6 Ways to Help Avoid a Stroke
A stroke is a life-altering medical problem that can cause permanent damage, but can you prevent one from happening? Keep reading to learn more about strokes and six tips that could save your life.
Navigating Life With Hypertension
More than 1 billion adults worldwide live with hypertension, or high blood pressure. Even more scary, 46% of people don't even know they have the condition.
A hypertension diagnosis isn't the end of the world, but it is a wake-up call to start improving your health. Living with high blood pressure can be a series of ups and downs, but there are ways to manage your health.
At the Vein, Heart, and Vascular Institute, our team of Dr. Hesham Fakhri and Dr. Octavio Cosme provides compassionate care and treatment for heart issues, including hypertension.
Dr. Fakhri and Dr. Cosme are board-certified cardiologists providing treatments for heart disease and offering tips for stroke prevention.
Understanding hypertension
Hypertension is a chronic health problem that affects billions. It happens when the blood pressure inside your vessels is higher than average. Normal blood pressure is less than 120/80 or 120 systolic and 80 diastolic.
The systolic number is a measure of the pressure in your arteries when your heart pumps blood. Diastolic is the measurement when your heart rests between beats.
The primary issue with hypertension is that most people don't know they have it. It produces almost no symptoms, which allows it to wreak havoc on your health without your knowledge.
There are various forms of hypertension, each of which poses risks to your health. Elevated blood pressure is more than 120/80, while hypertension Stage 1 is 130-139 over 80-89. Stage 2 hypertension creeps up to 140/90.
A hypertensive crisis happens when your blood pressure skyrockets to over 180/120. This is a true emergency and requires immediate medical care.
Complications you're at risk for
High blood pressure poses many risks to your health, especially without treatment. Because many people don't know they have hypertension, it's even more dangerous, posing such complications as:
- Kidney damage
- Stroke
- Heart disease
- Memory loss
- Vision problems
- Erectile dysfunction
- Dementia
A stroke is one of the most significant and life-altering complications of hypertension, especially when you don't control it correctly or have no idea you're living with it. Regular physical exams and blood pressure checks help you find the condition early.
Lifestyle tips for managing hypertension
Living with hypertension can be tricky, but it's not impossible. Several lifestyle tips prevent hypertension from worsening and help you avoid complications. You can successfully manage hypertension by:
Exercising regularly
Regular exercise is essential for maintaining health and can lower blood pressure. Physical activity keeps your heart and vessels strong and allows you to maintain a healthy weight.
Eating a healthy diet
Living with high blood pressure means lowering the amount of salt you consume and watching bad fat intake to help control your health. Healthy living is as simple as eating fresh fruits, vegetables, lean proteins, and whole grains.
Quitting smoking right away
Smoking is very dangerous and damages the heart and blood vessels. It also increases your risk of heart disease and stroke. Quitting as soon as possible may help your blood vessels recover and control high blood pressure.
Losing weight if necessary
Excess weight puts more pressure on your heart and vessels, which worsens high blood pressure. It also increases the risk of heart attack, heart disease, and stroke. Losing weight significantly cuts the risk of complications from high blood pressure.
Other treatments that treat hypertension
Sometimes, lifestyle tips aren't enough to control hypertension, which is where our team can help. We carefully evaluate your overall health, lifestyle habits, and past medical history to determine the best treatment route.
Medications are sometimes essential in controlling high blood pressure. Depending on your needs, different medications can control high blood pressure.
We also offer renal denervation, which is a minimally invasive procedure that helps uncontrollable hypertension when nothing else does. Typically, a combination of lifestyle changes and professional treatments is enough to stay healthy with hypertension.
Call us at the Vein, Heart, and Vascular Institute today to schedule an appointment or request a consultation here on our website. We're in Tampa, Wesley Chapel, and Sun City Center, Florida.
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