It is extremely difficult to detect hypertension (high blood pressure) early on because the condition exhibit little to no symptoms. Therefore, the condition goes undiagnosed and people are unaware of hypertension before stage 2.
When you have reached stage two high blood pressure, the symptoms are severe and it requires immediate medical attention. This is why it is very important that you get into the habit of having your blood pressure checked regularly.
Stage Two high blood pressure
Severe high blood pressure is presumably life-threatening condition. Stage two high blood pressure is the condition of having systolic pressure greater than 180 and/or diastolic pressure above 120.
At this stage, serious complications can occur such as blood vessel rupture, swelling of the brain and kidney failure. One can also encounter dizzy spells, blurry vision (visual disturbance), headache or nausea. In elders, the normal functions of the arteries may deteriorate and there is a great risk of cardiovascular malfunctioning.
Treatment options
It is necessary to seek immediate medical attention for stage two high blood pressure. The health care provider will administer one or more oral medications that will slowly decrease the blood pressure. The treatment approach aims to reduce the pressure to alleviate the risk of additional complications.
There are several types of drugs that are used to treat high blood pressure. These include angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, diuretics, beta-blockers, calcium channel blockers and alpha-blockers. A combination of medications can also be used to treat hypertension. Diuretics are often the first line of therapy for most people for high blood pressure but your doctor may start a medicine other than a diuretic considering your condition.
It is not safe to lower the blood pressure too quickly. Rapid reduction of high blood pressure levels can disrupt the natural flow of blood to the brain. Of course, this may be fatal.
High blood pressure management
A healthy lifestyle is one of the critical steps in preventing and treating high blood pressure. The following lifestyle changes will help you lower your blood pressure.
- Eating a well-rounded diet that has more fruits, vegetables and low fat dairy products.
- Limiting sodium in your diet.
- Losing weight if you are overweight.
- Getting regular aerobic exercise.
- Quitting smoking.
- Abstaining from alcohol.
Besides lowering blood pressure, these lifestyle modifications enhance the effectiveness of high blood pressure drugs.
Image: Shutterstock
