History of hypertension

History of hypertension

Based on the work of William Harvey, the physician, hypertension started by the indulgent of the cardiovascular system, the first published measurement of blood pressure was done by Stephen Hales.  A link was noted between cardiac hypertrophy and some diseases like kidney diseases, which were termed as bright diseases, as physician Bright was the one who emphasized the connection (Beckles and Chou 1265). Hyperpiesia was a condition of the concept of hypertensive disease as spreading by circulatory illness as described by Sir, Clifford Allbutt. The descriptions that would later become hypertension came from Richard Bright and Thomas Young, among others. There was a possibility of blood pressure being elevated through the thickness of blood vessels in the kidney. With the invention of cuff-based, hypertension becomes into being in 1896; this resulted in blood pressure being measured in clinics.

Nikolai Korotkoff improved the techniques of measuring the blood pressure, he described the Korotkoff sound heard when artery get auscultated by the stethoscope and the sphygmomanometer cuff get deflated. Donal Nunn later invented a precise/accurate automated oscillometric sphygmomanometer device for tracking serial blood pressure measurements. Among the prominent people who first suffered this condition was Franklin D. Roosevelt. Blood pressure would elevate with no cause, and this condition was named essential hypertension by Eberhard Frank (Beckles and Chou 1265). Very high blood pressure would result in other complications which would lead to death within a year, those conditions were, severe retinopathy and deficient kidney, this condition may also result in stroke and kidney failure, as described by a physician who was working with the Mayo Clinics. The physician realized that the disease is becoming severe, and the symptoms were uncertain, and they were not sure of how to treat it, this resulted in them classifying hypertension as malignant and benign.

It is by this time that Paul White, who was a professor of medicine, said that the greatest danger was when the disease get discovered because they will tend to reduce it, causing more damage than good. According to Paul, blood pressure was a vital compensatory contrivance not to tamper with, even if one thought they are capable of controlling it. However, in the 1950s, the physician discovered that the early stages of hypertension were not harmful, and if well-controlled, it would prolong the life of a patient. But for benign hypertension, increased cardiovascular diseases and deaths were on the rise due to the high blood pressure it was later discovered by the national institute of health that the African American was at a high risk of hypertension and its complications.

Treatment

The occurrence of cardiovascular events has been reduced substantially reduced through the advent of antihypertensive therapy. Although not all patient’s blood pressure can be controlled using this form of treatment. High blood pressure can cause death through a stroke, heart attacks, heart failure, and kidney diseases if not well controlled. The main aim of the treatment is mainly lowering the high blood pressure so that essential organs in the human body can be protected. These organs that can be affected if the blood pressure is not controlled are organs like the heart, brain, and kidney.  A person is termed as suffering from hypertension if their systolic pressure is higher than 130nand diastolic is over 80. Every person needs to prevent hypertension by modifying their living lifestyle, for example, eating habits smoking and exercising. Treatment through medications is only recommended to lower blood pressure that is higher than 130/80 for people above 65 years, and this may also include patients with risk factors such as diabetes and high cholesterol. Blood pressure can be treated through lifestyle changes or drug therapy.

Treating high blood pressure by changing lifestyle

This is a critical step to prevent and treat high blood pressure; through this process, blood pressure is reduced, and therefore the risk of getting the complications associated with blood pressure like kidney failure reduced or avoided. The lifestyle area to consider includes: losing weight, this is for the overweight and the people who are obese; this has proved to be the most effective practice to control high blood pressure. For overweight and obese people who have high blood pressure, reducing a small amount of weight can help them overcome the load (Landsberg et al. 33). It’s has discovered that when a patient loses a kilogram of their weight, blood pressure is reduced by one millimeter of mercury. The waistline is a very crucial part of the body that should be observed in the control of high blood pressure. By quitting smoking, a person will reduce the effects of high blood pressure. High blood pressure could be also be regulated by eating healthy diets. Dash diet, this is the habit of eating more fruits, vegetables, less salt, and low-fat products, a food diary should be kept to help a patient control their eating habits.

When the amount of sodium is reduced to less than 1500mg daily for high blood pressure patients, for healthy adults, the recommended amount of sodium should be less than 2300mg daily. High blood pressure is associated with sodium and water retention. An abnormal connection between pressure and sodium excretion is the leading cause of sodium and water retention; this is because blood flow and nephron mass are reduced. A patient should visit the gym or exercise regularly; this can be done by taking walks for at least half an hour per day severally (Landsberg et al. 33). For the people with high blood pressure, their alcohol consumption should be reduced two drinks for men in a day and one for women daily, this will include the patient quitting smoking. Smoking increases high blood pressure, and it has been proven through research that people who smoke are at high risk compared to non-smokers. People with the risk of blood pressure should reduce caffeine consumption. People with high blood pressure should avoid stress; high blood pressure may be caused by chronic stress.

Regulating blood pressure through medicine

The drugs that are used to treat hypertension include;

Diuretics, these are water pills designed for increasing the water and salt amount expelled through urine by the body. For people who have the condition of high blood pressure, this medication is recommended at the first line of therapy. In medicine, the doctor will always determine the best medication plan for the patient (Young et al. 102). For patients with other conditions like diabetes, angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are recommended. The other drug is the (ARBs) angiotensin 11 receptor blockers, these drugs are used to block angiotensin 11 actions by preventing them from binding to ARBs on the surrounding blood vessel muscles, and this process reduces blood pressure by enlarging the blood vessels (Young et al. 102). The use of Beta-blockers can also lower blood pressure; through these effects of the hormone, epinephrine is blocked using this drug. Calcium channel blockers are the drug that is used to disrupt the movement of calcium through calcium channels. Through Alpha-adrenergic agonist receptors are stimulated selectively, this treatment functions the opposite of the alpha-adrenergic. Medications can be combined for the control of hypertension; diuretics can be combined with potassium-sparing diuretics depending on the class of hypertension.

The table shows some of the combinations of a drug that can reduce blood pressure

Recent research conducted on hypertension in America

Recent research about the environment people are living in and the risk they might have regarding developing hypertension indicates that the kind of home one lives in may play a significant role in the development of high blood pressure. One out of every individual living in America has blood pressure according to this research. The risk that may occur through the environment includes when one is living in a house where there are smokers, that person has a chance of developing high blood pressure. For someone to avoid these factors considering hypertension and metabolic system affect growth, one should understand the series of issues that can make such vital circumstances. The research shows that people living in flats where there is air pollution are more likely to develop hypertension as compared to the families who live in single private homes. The research from three questionnaires from people who had lived together for ten years in the same environment shows that factors such as level of education, smoking status, physical activities, and education level can affect the control of hypertension. The research indicated that there was a risk of having lower HDL due to air pollution in a highly-populated area. Exposure to pollution increases the risk of a high level of triglycerides in people living in multifamily homes. The research also indicated that relatively cramped conditions increase the risk, especially when one is living in a built-up environment. The study concluded by suggesting that living space should be regulated as much as possible for the families living in multifamily houses like flats noise insulation of the homes should also be improved to reduce the risk of hypertension.

Works Cited

Beckles, Gloria L., and Chiu-Fang Chou. “Disparities in the Prevalence of Diagnosed Diabetes — the United States, 1999–2002 and 2011–2014.” MMWR. Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, vol. 65, no. 45, 2016, pp. 1265-1269.

Landsberg, Lewis, et al. “Obesity-Related Hypertension: Pathogenesis, Cardiovascular Risk, and Treatment.” The Journal of Clinical Hypertension, vol. 15, no. 1, 2012, pp. 14-33.

Young, William F., et al. “Screening for Endocrine Hypertension: An Endocrine Society Scientific Statement.” Endocrine Reviews, vol. 38, no. 2, 2017, pp. 103-122.