What about children? Can they ever suffer from high blood pressure?
They can and they do. A few years ago a pediatrician at Children’s Hospital in Los Angeles reported finding HBP in one per cent of all babies tested. This may not seem like a high figure, but as the pediatrician pointed out, it is higher than the incidence of many other childhood ailments. The New York Times, in commenting on the report, observed that “the unexpected discovery that infants are susceptible to adult forms of hypertension represents a new dimension of one of the nation’s most serious health problems.”
Doesn’t heredity play a large role in blood pressure?
It seems to. According to the American Medical Association, if one parent has hypertension, there is a 50 per cent chance that at least one of their offspring will eventually develop it. If both parents suffer from hypertension, then the chance that one or more of their children will become similarly afflicted rises to 90 per cent. Thus, heredity factors may create a predisposition toward high blood pressure. But, the fact that you may be more susceptible to it than someone else only means that you should take greater precautions to avert or control it. And don’t forget that millions upon millions of Americans whose parents had normal blood pressure are nevertheless afflicted with this ailment today.
Can’t a person’s blood pressure rise momentarily but then fall back to a normal level? If I have my blood pressure taken and it registers a high figure, couldn’t this be only a temporary condition?
It could. It usually takes more than one reading to accurately determine blood pressure. If your BP registers a high reading, then you should try to have it checked again, perhaps several times over the following weeks. Still, any high reading should alert you to the need or at least the desirability of taking precautionary measures.
What, then, are the symptoms of high blood pressure?
The most common is dizziness. Others are fatigue, heart palpitations, headaches and flushing in the face. These are the usual symptoms when they occur. The trouble is that they don’t always occur. The victim frequently feels just fine. This is why HBP is sometimes called “the silent
How about the person with blood pressure that is too low? How does he feel? Also, what causes overly low blood pressure?
People whose blood pressure has sunk too low often feel tired and sluggish. Like HBP sufferers, however, they may also experience dizzy spells. In their case, such spells are more likely to occur when they shift positions such as standing up after having been seated for a period of time.
Low blood pressure, in the sense of being too low, is rarely a chronic condition. It can be brought on by loss of blood, dehydration, malfunctioning of the adrenal glands or illness generally. Correct the condition and you will usually send the BP back to safe levels.
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