H ealth
as the brain, kidneys and eyes.
Persistent high blood pressure can increase your risk
of a number of serious and potentially life-threaten-
ing conditions, such as: heart disease, heart attacks,
strokes, heart failure, peripheral arterial disease,
aortic aneurysms, kidney disease, vascular demen-
tia. If you have high blood pressure, reducing it even
a small amount can help lower your risk of these
conditions.
Factors that can raise your risk of developing high
blood pressure include: age – the risk of develop-
ing high blood pressure increases as you get older,
a family history of high blood pressure, being of
African or Caribbean origin, a high amount of salt
in your food, a lack of exercise, being overweight
or obese, regularly drinking large amounts of alco-
hol, smoking, long-term sleep deprivation. Making
healthy lifestyle changes can help keep your blood
pressure at a normal level.
Check your blood pressure
Known causes of high blood pressure
The only way of knowing whether you have high
blood pressure is to have a blood pressure test.
All adults over 40 are advised to have their blood
pressure checked at least every five years. Getting
this done is easy and could save your life.
You can get your blood pressure tested at a number
of places, including:
• at your GP surgery
• at some pharmacies
• as part of your NHS Health Check
• in some workplaces
You can also check your blood pressure yourself with
a home blood pressure monitor.
In about 1 in 20 cases, high blood pressure occurs as
the result of an underlying condition, medication or
drug. Conditions that can cause high blood pressure
include: kidney disease, diabetes, long-term kidney
infections, obstructive sleep apnoea – a condition
in which the walls of the throat relax and narrow
during sleep, interrupting normal breathing, glo-
merulonephritis – damage to the tiny filters inside
the kidneys, narrowing of the arteries supplying the
kidneys, hormone problems – such as an underac-
tive thyroid, an overactive thyroid, Cushing’s syn-
drome, acromegaly, increased levels of the hormone
aldosterone (hyperaldosteronism) and phaeochro-
mocytoma, lupus – a condition in which the immune
system attacks parts of the body such as the skin,
joints and organs, scleroderma – a condition that
causes thickened skin, and sometimes problems
with organs and blood vessels
Medicines and drugs that can increase your blood
pressure include:
• the combined oral contraceptive pill
• steroid medication
• non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) –
such as ibuprofenand naproxen
• some over-the-counter cough and cold remedies
• some herbal remedies – particularly those contain-
ing liquorice
• some recreational drugs – such as cocaine and
amphetamines
• some selective serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake
inhibitor (SSNRI) antidepressants – such as venlafax-
ine .In these cases, your blood pressure may return
to normal once you stop taking the medicine or
drug.
Reduce your blood pressure
The following lifestyle changes can help prevent and
lower high blood pressure: reduce the amount of
salt you eat and have a generally healthy diet, cut
back on alcohol if you drink too much, lose weight if
you’re overweight, exercise regularly, cut down on
caffeine, stop smoking,
try to get at least six
hours of sleep a night. Some people with high blood
pressure may also need to take one or more medi-
cines to stop their blood pressure getting too high.
If you’re diagnosed with high blood pressure, your
doctor may recommend taking one or more medi-
cines to keep it under control. These usually need to
be taken once a day. Common blood pressure med-
ications include: ACE inhibitors – such as enalapril,
lisinopril, perindopril and ramipril, angiotensin-2 re-
ceptor blockers (ARBs) – such as candesartan, irbe-
sartan, losartan, valsartan and olmesartan, calcium
channel blockers – such as amlodipine, felodipine
and nifedipine or diltiazem and verapamil, diuret-
ics – such as indapamide and bendroflumethiazide,
beta-blockers – such as atenolol and bisoprolol,
alpha-blockers – such as doxazosin, renin inhibitors –
such as aliskiren, other diuretics – such as amiloride
and spironolactone. The medication recommended
for you will depend on things like how high your
blood pressure is and your age.
Diagnosis
High blood pressure (hypertension) doesn’t usually
have any symptoms, so the only way to find out if
you have it is to get your blood pressure checked.
Healthy adults aged over 40 should have their blood
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