Hypertension Overview
Learn About Hypertension
Hypertension is abnormally high blood pressure in the arteries, which are the blood vessels that carry blood from the heart to the rest of the body. As the heart beats, it forces blood through the arteries to deliver nutrients and oxygen to the rest of the body. The strength of the blood pushing against the artery walls is blood pressure, which is measured in units called millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The top number in a blood pressure reading is the pressure when the heart pumps (systolic blood pressure), and the bottom number is the pressure between heart beats (diastolic blood pressure). In adults, a normal blood pressure measurement is about 120/80 mmHg. Blood pressure is considered high when the measurement is 130/80 mmHg or greater.
Hypertension can have a variety of causes. Secondary hypertension results from other disorders that raise blood pressure in addition to other problems. Rare, genetic forms of hypertension are caused by mutations in particular genes, many of which help control the balance of fluids and salts in the body and affect blood pressure. The causes of essential hypertension, however, are not well understood. Essential hypertension is a complex condition with a variety of factors, both genetic and environmental, contributing to its development.
Hypertension affects an estimated 47 percent of adults in the United States. Prevalence of the condition increases with age, and approximately 70 percent of people over age 65 are affected. In African Americans, the condition is more common, starts at a younger age, and is more severe than in other populations.
Hypertension tends to run in families. Individuals whose parents have hypertension have an elevated risk of developing the condition, particularly if both parents are affected. However, the inheritance pattern is unknown.
Guy Fasciana is an Internal Medicine provider in Duryea, Pennsylvania. Dr. Fasciana and is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypertension. His top areas of expertise are Glossitis, Pernicious Anemia, Vitamin B12 Deficiency, Endoscopy, and Pacemaker Implantation.
Charles Manganiello is a General Practice provider in Duryea, Pennsylvania. Dr. Manganiello and is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypertension. His top areas of expertise are Subacute Combined Degeneration, Diskitis, Anemia, Gastrostomy, and Endoscopy.
James Kosik is an Internal Medicine provider in Avoca, Pennsylvania. Dr. Kosik and is rated as an Advanced provider by MediFind in the treatment of Hypertension. His top areas of expertise are Psoriatic Arthritis, Chronic Kidney Disease, Maturity Onset Diabetes of the Young, and High Cholesterol.
Background: A heart catheterization is a diagnostic heart procedure used to measure pressures and take pictures of the blood flow through the heart chambers. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) fluoroscopy shows continuous pictures of the heart chambers that doctors can watch while they work. Researchers want to test this procedure with catheterization tools routinely used in x-ray catheterization called guidewi...
Summary: The true capacity for a healthy diet to improve urinary stone risk factors is not well-defined. The objective of this study is to measure the effect of adopting a healthy dietary pattern on kidney stone disease (KSD) risk. The working hypothesis is that a Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-style diet will improve 24-hour urine stone risk parameters. The approach to testing this hypothe...
Published Date: January 01, 2019
Published By: National Institutes of Health