HYPERTENSION

What causes high blood pressure?	Heredity, smoking, obesity, diabetes, sedentary life style, alcohol, and other rare conditions.
What does uncontrolled high blood pressure lead to?	Stroke, heart disease, kidney failure, retinal disease, male impotence and dementia.
What dietary factors affect blood pressure?	Sodium(elevates), Potassium(Lowers), Alcohol(elevates)
Does exercise lower high blood pressure?	Yes, if done regularly over the course of several months.
Can high blood pressure be treated without medications?	In principle yes, if one achieves lifestyle modifications( weight loss, smoking cessation, regular exercise, and alcohol moderation)
Is it dangerous to stop blood pressure medications suddenly?	Only Beta blockers have to be slowly tapered, all others can be stopped or exchanged without a tapering program.
Why are regular visits necessary for high blood pressure?	Blood pressure is a dynamic entity. without monitoring, it may worsen requiring higher medication dosages, or may improve requiring withdrawal or reduction in dosages.
Are home blood pressure monitors reliable?	They have improved greatly, but it is best to bring your home unit to your doctor to calibrate with the standard Mercury unit.
What is white coat Hypertension?	Exaggerated increase in Blood Pressure caused by anxiety in the doctor's office? This is why home BP monitoring is useful for many patients.
Is the Bottom number more important thanthe top?	Both the systolic and the diastolic pressures are equally important. Both have to be treated with the same vigor.
What is the ideal Blood Pressure?	under 120/80
What is controlled BP?	under 140/90 ( 125/85 for diabetics )
What about Blood Pressures between the ideal and the controlled?	There is some evidence that blood pressures above the ideal have a worse outcome in terms of premature death,strokes and heart attacks.