High blood pressure: How you fit manage hypertension plus treatment

Hypertension, dey known as high or raised blood pressure, e be condition wia di blood vessels dey get much pressure. Blood waka from di heart to all parts of di body in di vessels.

Anytime wey di heart beat, e go pump blood inside di vessels. Blood pressure dey shelle by di force of blood wey push against di wall of blood vessels (arteries) as di heart pump am . Di higher di pressure, di harder di heart ghas to pump.

For inside one World Health Organisation report, dem say hypertension be serious medical condition and fit increase di risk of heart, brain, kidney and oda diseases.

E be major cause of premature death worldwide, wit upward of one out four men and one out of five women

BBC Pidgin follow sabi pesin on health mata, Dr Habibah Aminu wey be consultant wit di Federal Medical Centre Lokoja yarn and she explain how hypertension be.

She yarn say Hypertension mean say blood pressure dey elevated. E fit be asymptomatic, dis one mean say, no symptoms at all.

“Dis na why e dey important to check your blood pressure wen you dey above 25 years old. I be see one 22-yr-old wey get high blood pressure di oda day, she add.

How to know say you get hypertension

Dr Habibah Aminu say she go like divide dis part into two:

  • symptoms wey rise directly from hypertension
  • and symptoms wey originate from complications of hypertension.

She add say di most common be headache, as most symptoms dey arise wen complications don set in.

Di complications from hypertension simply mean say di result of blood pressure wey rise for body. Di brain, kidneys, eyes, heart fit dey affected, she tok.

If e affect brain

Dr Habibah Aminu also explain di kind hypertension wey dey affect brain, she say If e affect di brain, na stroke dem dey call am.

And patients no go fit use dia limbs (example be right limbs or left limbs). Dia fit be tok wey no clear wit saliva wey dey comot side by side, dia fit even be coma depending on di location and type of di stroke.

As extension of di brain, complications fit rise from tiny wires wey dey derived from di brain wey dem dey call ‘nerves’.

Na dis one dem dey call neuropathy. Patient fit get tingling or peppery sensations on di sole of dia feet or around dia eyes or head, e dey vary for different pipo.

High blood pressure fit be risk to brain health

BBC

How you fit manage high blood pressure

Some simple lifestyle changes fit help you reduce high blood pressure.

Dr Habibah Aminu further tok say na from management prevention

  • diet-Low salt diet,
  • no red beef, no carbs or sugar,
  • no sweeteners,
  • reduce weight,
  • exercise moderately,
  • plus use of anti hypertensive”.
  • drink less caffeine – found inside coffee, tea and cola
  • stop smoking – get help quitting

She add say , e dey unfortunate, say di fact say pesin be black African tilt you towards Hypertension, so pesin ghas work extra hard.

According to Dr Habibah, wen pesin dey hypertensive, e ghas do secondary prevention, e mean to prevent complications

If e affect di kidneys, dem dey call am Acute Kidney Injury or Chronic Kidney Disease.

Di symptoms include reduced or no urinary output or even excess urinary output; Swollen feet and faces; General body swelling; Dizziness from low blood level.

If e affect di heart, na Hypertensive heart disease dem dey call am.

How dat one be be say, “heart become enlarge and cause fluid to gather, wey lead to breathlessness, palpitation (awareness of your heartbeat), swollen feet, chest pain.

If e affect di eyes, e fit lead to gradual visual impairment(make pesin no see wella) wey fit lead to total blindness.

Wen treatment dey recommended

Your doctor go carry out some blood and urine tests, and ask questions about your health to determine your risk of oda problems:

  • if your blood pressure is consistently above 140/90mmHg (or 135/85mmHg at home), but your risk of oda problems dey low – dem go advise make you make some changes to your lifestyle
  • if your blood pressure dey consistently above 140/90mmHg (or 135/85mmHg at home) and your risk of oda problems dey high – dem go give you medicine to lower your blood pressure, plus lifestyle changes
  • if your blood pressure dey consistently above 160/100mmHg – dem go give you medicine to lower your blood pressure, plus lifestyle changes

Source: NHS