Hypertension Specialist
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Healthstone Primary Care
Primary Care Practice & Geriatrics located in Weston, FL, Davie, FL, & Pembroke Pines, FL
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, affects about 45% of all adults, but many aren’t aware of the health risks they face because hypertension doesn’t cause symptoms. At Healthstone Primary Care in Weston, Pembroke Pines, and Davie, Florida, the skilled medical team offers expert management for hypertension with personalized treatment plans tailored to your needs. Call Healthstone Primary or connect online today to learn about your treatment options for hypertension.
Hypertension Q & A
What causes hypertension?
You can develop hypertension from an underlying health condition, such as chronic kidney disease. In most people, however, hypertension builds gradually over many years due to risk factors such as:
- Being overweight
- Leading a sedentary lifestyle
- Consuming too much salt
- Eating too few vegetables and fruits
- Being under persistent stress
- Smoking cigarettes and using other tobacco products
- Drinking too much alcohol
Hypertension also runs in families, so you may inherit a genetic tendency. However, even with a genetic predisposition, you may still prevent hypertension by avoiding the other risk factors.
What health problems develop due to hypertension?
Blood pressure comes from the force of blood pushing against the walls of your blood vessels. When that force increases, it causes damage, creating an area where it’s easier for cholesterol to get stuck on the artery wall.
Once cholesterol attaches to the wall, it slowly builds up and creates plaque. As plaque enlarges and hardens, the inside of the artery narrows, causing a cardiovascular disease called atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis restricts blood movement, which can reduce the blood supply to vital tissues. As the artery narrows, your heart must work harder to force blood through your body, gradually damaging heart muscles. If the plaque ruptures, the pieces travel through your blood vessels, where they can cause a stroke or heart attack.
What symptoms develop due to hypertension?
Hypertension seldom causes symptoms, even when it’s quite high. If you don’t have your blood pressure checked, you never know you have the problem. The first sign of hypertension is often a serious complication, such as:
- Chronic kidney disease
- Peripheral artery disease
- Heart attack
- Heart failure
- Stroke
- Aneurysm
You can also develop vascular dementia if atherosclerosis restricts blood flow to your brain.
How is hypertension treated?
The first steps for treating hypertension include changing your diet, losing weight, and stopping smoking. Lifestyle changes alone may restore normal blood pressure if your hypertension is mild to moderate.
If lifestyle changes don’t bring your hypertension back to a normal range, or you have severe hypertension, your doctor prescribes a medication to help lower your blood pressure.
Call Healthstone Primary today to get started with managing your hypertension or book your visit online today.