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COMPLETE AND COMPREHENSIVE Resistant Hypertension

Resistant Hypertension

What is resistant hypertension?

Resistant hypertension is a health condition that emerges when an individual’s blood pressure is high and doesn’t respond to the clinical treatment aggressively. Hypertension these days has become one of the primary health issues among every age group particularly in adults due to their lifestyle and day-to-day hectic schedules.

The problem becomes more worsening when a person on medication for resistant hypertension doesn’t see any progress. Hypertension is resistant when:

People experiencing difficulty to treat resistant hypertension problems are at a greater risk of heart stroke, failure, and heart attack.

What are the resistant hypertension causes?

Resistant hypertension is not a health condition that can be overlooked. So, for the appropriate resistant hypertension treatment, it is crucial to identify the resistant hypertension causes of it. Here are the causes that contribute massively.

  • Lifestyle and diet: The kind of lifestyle we are living these days has become a major problem now. There are many factors contributing to the development of hypertension and resistant hypertension. These factors are heavy intake of alcohol, obesity, physical inactivity, smoking, fast food, and a diet high in salt.
  • Drugs and medications: There is an assortment of medications that includes prescriptive and over-the-counter drugs. Drugs and medications both lead to contributing in affecting the blood pressure in the human body. It includes painkiller medications- non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs or NSAIDs such as ibuprofen and naproxen. There are nasal decongestants, and oral contraceptives like birth control pills, ginseng, licorice, and other herbal products.

Secondary causes

There are secondary factors as well which are treatable but cause resistant hypertension. These factors are primary hyperaldosteronism or excessive hormonal formation, renal artery stenosis, chronic kidney disease, sleep apnoea, adrenal gland tumour, aortic narrowing, and Cushing syndrome or over-formation of steroid hormones.

Resistant hypertension symptoms

Resistant hypertension is a health problem that one can experience without any warning signs or symptoms. So, the best method to understand if your blood pressure is high, get it checked by your doctor.

Although, one can feel the symptoms when blood pressure increases and during hypertensive situations when BP is at its high level. The symptoms might involve breath shortness, nose bleeding, headache, and chest pain.

Always remember that feeling dizziness is not a sign of high levels of blood pressure but can be a symptom of low levels. If you are experiencing dizziness frequently or if it is unexplained then make sure to consult a doctor at the earliest as it can be a sign of some serious health issue.

Who is at risk of developing resistant hypertension?

People who are at risk of experiencing the problem of resistant hypertension include old age individuals, people suffering from chronic kidney diseases, diabetes, etc. So, it is important for these people specifically to check their blood pressure frequently.

It is also studied that nowadays around half of the population experiencing hypertension have a resistant form. There are generic resistant hypertension risk factors such as obesity, diabetes, lack of activity, smoking, and alcohol.

When to see a doctor?

You must consult a doctor at the earliest when you experience blood pressure rising from 130/80 to 180/120 or even higher. Also, when you are frequently observing the symptoms of breath shortness, weakness, numbness, or chest pain, you should immediately seek the doctor's assistance.

Resistant hypertension diagnosis

Different methods are followed for resistant hypertension diagnosis by a doctor. Here is how the doctor will identify the problem so that the right resistant hypertension treatment is recommended.

  • Your doctor will initiate performing a physical exam first.
  • Secondly, he/she will require complete information on the medical history.
  • Your blood pressure will be measured for accurate evaluation.
  • There will be the initiation of tests for secondary situations.

The doctor may also identify the damage to any organ that might have happened because of high blood pressure through tests like ECG or electrocardiogram, chest X-ray, echocardiogram, urinalysis, and fundoscopic eye to identify the damaged eye blood vessels.

Resistant hypertension treatment

Resistant hypertension treatment depends on the suspected existing cause. For instance, when your surgeon discovers that there is another problem leading to high blood pressure, then they will begin the treatment for the underlying condition so that blood pressure goes down.

There are other options for the treatment that involves lifestyle changes which an individual can include such as:

  • It is important to quit smoking as it not only affects the BP but also overall health.
  • Make sure to avoid the consumption of alcohol.
  • Try decreasing the intake of sodium.
  • Involve yourself in healthy eating.
  • Ensure exercise at least 30 minutes a day.
  • Try involving yourself in activities that will help you with managing stress.

In around 40% of the cases, medications for resistant hypertension don’t work because patients don’t take them correctly. It is important to understand that if you want the medications to work, then the dose should be taken at the recommended time and the right number of times every day.

If you are facing any issues while taking your medications for resistant hypertension, get in touch with your doctor. He/she can define the side effects and can also prescribe you another medicine. You have to ensure you are not averting yourself from taking medicine.

On the other hand, if you take your medications for resistant hypertension treatment and still face the problem, then your doctor will switch to another medicine. The common group of hypertension includes calcium channel blockers, diuretics, and inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers- ARBs.

As per the studies, a diuretic is a very effective medicine for resistant hypertension treatment.

Why Choose BM Birla Heart Research Centre?

BM Birla heart research center is a cardiac health service provider and has been established with the motive of a healthy India. We should be your pick because we realize that “when it’s about heart, time can mean everything”.

We are a state-of-the-art hospital delivering exceptional heart care services for decades. BMBHRC is the only cardiac center in eastern India endeavoring to form a superlative cardiac care delivery system, synergizing clinical skills with empathetic patient care.

The dynamic and highly qualified cardiac specialists ensure putting their best efforts to offer their best services. We deliver a comprehensive range of medical, interventional, and surgical care.

It also includes the full spectrum of specialty support services for in and out-patients.

Here are our main strengths which is why you must get in touch with us for any cardiac-related issue involving resistant hypertension problems:

  • We are a NABH-accredited hospital.
  • We ensure offering cardiac care that is economical, ethical and filled with compassion.
  • We are emerging as a leader when it comes to the delivery of the latest cardiac services across eastern India.
  • Our labs are well-equipped with advanced equipment and cardiac machines.
  • We have a team of cardiac care professionals having the efficiency of adhering to international standards and protocols.

Resistant hypertension is a condition that causes the risk of heart diseases such as stroke, failure, and heart attack. Hence, it is important to keep your BP in check and get your heart diagnosis done frequently.

You can consult BMBHRC anytime you want and we will be there for you.

FAQs

What can you do to prevent resistant hypertension?

It is recommended to follow these steps if you are trying to prevent resistant hypertension such as:

  • Make sure to cut the intake of salt from your daily life.
  • You must also restrict the consumption of alcohol and smoking.
  • Involve daily activity in your daily routine at least for 30 minutes a day.
  • Ensure restricting the usage of NSAIDs for pain relief. You can include acetaminophen as an alternative.
     

Is resistant hypertension reversible?

There are varied causes of resistant hypertension that also include existing clinical conditions, although all of them are reversible.
 

Does stress cause resistant hypertension?

Your body has the efficiency of forming a flow of hormones when you are under stressful conditions. As a result, it causes the issue of increasing your blood pressure temporarily which means your heart beats faster and narrows the blood vessels.

However, when it comes to stress as the reason for causing the issue of resistant hypertension then there is no evidence to prove this. The research is under process to comprehend if stress can cause high blood pressure in the long term.
 

Why is my blood pressure not going down even after taking the medication?

If you are regularly taking your prescribed medication for resistant hypertension, then it is recommended that you consult your doctor again. He/she might prescribe you another medication and will also share the information on side effects. Make sure to take medicines daily and not avoid them because of any side effects you experience.

As soon as you observe any symptoms, make sure to tell your doctor immediately.
 

Can sleep deprivation cause high blood pressure?

Yes, lack of sleep is one of resistant hypertension causes among both adults and children. It has been researched that factors like sleep disturbances, stress, shift work, and jet lag leads to developing heart diseases and risk factors for heart diseases.
 

Which hormone is in control of increasing blood pressure?

Aldosterone is known to be a steroid hormone and adrenal glands are responsible for its secretion. The primary role is regulating salt and water in the body which directly affects blood pressure hence causing the issue of resistant hypertension.

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