Hypertension
Introduction:
Hypertension is a chronic disease that mostly affects the blood vessels.
Olden days mostly the elderly only can have hypertension but now a day’s even
young adults or children can get it. If people identify how to prevent getting hypertension
and live a healthy and longer life.
First, how hypertension occurs in simple explanation:
There were two ways to have hypertension first when a person becomes older the elasticity of the blood vessels becomes less and second if the person is having an unhealthy lifestyle this can lead to the accumulation of plaque or cholesterol in the blood vessels walls. This causes the blood moving to be difficult and causes high pressure in the blood vessels causing hypertension.
https://youtu.be/4p5_pnCJZPU
What can cause hypertension?
1- Older aging
2- Sedentary lifestyle
3- Eating an unhealthy diet
4- Overweight or Obesity
5- Smoking
6- Increase salt in the diet
7- Not doing exercises
8- Stress
Ranges of blood pressure:
Below 90/40 hypotension
100/60 – 130/80 ideal blood pressure
Above 140/90 hypertension
Signs and symptoms of hypertension:
How to manage hypertension:
1- Recheck your blood pressure every week regular bases to prevent increases in blood pressure.
2- Take your medication as the doctor's order
3- Regular follow-up with your health care professional to identify the improvement in your health status.
4- Reduce oil and salt in your diet
5- Do exercise daily like walking, jogging, and swimming
6- Eat a healthy diet and follow a strict diet plan.
7- Drink plenty of water like normal adults with 8 cups of water per day.
8- Reduce the stress in your life.
How to check blood pressure manually?
•
Check the medical order
•
Perform hand hygiene and put on your
gloves, if indicated.
•
Identify the patient, provide privacy
•
Explain the procedure with the patient and
assess patient’s ability to assist with the procedure.
•
Validate that the patient has relaxed for
several minutes.
•
Select the appropriate arm for application of
the cuff.
•
Have the patient assume a comfortable lying
or sitting position with the forearm supported at the level of the heart and
the palm of the hand upward, make sure the patient keeps the legs uncrossed.
•
Expose the brachial artery, Palpate the
location of the brachial artery.
•
Center the bladder of the cuff over the
brachial artery, about midway on the arm, so that the lower edge of the cuff is
about 2.5 to 5 cm (1 to 2 in) above the inner aspect of the elbow. Line up the
artery marking on the cuff with the patient’s brachial artery. The tubing
should extend from the edge of the cuff nearer the patient’s elbow.
•
Wrap the cuff around the arm smoothly and
snugly, and fasten it. Do not allow any clothing to interfere with the proper
placement of the cuff.
•
Check that the needle on the aneroid gauge
is within the zero mark. If using a mercury manometer, check to see that the
manometer is in the vertical position and that the mercury is within the zero
level with the gauge at eye level, if using watch make sure the gage on zero
•
Palpate the pulse at the brachial or radial
artery by pressing gently with the fngertips.
•
Tighten the screw valve on the air pump.
•
Inflate the cuff while continuing to palpate
the artery. Note the point on the gauge where the pulse disappears, Deflate the
cuff and wait 1 minute.
•
Place the stethoscope earpieces in your
ears. Direct the earpieces forward into the canal and not against the ear
itself.
•
Place the bell or diaphragm of the
stethoscope firmly but with as little pressure as possible over the brachial
artery. Do not allow the stethoscope to touch clothing or the cuff.
•
Pump the pressure 30 mm Hg above the point
at which the systolic pressure was palpated and estimated.
•
Open the valve on the manometer and allow
air to escape slowly (allowing the gauge to drop 2 to 3 mm per second),note the
point on the gauge at which the first faint, but clear, sound appears that
slowly increases in intensity. Note this number as the systolic pressure.
•
Do not reinflate the cuff once the air is
being released to recheck the systolic pressure reading, note the point at
which the sound completely disappears, note this number as the diastolic
pressure.
•
Allow the remaining air to escape quickly.
Repeat any suspicious reading, but wait at least 1 minute.
•
Deflate the cuff completely between
attempts to check the blood pressure.
•
When
measurement is completed, remove the cuff.
•
Cover the patient and help him or her to a
position of comfort, Clean the bell or diaphragm of the stethoscope and clean
the sphygmomanometer with the alcohol wipe., according to facility policy.
• Remove gloves, if used. Perform hand hygiene.
How to prevent hypertension?
1- Change lifestyle and be more active
2- Eating a healthy diet
3- Reduce weight
4- Reduce salt and oil in the diet
5- Stop smoking
6- Do exercises daily
7- Try to make meditation and yoga if the stress level is high
8- Check your blood pressure regularly like every one week for the hypertensive
patient and monthly if not for the hypertensive patient.
Conclusion:
Hypertension is a chronic disease that can affect a person’s life. As prevention
is better than cure the person must take care and live his life happy and
remove all stresses that can affect him negatively. Most diseases came
because of stress. Try to reduce your stress by doing exercises, meditation,
and yoga. Be happy and encourage yourself to do better in your life.