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Archive for September, 2009

Hypertension or High Blood Pressure

What is blood pressure?

When the heart pumps blood through the arteries, then the pressure exerted on their walls is known as blood pressure.

High blood pressure or hypertension is the condition in which the pressure of blood on the walls of arteries is elevated.

Blood pressure of a person may go up when the person gets exited and the blood pressure of the same person comes down when he/she takes rest. Due to anxiety, fear, stress blood pressure is elevated.

When the arteries become narrower and harder due to deposit of cholesterol and other substances then the heart has to pump harder i.e. has to exert much pressure for sending blood through the arteries, in that case also blood pressure is elevated.

There are also many other factors which affect blood pressure.

Normal blood pressure should be less than 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury). Here the top number 120 mmHg indicates systolic pressure and the bottom number 80 mmHg indicates diastolic pressure.

During measurement of blood pressure at any instant the systolic blood pressure is the peak pressure of blood on the arteries and the diastolic blood pressure is the minimum pressure of blood exerted on the arteries.

Categories and range of blood pressure

                                             Systolic Pressure                                Diastolic Pressure

Normal blood pressure:   May vary from 90 to 119 mmHg                60 to 79 mmHg

High blood pressure:
 Stage I                                May vary from 140 to 159 mmHg              90 to 99 mmHg

Stage II  >=                         160 mm Hg                                             100 mmHg or higher

Hypertension or high blood pressure can have devastating effects on our heart, brain, kidneys and eye sight. Symptoms of high blood pressure are also not always clear.

If you have any one of the following symptoms like:-

i) Irregular heart beat
ii) Shortness of breath
iii) Pain in chest
iv) Blurred vision
v) Nose bleeding
vi) Confusion etc. then you may have high blood pressure and you need to consult a doctor immediately.

Causes of high blood pressure

Factors affecting blood pressure: -
i) Diabetes
ii) Tobacco Smoking
iii) Too much alcohol consumption
iv) Kidney disease
v) Obesity
vi) High fat diets
vii) Atherosclerosis
viii) Coarctation of Aorta
ix) Age

Persons who are in hypertension stage I category can reduce their blood pressure by changing sedentary life style, diets and giving up certain bad habits.

Due to physical activities, blood circulation in every parts of our body especially in brain improves which helps to reduce stress, depression, etc.

A person who is overweight can do light physical exercise. Walking or jogging is very good for weight reduction.

Smoking can damage artery walls. Too much alcohol consumption is also very harmful. Cholesterol causes blockage in artery and is responsible for increasing blood pressure so food containing less cholesterol should be taken. Fried foods and foods rich in saturated fat should be avoided.

Prevention

i) Reduce Sodium intake. Take less salt in food.
ii) Take low fat diet and fat free dairy foods.
iii) Avoid food containing saturated fat.
iv) Take food rich in calcium, potassium and magnesium. Eat vegetables and fruits.
v) Discontinue tobacco smoking
vi) Reduce alcohol consumption
vii) Take less sugar in your diet
viii) Reduce your weight if you are over weight.

Author: S.N.Bhattacharya

Kidney Failure: – If functioning of one Kidney out of our two Kidneys is affected due to Kidney stone or any Kidney disorder then the other Kidney can manage its work for sufficient time. But when both the Kidneys are affected and Kidneys lose their ability to perform normal functions partly or completely then it is known as Kidney Failure or Renal Failure.

There are two types of Kidney Failure:-

1. Acute Kidney Failure or Acute Renal Failure
2. Chronic kidney Failure or Chronic Renal Failure

1. Acute Kidney Failure or Acute Renal Failure:- Acute Kidney Failure or Acute Renal Failure is a rapid loss of renal functions of kidneys. It occurs suddenly.
 
Causes

(a) Decrease in blood flow going to the Kidneys and Kidneys receive insufficient blood for filtration, which may be due to following conditions:-

(i) Dehydration
(ii) Sudden drop in blood pressure due to heavy loss of blood, severe burns
(iii) Poor heart function or heart failure
(iv) Liver failure

(b) Obstruction in flow of urine outside Kidneys as for example: – Kidney Stone, enlarged prostate, bladder cancer etc.

(c) Causes include those which affect filtering function of Kidneys, Kidney tissues and cells, interrupt blood supply within the kidney. For example: Glomerulonephritis, Injury to cells and tissues of kidney, Acute tubular necrosis etc.

2. Chronic Kidney Failure or Renal Failure: – Chronic Kidney Failure or Renal Failure is a slow and gradual loss of Kidney functions over a long period usually months and years. In Chronic Kidney Failure , kidneys are affected slowly and slowly, functioning of kidneys gradually deteriorates which may lead to permanent loss of kidney functions in the long run.

Most common causes of Chronic Kidney Failure are high blood pressure and diabetes. Persons having high blood pressure or diabetes should be cautious.

Polycystic Kidney disease can also cause Chronic Kidney Failure.

Underlying causes of Kidney Failure should be identified whether it is due to insufficient blood flow to the Kidneys or due to obstruction in urine flow along the urinary tract or due to damage to the Kidneys.

Blood tests and urine tests should be done. Blood tests to measure the level of creatinine and urea are needed to confirm the diagnosis. Higher level of creatinine indicates the decline in glomerular function rate i.e. the decrease in the capacity of filtration function of Kidneys and also indicates how severe the Kidney failure is.

To detect obstruction of the urinary tract, ultrasonography of the renal tract is needed. Dialysis is needed for waste removal.

With appropriate treatment at the initial stage, Acute Kidney failure is often reversible.

But in case where the Kidneys are too badly damaged to recover then Acute Kidney Failure may progress to Chronic.

Severity of Kidney Failure or Renal Failure depends upon the causes. In future some patients may not regain full renal function and may reach end stage of renal failure. They will require life long dialysis or Kidney transplantation.

Symptoms of Kidney Failure: – 1) Decrease in urine production or stoppage in urine production.
2) Swelling of legs, ankles.
3) Retention of fluid in other parts of the body.
4) Vomiting, Nausea.
5) Loss of appetite.
6) Weight loss.
7) Fatigue etc.

Kidney Stones: – Kidney stones are hard substances like stones and their size may vary from the size of a sand grain to the size of a golf ball.
     Kidney Stones are formed due to deposit of crystals of calcium phosphate, calcium oxalate type of calcium salts, uric acid etc.

Symptoms: – Severe pain in abdomen, scanty urination with pain. Sometimes coming of blood with urine, vomiting – nausea etc.

Polycystic Kidney Disease: – In this disease a number of cysts filled with fluid are grown in the Kidneys. This disease is an inherited disease.

Renal tubular acidosis: – Normally Kidneys excrete acids but when they fail to excrete acids into the urine then renal tubular acidosis occurs. Blood of the patient becomes acidic.

Glomerulonephritis: – The filtration system in the Kidney known as ‘glomeruli’ may be damaged due to infection or other disease.
                        Glomerulonephritis is the inflammation of the filtration system which can damage Kidney function.

By: S.N.Bhattacharya