Dear Readers,

General Knowledge is an important component of several competitive exams such as the UPSC Civil Services Examination, SSC CGL, Bank PO & PSU entrance tests, etc. Therefore, an understanding of those concepts/ terms which are of great practical significance in our day to day lives becomes critical for aspirants of most of the competitive examination. With a view to make your preparation easier and to help you score better, we at PaGaLGuY bring you brief articles on trending phenomenon, terms, concepts, etc.

The previous article discussed the causes of lifestyle disorders and its first example, diabetes mellitus type 2. This article will cover some more examples.

Hypertension/ High Blood Pressure-

1.  Also known as arterial hypertension.

2. It is a condition marked by continuous elevated pressure of blood against the wall of the blood vessels.

3. The normal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg (millimeters of mercury) and is read as 120 over 80. Hypertension is blood pressure is above 140/90 mmHg. The upper number 120 is referred to as ‘systolic’ and the lower number is referred as ‘diastolic’.

4. Causes of hypertension are obesity, smoking, excessive consumption of alcohol and salt and lack of exercise. The risk of developing this disease increases as people age.

5. High blood pressure (HBP) is generally symptomless. However problems like severe headache, difficulty in breathing, fatigue and irregular heartbeats are common if the blood pressure is too high.

6. Undiagnosed HBP can weaken the heart making it prone to failure, aneurysms (abnormal bulge in the wall of artery), kidney failure and can cause the blood vessels in the eyes to burst leading to loss of vision.

7. Treatment for HBP includes prescription drugs like Thiazide diuretics (helps eliminate excess sodium), Beta blockers (reduces heart rate) and Calcium channel blockers (relaxes muscles of blood vessels) along with dietary and lifestyle changes.

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