Hypertension

About half of American adults have hypertension, or high blood pressure, but many don’t realize how serious this condition can truly be. At Seva Family Medicine in Parker, Colorado, the experienced medical providers, led by Gurvinder Mangat, MD, and Shannon Mangat, FNP-C, are ready to diagnose and prevent the progression of hypertension before it turns into more serious complications. Book your appointment online or call the office today to learn more.

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What Is Hypertension?

Hypertension occurs when the pressure of blood on your artery walls is too high. Your provider at Seva Family Medicine measures your blood pressure using an inflatable arm cuff. It gives them two numbers: systolic (the top number) and diastolic (the bottom number).

Your systolic blood pressure measures blood force on artery walls when the heart beats, while diastolic measures the force when the heart is at rest. Your blood pressure reading can tell you whether you have hypertension and give you insight into how serious your condition may be.

What Are The Stages Of Hypertension?

Normal blood pressure is lower than 120/80 mmHg. Numbers higher than that indicate:

• Elevated blood pressure: 120-129 mmHg systolic and more than 80 mmHg diastolic
• Stage 1 hypertension: 130-139 mmHg systolic or 80-89 mmHg diastolic
• Stage 2 hypertension: 140 mmHg or higher systolic or 90 or higher diastolic
• Hypertensive crisis: Higher than 180 mmHg systolic or higher than 120 mmHg diastolic

While all high blood pressure is potentially very serious, hypertensive crisis is a medical emergency, particularly if you have symptoms like breathing difficulties and vision changes.

What Are The Effects Of Hypertension?

Hypertension can cause many severe health problems if you don’t get it under proper control. Some of these risks may include:

• Heart attack
• Stroke
• Heart failure
• Aneurysm
• Dementia
• Kidney damage

Many people with hypertension also have high cholesterol, diabetes, and extra fat around their waist. A cluster of conditions can come together to further increase the risk of complications like heart disease and stroke.

What Are The Signs Of Hypertension?

In most cases, hypertension often doesn’t present any obvious symptoms, so it’s important to schedule annual checkups at Seva Family Medicine to monitor your blood pressure and other important aspects of your health.

How Can I Manage Hypertension?

Seva Family Medicine can treat your hypertension with a personalized treatment plan. This often starts with making diet and lifestyle changes. Your provider may recommend medical weight loss, which includes changing your eating patterns and specific lifestyle habits you have. Losing just 10 pounds can lower your blood pressure signifcantly.

Regular exercise is also an important part of losing weight. It can help to lower your blood pressure by making your heart stronger, increasing pumping efficiency, and reducing stress on your arteries.

Some people also need medications to lower their blood pressure, but a healthy lifestyle is always the most essential part of blood pressure management.

For expert care of hypertension management, call Seva Family Medicine or click on the online booking feature today.