|
Hypertension And Vulnerability Of Stroke |
|
|
|
Strokes are the third leading cause of death in the
United States, and the number one leading cause of disability. The
amount of money spent in rehabilitation of stroke victims each year is
astounding. What is good about this is that medicine has been able to
lessen the impact of some strokes because the family knew the signs and
symptoms and got immediate medical treatment. What is sad is that many
strokes could be prevented in the first place by controlling risk
factors such as obesity, lack of exercise, excessive alcohol intake and
a high fat/high sodium (salt) diet.
Controlling
diseases such as diabetes and hypertension are also important. People
with uncontrolled diabetes are at an increased risk for developing
hypertension, and those with uncontrolled hypertension are 4 to 6 times
more likely to have a stroke. Hypertension leads to the development of
atherosclerosis which is a disease of the blood vessels. Atherosclerosis
causes the blood vessels to form plaque on the inside which causes both
hardening and weakening. These weakened blood vessels filled with plaque
are very often the cause of the stroke.
Strokes are classified in
two ways. The first is called an ischemic stroke. This is when a clot
forms and blocks the inside of a blood vessel in the brain. This causes
the surrounding areas of brain tissue to be without oxygen or nutrients.
If blood flow is not restored to the area it will lead to death of the
tissue affected. The other form of stroke is a called a hemorrhagic
stroke. This is when the blood vessel is weakened and a sudden rise in
blood pressure causes the blood vessel to burst. The pressure from the
blood entering the tissues causes swelling in the brain and damages the
surrounding tissue. The severity of damage from a stroke depends on how
much brain tissue is damaged and how soon blood flow can be restored to
the area.
So do you need to control hypertension to help decrease
your risk of stroke Hypertension often has no symptoms or you may only
experience a mild headache. For this reason hypertension is often
undiagnosed. If anyone in your family has hypertension or if you think
you may be at risk for developing hypertension you should consult your
doctor. They may have you make some lifestyle changes and may even start
you on some medications. The guidelines have been to keep the blood
pressure less than 140 systolic (top number) and less than 90 diastolic
(bottom number) though newer thought says that your blood pressure
should be less than 130 systolic and or less than 80 diastolic. Check
with your doctor to see what he recommends for you.
|
