Blood Pressure

Lifestyle modifications

Some of the lifestyle modifications for high blood pressure prevention and management include:

• Weight loss if the patient is overweight. As weight increases, blood pressure rises.
• Cutting down on alcohol, no more than one drink per day for women and no more than two drinks per day for men.
• Decreasing salt and sodium, saturated fat, and cholesterol.
• Increasing physical activity, especially aerobic activity 30 to 45 minutes on most days.
• Stopping smoking.

Medications

High blood pressure medications work in various ways. They can affect the force of the heartbeat, the blood vessels, and the amount of fluid in the body. Some of the different types of medications prescribed to treat high blood pressure are:

• Diuretics, also called "water pills," decrease the amount of fluid in the body by flushing excess water and sodium from the body through the urine.
• Beta blockers make the heart beat less often and with less force by reducing nerve impulses to the heart and blood vessels.
• Calcium channel blockers relax the blood vessels by preventing calcium from entering the muscle cells of the heart.
• Alpha blockers relax the blood vessels by way of the nervous system. They decrease renin secretion, which is involved in angiotensin II formation.
• Vasodilators widen blood vessels by relaxing the muscle in the vessel walls.
• Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors relax the blood vessels by preventing angiotensin II from being formed.

High blood pressure can sometimes be traced to a cause such as an adrenal gland tumor, kidney disease, hormone abnormalities, birth control pills, or pregnancy. This is called secondary hypertension and can usually be cured if the cause disappears or is corrected.

KEY TERMS

Angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor—A drug used to decrease pressure inside blood vessels.

Artery—A blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the body.

Beta blocker—A drug used to slow heart rate and reduce pressure inside blood vessels.

Calcium channel blocker—A drug used to relax blood vessels and the heart muscle.

Cardiovascular—The heart and blood vessels.

Congestive heart failure—A cardiovascular dis- ease that involves the heart muscle's diminished or loss of pumping ability, generally causes fluid that cannot be completely ejected from the heart to back up in the lungs.

Diastolic blood pressure—The lower number of a blood pressure measurement or the pressure when the heart is at rest.

Diuretic—A drug that eliminates excess fluid in the body.

Fat—One of the nutrients that supply calories to the body.

Hypertension—High blood pressure.

Hypertrophy—Enlargement of tissue or an organ.

Millimeter (mm)—A unit of measurement equal to one-thousandth of a meter.

Risk factors—Behaviors, traits, or conditions in a person that are associated with an increased chance (risk) of disease.

Sign—An objective observation of an illness.

Sphygmomanometer—A manual device used to measure blood pressure.

Symptom—Any indication of disease noticed or felt by a patient.

Systolic blood pressure—The higher number of a blood pressure measurement or the pressure when the heart is contracting.

Content licensed from:

Author Info: Deborah Eileen Parker R.N., The Gale Group Inc., Gale, Detroit, Gale Encyclopedia of Nursing and Allied Health, 2002

This feature is for informational purposes only and should not be used to replace the care and information received from your healthcare provider. Please consult a healthcare professional with any health concerns you may have.