Beware of Complications Due to Hypertension

THERE are many people with hypertension that ended with the onset of complications of a stroke. They did not know this for themselves suffering from hypertension until serious complications arise. Hypertension is often asymptomatic, but its consequences can be fatal.

In patients with hypertension, their blood pressure has been high. High-pressure blood flow that occurs during the years that led to damaged blood vessels. Blood vessels became thick, stiff, and prone to narrowing and even blockage.


As a result, blood flow will be hampered. In fact, that is the blood flowing through vessels to supply nutrients and oxygen to body cells. When blood flow is blocked, a variety of complications can occur.

If the blockage occurs in blood vessels of the brain, a stroke arises. When occurs in blood vessels of heart, be a heart attack. When damage occurs in blood vessels in the retina of the eye, can cause blindness. When the blood vessels in the kidneys, can lead to kidney failure.

Research shows that hypertension is a risk factor at most cause an increase in deaths from cardiovascular disease.

The problem arises almost all cases of hypertension without showing symptoms. Hypertension is generally realized, when the condition was already severe sufferers. Like when it was a stroke or heart failure.

The only way to determine the existence of hypertension is through regular blood pressure measurement. Someone said to suffer from hypertension when blood pressure was 140/90 mm Hg or more.

Once a person is detected suffering from hypertension, he/she must undergo treatment and live a healthy lifestyle. Healthy lifestyle is important. Beside influenced by genetic factors and increasing age, the incidence of hypertension also affected by unhealthy lifestyle.

High or low blood pressure influenced a variety of factors. One is the renin angiotensin system (RAS). This system involves a substance called angiotensin I generated the kidneys and body tissues. By an enzyme, angiotensin is converted into angiotensin II, which then attaches to a receptor, the AT1. Once attached, then angiotensin II might work affects the blood vessels become narrowed.

Recently a study on the effectiveness of one type of ARB class of drugs, ie, telmisartan, was released. Named research study Ontarget (Ongoing telmisartan Alone and in combination with Ramipril Global Endpoint Trial) was conducted since 2003 and involving 25 620 patients in countries on five continents. The result, shown to give equal protection of telmisartan with ramipril, which is the gold standard of treatment of hypertension. However, in terms of side effects, telmisartan is superior. That caused ramipril side effects such as cough is an ARB is not the case.

The content of the unique pharmacological effects of telmisartan is also shown to have a longer working up to 24 hours, safe for people with kidney failure and is suitable for patients with hypertension who also have diabetes.


•  Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)