How High Blood Pressure Causes Diseases of the Arteries
High blood pressure or hypertension as it is referred to by some people is a deadly disease condition that can lead to diseases of the arteries if proper care is not taken.
The blood pressure is maintained and varied mostly by the tone of the muscular walls of the arteries.
In elderly patients, thickening and hardening may occur widely in these muscular walls, leading to a risk in the blood pressure.
This rise may be secondary to kidney disease and a few endocrine disorders, but appears often to be primary, when it is known as essential hypertension.
The effects are felt first by the heart, which has to put out the blood against increased resistance, by the cerebrum, where a vascular accident like hemorrhage or thrombosis may occur, by the retina, shown by limitation of sight; and by the kidney, which may show albuninuria leading to uraemia.
Mild hypertension is compatible with many years of comfortable life and treatment consists of giving a tranquilizer such as diazepam (valium) in small doses and advocating a quiet life on a simple non- fattening diet.
Sever hypertension especially arising rapidly in comparatively young patients requires active treatment if sight is to be saved, and heart failure, cerebro-vascular accident or uraemia averted.
The patient is admitted to a medical ward and his clinical condition carefully assessed; accurate observation on the pulse, urine and blood pressure are especially important.
New drugs to treat hypertension are regularly introduced; methlydopa, clonidine and propanolol are currents drugs.
Methyldopa reduces the constricting effects on blood vessels of the sympathetic system and can cause gig falls in the blood pressure.
Such a fall may occur suddenly when the patients gets up from bed and gastric upsets, nasal congestion, dry mouth and drowsiness are unwanted side effects.
Dizziness can arise quite suddenly and patients must be warned of this hazard.
The most striking clinical impression made on nurses by these drugs is the disappointing fact that though they may lower the blood effectively, this fall is accompanied by worrying side effects.
He must be warned not to get up suddenly from bed or the drain of blood from the brain can cause fainting.
Constipation, difficulty in micturition are common complications and the patient must be helped through the initial discouraging phase by assurance that once his blood pressure is stabilized at lower level, he will feel better and complications will be averted.
The blood pressure is maintained and varied mostly by the tone of the muscular walls of the arteries.
In elderly patients, thickening and hardening may occur widely in these muscular walls, leading to a risk in the blood pressure.
This rise may be secondary to kidney disease and a few endocrine disorders, but appears often to be primary, when it is known as essential hypertension.
The effects are felt first by the heart, which has to put out the blood against increased resistance, by the cerebrum, where a vascular accident like hemorrhage or thrombosis may occur, by the retina, shown by limitation of sight; and by the kidney, which may show albuninuria leading to uraemia.
Mild hypertension is compatible with many years of comfortable life and treatment consists of giving a tranquilizer such as diazepam (valium) in small doses and advocating a quiet life on a simple non- fattening diet.
Sever hypertension especially arising rapidly in comparatively young patients requires active treatment if sight is to be saved, and heart failure, cerebro-vascular accident or uraemia averted.
The patient is admitted to a medical ward and his clinical condition carefully assessed; accurate observation on the pulse, urine and blood pressure are especially important.
New drugs to treat hypertension are regularly introduced; methlydopa, clonidine and propanolol are currents drugs.
Methyldopa reduces the constricting effects on blood vessels of the sympathetic system and can cause gig falls in the blood pressure.
Such a fall may occur suddenly when the patients gets up from bed and gastric upsets, nasal congestion, dry mouth and drowsiness are unwanted side effects.
Dizziness can arise quite suddenly and patients must be warned of this hazard.
The most striking clinical impression made on nurses by these drugs is the disappointing fact that though they may lower the blood effectively, this fall is accompanied by worrying side effects.
He must be warned not to get up suddenly from bed or the drain of blood from the brain can cause fainting.
Constipation, difficulty in micturition are common complications and the patient must be helped through the initial discouraging phase by assurance that once his blood pressure is stabilized at lower level, he will feel better and complications will be averted.