Blood pressure is a compression that pushes against the interior walls of the arteries as the heart propels blood throughout the body. Readings of blood pressure are logged in the form of a ratio. The numerator corresponds to the systolic pressure, which characterizes the strength of the blood during a heartbeat. The denominator, on the other side, symbolizes the diastolic pressure, which signifies the strength of the blood, stressing the walls of the artery while the heart is at rest (Dorans et al., 2018). A reading below 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) denotes normal blood pressure conditions (Dorans et al., 2018). In comparison, the prehypertension condition occurs when the pressure of the blood rises above the regular state readings but below 140/90 mmHg (Dorans et al., 2018). Notably, any blood pressure readings beyond the latter readings result in hypertension.
Hypertension is frequently regarded as a silent killer because it does not exhibit any symptoms during its early stages. It is, therefore, ascertained after causing substantial mutilation to the cardiovascular system. Subsequently, it is a dangerous ailment that affects the majority of people without realizing that they have it unless they are diagnosed. Additionally, the condition causes other inherent body complications which often contribute to numerous deaths in the population. Mutilation of arteries that transport blood to the muscles of the heart often causes heart attacks, while the injury of the arteries delivering blood to the brain results in a stroke. Also, the impairment of the arteries that transfer blood to the kidneys contributes to kidney failure (Markandu, 2020). Consequently, early hypertension detection, prompt treatment undertaking, and appropriate changes in lifestyle can avert the risk of congestive failure of heart, stroke, nephropathy, heart attack, and retinopathy.
References
Dorans, K., Mills, K., Liu, Y., & He, J. (2018). Trends in prevalence and control of hypertension according to the 2017 American College of Cardiology/American Heart Association (ACC/AHA) guideline. Journal of the American Heart Association, 7(11).
Markandu, N. (2020). Hypertension: Don’t be silent about ‘the silent killer.’ Practice Nursing, 31(8), 352-353.