How is high blood pressure treated?

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) At A Glance

• High blood pressure (hypertension) is designated as either essential (primary) hypertension or secondary hypertension and is defined as a consistently elevated blood pressure exceeding 140/90 mm Hg.
  
  
• In essential hypertension (95% of people with hypertension), no specific cause is found, while secondary hypertension (5% of people with hypertension) is caused by an abnormality somewhere in the body, such as in the kidney, adrenal gland, or aortic artery.
  
  
• Essential hypertension may run in some families and occurs more often in the African American population, although the genes for essential hypertension have not yet been identified.
  
  
• High salt intake, obesity, lack of regular exercise, excessive alcohol or coffee intake, and smoking may all adversely affect the outlook for the health of an individual with hypertension.
  
  
• High blood pressure is called "the silent killer" because it often causes no symptoms for many years, even decades, until it finally damages certain critical organs.
  
  
• Poorly controlled hypertension ultimately can cause damage to blood vessels in the eye, thickening of the heart muscle and heart attacks, hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis), kidney failure, and strokes.
  
  
• Heightened public awareness and screening of the population are necessary to detect hypertension early enough so it can be treated before critical organs are damaged.
  
  
• Lifestyle adjustments in diet and exercise and compliance with medication regimes are important factors in determining the outcome for people with hypertension.
  
  
• Several classes of anti–hypertensive medications are available, including ACE inhibitors, ARB drugs, beta–blockers, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, alpha–blockers, and peripheral vasodilators.
  
  
• Most anti–hypertensive medications can be used alone or in combination: some are used only in combination; some are preferred over others in certain specific medical situations; and some are not to be used (contraindicated) in other situations.
  
  
• The goal of therapy for hypertension is to bring the blood pressure down to 140/85 in the general population and to even lower levels in diabetics, African Americans, and people with certain chronic kidney diseases.
  
  
• Screening, diagnosing, treating, and controlling hypertension early in its course can significantly reduce the risk of developing strokes, heart attacks, or kidney failure.