World Hypertension Day Poster Article on Silent Killer

A lot has transformed since Covid 19 around the globe and so has the meaning of health and wellness for the people who have survived, the cruel clutches of the pandemic, to tell a tale. As per the new research, COVID-19 has made people more health-conscious and willing to make changes in their lifestyles. However, equally intriguing is the increase in the number of heart attacks and other cardiovascular diseases in recent times. This disturbing trend has not developed overnight. I am presenting the below article as a World Hypertension Day poster to increase general awareness regarding hypertension.

Over the last 30 years, deaths and disabilities from cardiovascular diseases have been steadily rising across the globe. The obvious culprits include a sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, stress, smoking, consumption of alcohol, lack of proper sleep, and poor nutritional choices.

High blood pressure (BP) is one of the most important risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD), which is the leading cause of mortality.

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Why To Monitor Our Blood Pressure?

High blood pressure is often known as a “silent killer” as it may have no warning signs or symptoms.

Most of the people with hypertension are unaware of the fact that they are dealing with it and that is why it becomes all the more essential to keep monitoring our BP levels. If left untreated or unmanaged, it can cause serious health conditions such as myocardial infarction, stroke, renal failure, and premature death.

A person is 4 times more likely to die from a stroke and 3 times from heart disease if his blood pressure is high.

According to the CDC (Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), 7 in 10 people who experience a first heart attack and 8 in 10 people who experience a first stroke also have high blood pressure.

Knowing The Vital Numbers – World Hypertension Day Poster

High blood pressure causes damage to the artery walls. The arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of the body. The damage can make the arteries more susceptible to the buildup of plaque, which can cause a blockage or reduced blood flow.

If the blockage occurs near the brain or heart, it can lead to either a stroke or heart attack, respectively.

World Hypertension Day Poster Image:

• Systolic pressure: peak or highest pressure. It is caused when the heart muscle contracts.
• Diastolic pressure: It is the lowest pressure. It measures the pressure in the arteries between heartbeats (when the heart muscle is resting between beats and refilling the blood.

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Signs and Symptoms of High Blood Pressure

Almost 85% of the sufferers of hypertension are asymptomatic.

People living with hypertension have persistently raised pressure in their blood vessels, which results in their hearts having to work much harder.

When symptoms do occur, they can include:

• Early morning headaches,
• Nosebleeds,
• Irregular heart rhythms,
• Vision changes, and
• Buzzing in the ears.
• Sweating

Severe hypertension can cause fatigue, nausea, vomiting, confusion, anxiety, chest pain, and muscle tremors.

Hypertension Treatment

The prevalence of hypertension increases with the age and it is estimated to affect 65% of those >= 60 years old.

By 2030 an estimated 20% of the global population will be ≥ 65-years-old and therefore, the impact of high BP on mortality among older adults is expected to grow over the coming decades.

Also, due to prevalence of lifestyle disorders among youngsters, the population at risk shifts from 40+ to may be 30+ or even younger.

Diet and exercise are well-established treatments for high blood pressure. Lifestyle modifications are one of the most important tools for effective lowering of blood pressure.

People with treatment-resistant hypertension successfully reduced their blood pressure by adopting the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH) eating plan, losing weight and improving their aerobic fitness by participating in a structured diet and exercise program at a certified cardiac rehabilitation facility, according to new research published in the American Heart Association’s flagship journal Circulation.

The Sixth Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (Anon., 1997) recommends the following lifestyle modifications to prevent hypertension.

Recommended Life Style Modifications – World Hypertension Day Poster

• Lose weight, if you have higher weight;
• Limit daily sodium chloride intake to less than 6g. Changes in sodium intake do affect blood pressure in older persons and in patients with hypertension.
• Maintain adequate intake of dietary potassium (approximately 90mmol/d)
• Maintain adequate intake of dietary calcium and magnesium for general health;
• Limit alcohol intake to no more than 30 ml/d for men and 15 ml/d for women;
• Increase aerobic physical activity (30–45 min most days of the week);
• Stop smoking and reduce intake of dietary saturated fat and cholesterol for overall cardiovascular health.
• As per a new CU Boulder research, strength training for the breathing muscles lowers blood pressure and improves some measures of vascular health as well.

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DASH Diet for High Blood Pressure

The DASH diet (Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension) is a dietary pattern promoted by the U.S.-based National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (part of the National Institutes of Health (NIH), an agency of the United States Department of Health and Human Services) to prevent and control hypertension.

The DASH diet is rich in fruits, vegetables, whole grains, and low-fat dairy foods. It includes meat, fish, poultry, nuts, and beans, and is limited in sugar-sweetened foods and beverages, red meat, and added fats. In addition to its effect on blood pressure, it is designed to be a well-balanced approach to eating for the general public.

Studies have shown that the DASH diet can lower blood pressure in as little as two weeks. The diet can also lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL or “bad”) cholesterol levels in the blood.

DASH DIET CHART: Illustrative purpose only(World Hypertension Day Poster Image)

List of APPs To Manage Your High Blood Pressure

Today a variety of health apps are just a click away to provide personalized knowledge, data, support system, experiences based upon the needs and condition of the patients.

The best part about them is that they can be accessed by patients from the comfort of their homes.

Some of the best blood pressure tracker apps to record, monitor, and log your blood pressure levels are:

1. Blood Pressure Dairy
2. AVAX
3. BP Journal
4. Blood Pressure Tracker
5. BP Watch
6. High Blood Pressure Diet Tips
7. Cardio Journal
8. Blood Pressure App: High & Low

In order to gain more details about the above apps, please click on the following link: https://www.makeuseof.com/blood-pressure-tracker-apps/

Why Should You Have BP Health Cover?

The medical sector is notorious for putting huge financial burden upon the patient and his family. Certain medications & treatments are so costly that they may leave people under huge debt. It is always a good practice to buy a proper health insurance plan to keep your loved ones safe from any contingency.

Considering the uncertainty involved with hypertension, with 85% patients being asymptomatic, it is wise to buy a health plan with coverage for hypertension. This will help in reducing the financial burden associated with the costly treatment of hypertension related disorders.

Hypertension has a waiting period of 2-4 years like any pre-existing ailments. So, buying a health cover at the earliest is prudent move as it allows one to claim the benefits, when a major hospitalization occurs.

Buying a health insurance at a young age will ensure that you pay lower premiums for your health coverage. Moreover, the premiums are likely to be less when the ailment is less severe.

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Further Facts & Findings

• A new study in Cardiovascular Research, published by Oxford University Press, indicates that patients with high blood pressure are at a higher risk of developing dementia.

• In a study recently published in the Journal of Hypertension, researchers discovered that middle aged and older women who lacked social ties were much more likely than men to suffer from hypertension.

• Studies show that stress does not directly cause hypertension, but can have an effect on its development. Although stress may not directly cause hypertension, it can lead to repeated blood pressure elevations, which eventually may lead to hypertension.

• For the first time researchers demonstrate that intermittent fasting can reduce hypertension by reshaping the gut microbiota in an animal model.

• Genetics plays a significant role in determining who will become hypertensive. As much as 20–40% of blood pressure (BP) variations in the general population have been attributed to genetic factors (Ward, 1990).

• In MRFIT [Multiple Risk Factor Intervention Trial for the Prevention of Coronary Heart Disease (Stamler et al. 1997)], men who drank >500ml alcohol per week and women drinking >300 ml per week as compared to non drinkers, had an SBP/DBP of 4.6/3.0 and 3.9/3.1 mm Hg higher, respectively.

• The recommendation in JNC VI (Anon., 1997) for hypertension prevention and management is to limit daily alcohol intake to no more than 30ml alcohol in men and 15 ml for women and lighter-weight people.

• High blood pressure is twice as likely to strike a person with diabetes than a person without diabetes.

Takeaway Message

It is not too late to lower blood pressure by making healthy lifestyle choices. Adopting a healthy lifestyle pays huge dividends, even for people whose blood pressure remains elevated despite being on three or more antihypertensive medications.

Sources & Suggested Readings:

• https://www.cdc.gov/chronicdisease/resources/publications/factsheets/heart-disease-stroke.htm
• https://www.medicalnewstoday.com/articles/how-are-hypertension-heart-disease-and-stroke-related#summary
• https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/hypertension#:~:text=When%20symptoms%20do%20occur%2C%20they,chest%20pain%2C%20and%20muscle%20tremors.
• https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5059018/#:~:text=High%20blood%20pressure%20(BP)%20is,the%20leading%20cause%20of%20mortality.&text=Approximately%2054%25%20of%20strokes%20and,are%20attributable%20to%20high%20B.
• https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/DASH_diet