Diagnosis of hypertension

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Diagnosis of hypertension

 

Certain parameters have been laid down for high-risk groups : an average of 5 per cent of our total population and 15 per cent of our population in the age group of 60 + is at risk of suffering from or developing hypertension. 

Diagnosis

Broadly check if a person fits into any of the classes given below:

  • If there is a family history of parents, grandparents , uncles, aunts and siblings suffering from high blood pressure.

  • If your weight is more than it should be for your age/height. Though thin people can also be hypertensive, it is the obese or overweight persons who can definitely tilt the balance, literally. 

  • Are you a couch potato? If you love your sofa more than your health or enjoy your TV serial more than going for a walk, then you might as well walk to your doctor to get your blood pressure monitored. 

  • If you prefer to take a high-salt, high-fat, high-calorie and low fibre diet, you might as well find yourself in the list of suspects. 

  • If you are a regular pub-hopper and guzzle alcohol like your sedan guzzles petrol, then mend your ways or stand in the queue. 

As discussed earlier, hypertension has no classical or distinctive symptoms. Patients do come with several complaints which, at times (strangely enough) are associated with hypertension but are no cause for worry. 

  • Feeling of a headache or of a heavy-head, especially early in the morning ( though this is hardly possible as very few people get up early in the morning) should ring the alarm bell. As it is, only 10 per cent of the hypertensive persons would complain of a headache while a lot of normotensive people can also complain of an early morning headache. 

  • Ringing or buzzing sound in the ears is taken to be a symptom of things being wrong. If you have ever visited a pub or a bhangra – disco party, you must be familiar with the ringing in your ears which can continue for days later. This symptom is rarely if ever seen in a case of hypertension. 

  • Recurrent nosebleeds again is a highly unreliable symptom. It is often seen in a street-smart kids who are itching to pick up a fight. 

  • Tiredness is of course the most unreliable of all symptoms. Almost 80-90 per cent of all OPD patients, if quizzed directly, would report this symptom. 

  • Finally, if you have any of these symptoms, visit a doctor for checking your blood pressure recording and even if you have none of the above listed symptoms but are 40+ in age, or an obese, a smoker, habitual alcohol – drinker, high strung or have a hypertensive family member, then be on the lookout for help. The earlier you are told you are normotensive or otherwise, the better it is.