a long period. Blood pressure is written as two numbers in millimeters of mercury: systolic pressure, while the heart contracts, over diastolic pressure, while it relaxes between beats. The World Health Organization diagnoses hypertension when readings on two separate days reach 140/90 or more, while current United States guidelines use a lower threshold of 130/80.
Most cases are primary, or essential, hypertension, which has no single cause and develops gradually with age, family history, excess weight, salty diets, inactivity, heavy drinking and tobacco. Secondary hypertension results from another condition, such as kidney disease, or from certain medicines. Because raised pressure rarely causes symptoms, it is usually found only when blood pressure is measured.
Over years it makes the heart work harder and damages arteries, raising the risk of heart attack, heart failure, stroke and kidney failure. Treatment starts with lifestyle changes, such as eating less salt, losing weight and exercising, and many people also need drugs such as diuretics, ACE inhibitors or calcium channel blockers.
Word parts
Where does the word “hypertension” come from?
- hyper-
- over, above normalGreek hyper
- tension
- stretching, strainLatin tensio, from tendere, to stretch
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Related
Terms that go with it
- Blood pressureBlood pressure is the force that circulating blood exerts on the walls of the arteries, recorded as systolic over diastolic pressure in mm Hg.
- StrokeA stroke is a sudden loss of brain function that happens when an artery supplying the brain is blocked or bursts and bleeds.
- AtherosclerosisAtherosclerosis is a disease in which fatty plaque builds up inside artery walls, stiffening and narrowing the arteries and reducing blood flow.
- KidneyThe kidneys are two bean-shaped organs that filter the blood to make urine, balancing the body's water, salts and acid and helping set blood pressure.
- HeartThe heart is the hollow, muscular organ in the chest whose four chambers pump blood through the lungs and then around the rest of the body.
- Cardiac outputCardiac output is the volume of blood each ventricle of the heart pumps in one minute, equal to heart rate multiplied by stroke volume.
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