Our heart pumps blood around our body through arteries which is a network of tubing. Each time our heart pumps it forces blood through these arteries and into smaller blood vessels called capillaries. The force of blood against the walls of arteries is called Blood pressure. When the heart compacts and forces blood through the arteries our blood pressure goes up and when the heart relaxes it goes down. Blood pressure is measured using a device called sphygmomanometer. Blood pressure measurement is usually written as 140/90 mmHg. The upper number, is known as the systolic pressure which shows the pressure in our arteries when our heart is forcing blood through them, and the bottom number, is termed as the diastolic pressure which shows the pressure in our arteries when our heart relaxes. Upper number can be anywhere from 90 to 240 and the below number can be anywhere from 60 to 140. Mercury is the unit to measure Blood pressure, which is written as: mmHg. Every person has a different blood pressure and it can be change in the same person during the day and night. Blood pressure level of 130/80 means (130 over 80) usually consider as normal BP level. Less than 120/80mmHg Bp level is consider as Low Blood Pressure while more than 140/90mmHg is consider as High Blood pressure. In both the situation you should consult your doctor and according to their advice you can take Blood Pressure Drugs.
Low blood pressure is also known as hypotension is persistent abnormally low blood pressure. It occurs when we are asleep or if we relax. When blood pressure becomes too low there is insufficient blood flow to the brain and other vital organs, light-headedness or fainting may occur. Postural (also known as orthostatic) hypotension is a common type of hypotension, in which suddenly standing leads to light-headedness and fainting. Common symptoms of hypotension may include: tiredness, general weakness, light-headedness and fainting, blurred vision, dizziness, palpitations, confusion, nausea and temporary loss of consciousness. In case of underlying disorder, such as a heart condition is suspected then you may be advised to go to hospital for tests and treatment. High blood pressure is very common mainly South Asian (India, Pakistan and Bangladesh) origins are more likely to develop high blood pressure than other ethnic groups. Common symptoms are headache that lasts for several days, nausea, dizziness, drowsiness, blurred, or double vision, nosebleeds, irregular heartbeat (palpitations), or shortness of breath. It can be treated or prevented by making changes to our lifestyle, such as exercising more regularly, eating a healthier diet and cutting back in our consumption of alcohol. Blood Pressure Drugs are also available that can help lower our blood pressure.
ABCD approach of Blood Pressure Drugs is recommends by the British Hypertension Society (Williams et al, 2004) where, A – ACE inhibitor or ARB, B – beta blocker, C – calcium channel blocker, D – Thiazide diuretics. For different groups different combinations are recommended by the doctor. In current time, most blood pressure lowering medicines do not cause a drop in blood pressure when we stand up. Doxazosin which is an Alpha-blockers, are the only type of medicine that may cause a decrease in our standing blood pressure. We should have our standing blood pressure checked if we are taking doxazosin and we feel dizzy or faint when we stand up. Unfortunately, there are some side-effects from antihypertensive medications are relatively common. However, if we cannot cope with the side-effects of our medication, we should come back and discuss the options with a health-care professional before we stop taking it.
