Approved by Dr. Craig de WAAL
Medical Managing director – SignatureCare Emergency Centre Austin, TX

Commodity SECTIONS

  1. What is Hypertension?
  2. Understanding Your Blood Pressure Numbers
  3. Hazard Factors for Hypertension
  4. Signs and Symptoms of Hypertension
  5. When is High Blood Pressure an Emergency?
  6. Hypertensive Urgency
  7. Hypertensive Emergency
  8. What to Exercise if You Suspect a Hypertensive Crisis
  9. Our SignatureCare

What is Hypertension?

The American College of Cardiology and the American Heart Association define hypertension every bit a consistent measurement of your blood force per unit area 130/80 mm Hg or higher.

So, what does this mean?

It means that the force of your blood flowing through your blood vessels is too high and over time can cause damage to your organs.

If your main care provider (PCP) suspects that you may have hypertension (high blood pressure level), they volition measure, record, and monitor your claret pressure numbers over time.

Your PCP may also enquire y'all to monitor your blood pressure on your ain using a "self-serve" machine or by using a habitation device to mensurate your blood pressure level.

Some people get anxious at the doctor's function and this feet can crusade their blood pressure to artificially increase but at the doctor'due south office. This is referred to as "White Glaze Hypertension" and can cause you and your PCP to be unnecessarily concerned so it's important to check your blood force per unit area outside of your doctor's office if you lot suspect this may exist the case.

To exist diagnosed with hypertension, you should accept three high blood pressure readings at iii different times over a vi-month period.

24-hour emergency room locations

Understanding Your Blood Force per unit area Numbers

When you get your claret pressure level (BP) taken, information technology is given as two numbers. For example, you might be told that your blood pressure is 120/80.

This number is always written every bit a fraction and refers to ii things happening in your eye. The top number in the fraction is called the Systolic pressure level (120/x). This number measures the highest blood pressure in your arteries when the heart musculus contracts.

The bottom number in the fraction is called the Diastolic pressure (x/80). This number measures the lowest blood pressure level in your arteries when the centre is relaxed between beats. Both numbers are important in determining if your BP is normal or if you lot take hypertension.

High Blood Pressure (HBP) or Hypertension Numbers Chart

Risk Factors for Hypertension

There are a number of factors that can put you at a greater risk for developing hypertension.

If you are enlightened of these risk factors and sympathise how they can bear on you, you may be less likely to develop high blood pressure (HBP) or know you lot tin help control it.

  • Family History: If you have a close claret relative (particularly parents or siblings) with HBP, you are at a greater risk of developing information technology yourself.
  • Age: The older yous become, the more likely you are to be diagnosed with HBP.
  • Gender: Males are more likely to develop HBP before the age of 65. Women tend to develop hypertension over the age of 65.
  • Race: More than 4 in 10 African-Americans suffer from high claret pressure. Hypertension in these individuals commonly occurs earlier in life and is much more severe.
  • Diabetes: More than 3 in 4 people with Diabetes are also diagnosed with Hypertension.
  • Lifestyle: The choices you make tin can subtract your chance of developing hypertension. These factors include nutrition, exercise, being overweight and the use of booze and tobacco. The expert news is that, unlike the others, these risk factors can be changed.

Signs and Symptoms

Many people may be surprised that they can take hypertension and not fifty-fifty know it. It is often referred to every bit the "silent killer" considering loftier claret pressure level typically does not have any apparent signs or symptoms.

Near of the impairment to your body from high blood pressure level takes identify over a long period of time. However, some people practice get on to develop emergencies related to blood pressure and may demand urgent medical attending.

When is High Blood Force per unit area an Emergency?

The term hypertensive crisis is used to describe a quick and severe rise in claret pressure with measurements over 180/120 which tin quickly atomic number 82 to consequences like stroke, heart attack, kidney damage, loss of vision, or respiratory failure.

Unfortunately, some people accept very difficult to control high blood pressures despite medication, so we need to consider what is a normal claret pressure for you as we determine what blazon of hypertensive crisis y'all are experiencing.

One type of hypertensive crisis is milder and can exist treated conservatively as an outpatient. The other is very serious and requires immediate attending to prevent life-threatening complications.

Headache from High Blood Pressure

Hypertensive Urgency

If your blood pressure level is 180/120 or higher the first thing yous should do is: Do Not Panic; expect about 5 minutes and cheque your blood force per unit area again.

If the echo remains elevated, only you are not suffering from whatever symptoms like chest pain or shortness of jiff, this is called Hypertensive Urgency and usually requires medication aligning equally an outpatient.

If y'all are non currently taking any high blood pressure medications, you may demand to get-go them for any measured diastolic blood pressure of 110 mm Hg (x/110) or greater.

Hypertensive Emergency

If your blood pressure is 180/120 or higher AND you are experiencing symptoms that could be related to your high blood pressure you should get to the Emergency Room immediately.

Symptoms such every bit chest pain, shortness of breath, severe headache, changes in vision, difficulty speaking, dizziness, numbness/weakness, or fifty-fifty upper dorsum pain all are potential symptoms of life-threatening high blood pressure.

When markedly elevated blood pressure is combined with these signs of organ damage, this is chosen Hypertensive Emergency and ofttimes requires admission to the hospital for immediate handling.

High Blood Pressure Check

What to do if You Suspect a Hypertensive Crunch

If y'all suspect that y'all or someone else is experiencing a hypertensive crisis, these are the steps that should be taken:

  1. Check your claret pressure.
  2. If your claret pressure is elevated to 180/120 or higher and you lot ARE NOT experiencing any severe symptoms, wait five minutes and take it again. Effort to relax (easier said than washed!) because anxiety can crusade falsely elevated claret force per unit area readings.
  3. If the repeat BP measurement is the aforementioned or higher then yous should seek medical attention. Call your Primary Care Provider first for instructions on medication adjustment and/or follow-up. If you cannot reach them, go to the Emergency Room.
  4. If your blood force per unit area is elevated to 180/120 or higher and you ARE experiencing warning symptoms (breast pain/upper back pain, shortness of breath, severe headache, dizziness, numbness/weakness, loss of vision, or difficulty speaking) and then do not wait to recheck your claret force per unit area and instead you should get immediately to the Emergency Room for evaluation.

Our SignatureCare

At SignatureCare Emergency Centers nosotros are ready 24/7 and 365 days a twelvemonth to treat your emergency medical conditions. Our physicians are all Board Certified Emergency Physicians with years of experience treating all types of life-threatening problems, including Hypertensive Emergencies. Even if you're not sure that yous are having a Hypertensive Crisis, we welcome you to come in for a medical screening evaluation with a blood pressure cheque and to discuss your symptoms. Our luxury ER's all have state-of-the-art technology with top-notch customer intendance and we are open up 24 hours near you.