Ask the Dr. with Deborah Sheehan, M.D.

What we learned this month...Know Your Numbers

Knowing what your blood work numbers are is so important and needs to be done on a regular basis.

Another important to know and keep track of is your blood pressure. Read why!

Hypertension:
The Basics: What is Blood Pressure?
Pressure created by the heart as it pumps blood through the arteries and the circulatory system

What do Blood Pressure Numbers mean?
-Top number (Systolic)= Pressure while heart is beating
-Bottom number (Diastolic)= Pressure while heart is resting between beats

Normal Blood Pressure
-Blood pressure of <140/90
-Blood pressure of 130 to 139/ 85 to 89 should be closely watched

High Blood Pressure
-Blood pressure >140/90

Symptoms of high blood pressure
-Usually there are NO SYMPTOMS! This is why it is the silent killer
-Could have: headache, blurry vision, chest pain, or frequent urination at night

Causes
Cause is unknown in 90-95% of cases of primary hypertension
Secondary hypertension could be caused by:
-Kidney abnormalities
-Narrowing of certain arteries
-Rare tumors
-Adrenal gland abnormalities
-Pregnancy

Controllable Risk Factors include:
-Increased salt intake
-Obesity
-Alcohol
-Stress
-Lack of exercise

Uncontrollable Risk Factors include:
-Heredity
-Age (Men between age 35 and 50 and Women after menopause)
-Race (1 out of 3 African American)