Facts about Hypertension

Hypertension is a significant health concern in Africa, including Uganda. The prevalence of hypertension in Africa has been reported to be increasing, partly due to lifestyle changes, urbanization, and shifts in dietary habits.

Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body. Your blood pressure normally rises and falls throughout the day.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is a common medical condition where the force of blood against the walls of the arteries is consistently too high. Blood pressure is measured using two numbers:

The first number, called systolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats.

The second number, called diastolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats. Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).

Epidemiology
An estimated 1.28 billion adults aged 30–79 years worldwide have hypertension, most (two thirds) living in low- and middle income countries. An estimated 46% of adults with hypertension are unaware that they have the condition, less than half of adults (42%) with hypertension are diagnosed and treated.

Approximately 1 in 5 adults (21%) with hypertension have it under control.

Hypertension is a major cause of premature death worldwide.

Hypertension is a significant health concern in Africa, including Uganda.

The prevalence of hypertension in Africa has been reported to be increasing, partly due to lifestyle changes, urbanization, and shifts in dietary habits.
Epidemiology of Hypertension in Africa
Africa faces a significant burden of hypertension, with an estimated prevalence of 30.8%. This is higher than the global average of 28% and makes Africa the region with the highest prevalence of hypertension worldwide.

Blood pressure higher than 180/120 mm Hg is considered a hypertensive emergency or crisis.

Seek emergency medical help for anyone with these blood pressure numbers.

Symptoms
A few people can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms. But when high blood pressures remain uncontrolled, the following symptoms might appear: severe headaches, chest pain, dizziness, difficulty breathing, nausea, vomiting, blurred vision or other vision changes, anxiety, confusion, buzzing in the ears, nosebleeds, abnormal heart rhythm, among others. You may never get any symptoms at all and that’s why it’s a silent killer.

Risk Factors
Things that increase the risk of having high blood pressure include: Older age especially above 45years, Genetics. African decent predisposes to early and severe forms of hypertension, Being overweight or obese. BMI above 25, Not being physically active, sedentary lifestyle, High-salt diet, adding salt in food, Drinking too much alcohol, Smoking Cigarettes, Stress. Males more affected than females.
Having one or both parents with high blood pressure is a risk factor for developing hypertension.

Recommendations
Ask your provider for a blood pressure reading at least every two years starting at age 18. If you are age 40 or older, or you are 18 to 39 with a high risk of high blood pressure, ask for a blood pressure check every year. Your care provider will likely recommend more-frequent readings if have high blood pressure or other risk factors for heart disease.

Start medications as soon as recommended by the doctor especially if you can adequately modify the predisposing factors.

Prevention
Lifestyle changes can help lower high blood pressure and can help anyone with hypertension. Many who make these changes will still need to take medicine.
These lifestyle changes can help prevent and lower high blood pressure.
Do: Eat more vegetables and fruits, Sit less, Be more physically active, which can include walking, running, swimming, dancing or activities that build strength like lifting weights, Get at least 150 minutes per week of moderate intensity aerobic activity or 75 minutes per week of vigorous aerobic activity, Do strength building exercises 2 or more days each week, Lose weight if you’re overweight or obese, Take medicines as prescribed by your health care professional, Keep appointments with your health care professional.

Do not: eat too much salty food (try to stay under 2 grams per day) eat foods high in saturated or trans fats smoke or use tobacco, drink too much alcohol (1 drink daily max for women, 2 for men) miss or share medication.
Reducing hypertension prevents heart attack, stroke and kidney damage, as well as other health problems.
Reduce the risks of hypertension by: reducing and managing stress, regularly checking blood pressure treating high blood pressure, managing other medical conditions.

Excessive pressure can harden arteries, decreasing the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. This elevated pressure and reduced blood flow can cause: chest pain, also called angina

Complications of uncontrolled hypertension
Among other complications, hypertension can cause serious damage to the heart.
Excessive pressure can harden arteries, decreasing the flow of blood and oxygen to the heart. This elevated pressure and reduced blood flow can cause: chest pain, also called angina; heart attack, which occurs when the blood supply to the heart is blocked and heart muscle cells die from lack of oxygen. The longer the blood flow is blocked, the greater the damage to the heart; heart failure, which occurs when the heart cannot pump enough blood and oxygen to other vital body organs; and irregular heart beat which can lead to a sudden death.

Hypertension can also burst or block arteries that supply blood and oxygen to the brain, causing a stroke.
In addition, hypertension can cause kidney damage, leading to kidney failure.

Complied by Dr. Najah Wali Daud and Dr Guloba Umarashid