According to Dr. Abhinay Tibdewal, Consultant, Interventional Cardiologist of ILS Hospitals, a critical step in preventing and treating high blood pressure is a healthy lifestyle. You can lower your blood pressure with the following lifestyle changes:

* Losing weight if you are overweight or obese

* Quitting smoking. Tobacco damages the walls of your blood vessels and hardens your arteries. Both need to be in good shape while you control your blood pressure.

* Following the DASH eating plan, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains fish, poultry, nuts, and beans. High-potassium foods, like avocados, bananas, dried fruits, tomatoes, and black beans, get a big thumbs-up. This plan keeps sugary drinks, sweets, and high-fat meats and dairy products at a minimum.

* Reducing the amount of sodium in your diet to less than 1,500 milligrams a day if you have high blood pressure; healthy adults should try to limit their sodium intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams a day (about 1 teaspoon of salt). Many processed foods have a lot of salt in them. For instance, soups, condiments, and tomato sauce can have as much as 75% of the total amount of salt you need each day. Read food labels carefully (salt is listed as sodium), and don’t sprinkle more on when you cook or before you eat. Instead, use spices and herbs to flavor your food.

* Getting regular aerobic exercise (such as brisk walking at least 30 minutes a day, several days a week). Check out a yoga class. Seek out activities that get your heart pounding, like biking or swimming. Over the course of a week, aim to exercise consistently for at least 2 1/2 hours total.

* Keeping a healthy weight for your age and height is key. If you’re overweight or have obesity, you can lower your blood pressure by losing just 5 pounds.

* Limiting alcohol to two drinks a day for men, and one drink a day for women. One drink is an ounce of alcohol, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer.

* Reducing stress. Think about stressful areas of your life and take steps to change them. Consider talking to a counselor, learning meditation or anger-control techniques, or getting regular massages.

Hypertension is the modern age epidemic with a concerning demographic shift towards younger age groups. 

The cause of hypertension is multifactorial, based on several risk factors:

* Smoking.

* Being overweight or obese.

* Lack of physical activity.

* Too much salt in the diet.

* Too much alcohol consumption (more than 1 to 2 drinks per day)

* Stress.

* Older age.

* Genetics.     

Health conditions that can cause high blood pressure include:

Kidney disease, Diabetes, sleep apnea, hormonal problems, connective tissue diseases, and of course heart disease is a common factors. 

Medicines that can increase bp include oral contraceptives, steroids, some pain killers(NSAIDs), some herbal remedies – particularly those containing licorice, recreational drugs – such as cocaine and amphetamines, few antidepressants.

Hypertension or high blood pressure has become one of the most prevalent lifestyle diseases in the present century. The incidence in India is as high as one out of every three adults, and the majority of the affected people are not even aware. our lives have become more sedentary than ever. Aspects like long working hours, lethargy, poor dietary habits, and no physical activity are pushing people toward this epidemic.

Hypertension is broadly classified into two types – primary and secondary. The primary form occurs solely because of our lifestyle and genetic make-up, while the secondary form arises due to chronic illness like kidney or endocrine disorder

Hypertension classification (based on office BP measurements)

Normal BP SBP < 130 and DBP < 85

High-normal BP SBP 130–139 and/or DBP 85–89

Grade 1 hypertension SBP 140–159 and/or DBP 90–99

Grade 2 hypertension SBP>160 and or DBP>100

Most people with high blood pressure have no symptoms, even if blood pressure readings reach dangerously high levels. You can have high blood pressure for years without any symptoms.

A few people with high blood pressure may have:

* Headaches

* Shortness of breath

* Nosebleeds

However, these symptoms aren’t specific. They usually don’t occur until high blood pressure has reached a severe or life-threatening stage.

The excessive pressure on the artery walls caused by high blood pressure can damage blood vessels and body organs. The higher the blood pressure and the longer it goes uncontrolled, the greater the damage.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to complications including:

* Heart attack or stroke. Hardening and thickening of the arteries due to high blood pressure or other factors can lead to a heart attack, stroke, or other complications.

* Aneurysm. Increased blood pressure can cause a blood vessel to weaken and bulge, forming an aneurysm. If an aneurysm ruptures, it can be life-threatening.

* Heart failure. When you have high blood pressure, the heart has to work harder to pump blood. The strain causes the walls of the heart’s pumping chamber to thicken. This condition is called left ventricular hypertrophy. Eventually, the heart can’t pump enough blood to meet the body’s needs, causing heart failure.

* Kidney problems. High blood pressure can cause the blood vessels in the kidneys to become narrow or weak. This can lead to kidney damage.

* Eye problems. Increased blood pressure can cause thickened, narrowed, or torn blood vessels in the eyes. This can result in vision loss.

* Metabolic syndrome. This syndrome is a group of disorders of the body’s metabolism. It involves the irregular breakdown of sugar, also called glucose. The syndrome includes increased waist size, high triglycerides, decreased high-density lipoprotein (HDL or “good”) cholesterol, high blood pressure, and high blood sugar levels. These conditions make you more likely to develop diabetes, heart disease, and stroke.

* Changes with memory or understanding. Uncontrolled high blood pressure may affect the ability to think, remember and learn.

* Dementia. Narrowed or blocked arteries can limit blood flow to the brain. This can cause a certain type of dementia called vascular dementia. A stroke that interrupts blood flow to the brain also can cause vascular dementia.

Lifestyle modifications are essential for the prevention of high BP, and these are generally the initial steps in managing hypertension. As cardiovascular disease risk factors are assessed in individuals with hypertension, pay attention to the lifestyles that favorably affect BP levels and reduce overall cardiovascular disease risk.

To prevent high blood pressure, everyone should be encouraged to make lifestyle modifications, such as eating a healthier diet quitting smoking getting more exercise Treatment with medication is recommended to lower blood pressure to less than 130/80 in people older than age 65 and those with risk factors such as diabetes and high cholesterol.

A critical step in preventing and treating high blood pressure is a healthy lifestyle. You can lower your blood pressure with the following lifestyle changes:

* Losing weight 

* Quitting smoking

* Following the DASH eating plan, which stands for Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension. It focuses on vegetables, fruits, whole grains fish, poultry, nuts, and beans. High-potassium foods like avocados bananas, dried fruits, tomatoes, and black beans, get a big thumbs-up. This plan keeps sugary drinks, sweets, and high-fat meats and dairy products at a minimum.

* Reducing the amount of sodium in your diet to less than 1,500 milligrams a day if you have high blood pressure; healthy adults should try to limit their sodium intake to no more than 2,300 milligrams a day (about 1 teaspoon of salt). Many processed foods have a lot of salt in them. For instance, soups, condiments, and tomato sauce can have as much as 75% of the total amount of salt you need each day. Read carefully (salt is listed as sodium), and don’t sprinkle more on when you cook or before you eat. Instead, use spices and herbs to flavor your food.

* Getting regular aerobic exercise such as brisk walking at least 30 minutes a day, several days a week). Check out a yoga class. Seek out activities that get your heart pound-like biking or swimming.

* Over the course of a week, aim to exercise consistently for at least 2 1/2 hours total.

* Keeping a healthy weight according to your age and height is key. If you’re overweight have obesity, you can lower your blood pressure by losing just 5 pounds.

* Limiting alcohol to two drinks a day for men, and one drink a day for women. One drink is an ounce of alcohol, 5 ounces of wine, or 12 ounces of beer.

* Reducing stress. Think about stressful areas of your life and take steps to change them. Consider talking to a counselor, learning meditation or anger-control techniques, or getting regular massages.

About the author- Dr. Abhinay Tibdewal, Consultant, Interventional Cardiologist of ILS Hospitals