Hypertension Puts You at Risk for These Serious Conditions

High blood pressure, or hypertension, might not seem like a big deal, primarily because it usually doesn’t cause any symptoms. But medical professionals actually refer to it as the silent killer because it’s responsible for so much loss of life across the United States.

Usually, hypertension itself doesn’t kill people; it causes complications that do. That’s why Dr. Peymon Zarreii provides targeted hypertension care here at Zarreii Medical and Aesthetics in Delray Beach, Florida. He works with you to lower your blood pressure, protecting your longevity and your quality of life. 

Doing so doesn’t just alleviate your hypertension. It also protects you from a number of serious conditions. 

Complications from hypertension

When you have high blood pressure, it puts a strain on your body. Left uncontrolled, it can damage not just your blood vessels, but also your organs. In fact, ongoing hypertension increases your risk for:

• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Heart failure
• Kidney problems
• Vision loss
• Aneurysm
• Metabolic syndrome and, consequently, diabetes
• Dementia and other memory/understanding troubles

Long story short, unchecked high blood pressure heightens your likelihood of facing a wide variety of the most serious — and most common — health risks we face today. 

To drive the point home, let’s look at some data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC). They say that in 2018, the most recent year for which they’ve released data, nearly half a million people died from hypertension, either directly as a result of their high blood pressure or because it caused another fatal condition. And that’s particularly troubling because the CDC reports that 45% of American adults have hypertension. 

Checking your blood pressure

High blood pressure usually doesn’t cause any symptoms until it’s in its very advanced stages. That means you could be one of the 45% we just mentioned and not even know it.

Fortunately, checking your blood pressure is easy. Here at Zarreii Medical and Aesthetics, our team can get your blood pressure readings by simply placing a cuff around your arm. 

Healthy blood pressure levels fall below 120 mm Hg for systolic blood pressure (the pressure in your blood vessels as your heart beats) and 80 mm Hg for diastolic blood pressure (the pressure between beats). Anything above either of those numbers is worth monitoring. 

Fortunately, when you catch high blood pressure early, it’s often reversible with lifestyle changes. Some highly effective ways to reduce your blood pressure include:

• Managing stress
• Reducing salt and alcohol intake
• Eating a balanced, nutritious diet
• Exercising (even walking) regularly
• Losing excess weight
• Quitting smoking

If your blood pressure is too high to be safely managed with lifestyle changes, Dr. Zarreii can also prescribe medication to alleviate the pressure on your blood vessels. 

Because hypertension is both common and deadly, it’s well worth checking your blood pressure levels on a regular basis. Don’t wait to make an appointment with Dr. Zarreii. Contact us by calling our office or booking your appointment online today.