Hypertension- Meaning in medical parlance

Interestingly, most dictionaries ( unlike laymen) give a pretty accurate description of the term hypertension. One dictionary says:


‘Hypertension or high blood pressure occurs when blood in the arteries flows at a pressure higher than the usual pressure, exerting stress on the arterial wall and thereby causing damage by interfering in the blood supply to vital target organs like the kidney, brain and the heart. Consequently this leads to kidney failure, brain – stroke or a heart attack ‘ it also says: ‘Hypertension exhibits no distinctive symptom’. 

Headaches, tiredness, giddiness and buzzing in the ears, recurrent nosebleeds, etc. caused by high blod pressure are symptoms that could also be attributed to other causes. 

Precise, concise and accurate information is essential. Let us get all the details for there in lies a number of secrets and misconceptions. 

Hypertension is a serious disease by all means. It is estimated that there are one billion patients worldwide. India with its ever-increasing anxious and tense middle class has close to 50 million hypertensives: 15 percent of the population in the 60 plus age-group has a blood pressure reading of 140/90. in a country like USA, out of a total of 50 million hypertensives, only 60 per cent were undergoing treatment (2001). After the Afghanistan and the Iraq wars, this 50 million would have attracted another few millions to its fold. Sadly in India, only a poor 9 per cent of our hypertensives are under control through treatment. the fallout of this poor coverage and even poorer control poses a serious financial and humanitarian challenge. 

Hypertension can be controlled but the attending complications are difficult to control. So, the motto should be ‘Control blood pressure while you can.’