Blood Pressure:

Hypertension
From Bethel University Nursing Students
 Types of Hypertension
 Affects ~50 million people in the US
 Types:
 1. Primary
 Chronic high blood pressure without a source or associated
with any other disease
 Most common form of hypertension
 2. Secondary
 Elevation of blood pressure associated with another disease
such as kidney disease
 Causes
 Genetics-some people are prone to hypertension simply based off
of their genetic makeup
 Family History- your risk for high blood pressure/hypertension
increases if it is in your family history
 Environment
 Inactivity
 Stress
 Obesity
 Alcohol
 High Sodium Diet
 Tobacco Use
 Age
 Menopausal Medications
Further Complications of High
Blood Pressure
 Thickening of the heart muscle
 Increased workload of the heart
 May lead to other conditions such as:
 Heart attack
 Stroke
 Renal (Kidney) Failure
 Loss of vision
 Who is at Risk??
 African Americans have a higher risk of high blood
pressure/hypertension
 40% of all African Americans in the US will develop
hypertension in comparison to 27% in white
populations
 This is due to:
 African Americans respond differently to Blood Pressure
medications
 African Americans have a higher sensitivity to salt
 ½ teaspoon of salt can raise your blood pressure 5mmHg
 Signs and Symptoms
 Diagnosed through repeat blood pressure readings
 Primary Hypertension does not have symptoms other
than high blood pressure

 Secondary Hypertension
 Most likely caused by Renal Disorders, symptoms you will
see:
 Decreased urine formation
 Increased sodium and water retention
 Treatments
 Step 1:
 Lifestyle modifications
 Diet and exercise
 Limit alcohol and tobacco use
 Reduce stress factors
 Step 2:
 If lifestyle changes are not enough, drug therapy will be
introduced

 Step 3:
 If previous steps don’t work, drug dose or type will be changed
or another drug is added

 Step 4:
 More medications are added until blood pressure is controlled
 Prevention
 Lifestyle changes
 Having regular checkups with your physician
 Education
 Being aware of your blood pressure and where it should
be
 Understanding your personal risk factors
 Engaging in community health awareness acitivities
 Living With High Blood
Pressure
 Living with High Blood Pressure requires a lot of lifestyle
changes
 Diet
 Exercise
 Taking prescribed medications as required by your doctor
 Recognize it is an ongoing process which requires regular
checkups, taking medication regularly and checking blood
pressure regularly
 Recognizing there can be complications with pregnancy
while living with high blood pressure
 Damage to kidneys and other organs in mother and fetus
 Low birth weight
 Preeclampsia
 References
 Powerpoint notes taken from Dr. Van
Berkhom, Professor of Biology at Bethel
Univeristy, Hypertension lecture

 http://www.nhlbi.nih.gov/health/health-
topics/topics/hbp/signs.html