With the North Central Regional Health Authority (NCRHA) detecting an alarming 460 cases of hypertension after testing 600 men last week, the president of the Caribbean Cardiac Society, Dr Pravinde Ramoutar, warns that it is the leading cause of heart disease and associated deaths.
Ramoutar said hypertension was present in over 90 per cent of patients hospitalized for heart disease. In an interview with Guardian Media yesterday, Ramoutar, also Director of Health at the South West Regional Authority, was not surprised by the NCRHA figures. He said globally, one-third of all people with hypertension do not know they have the condition. A third of people who are aware have it under control, while another third know but do not have it under control.
Ramoutar explained that hypertension occurs when the pressure in blood vessels generated by the heart is higher than usual. The optimum blood pressure level is 120/80 mmHg. There are various elevation levels, but at 140/90mmHg, you are experiencing high blood pressure. Ramoutar said hypertension is a silent disease because it causes little to no symptoms until it becomes severe. Blood pressure is not something doctors actively gauge, except when patients seek care for a condition. Staff will then administer a test, and a person could be diagnosed. Ramoutar said that when someone experiences symptoms associated with hypertension, they have target organ damage, meaning that high blood pressure is affecting organs like the brain, heart, kidneys or eyes.
"If left unchecked for some time, the chronic effect on your arteries will occur. There will be an increase in the resistance in the flow of blood through your arteries and an increase in the force generated by your heart to pump the blood. It chronically causes the heart to get large and thicken. It causes what we call diastolic dysfunction. That means the heart is so stiff that it is unable to relax properly," Ramoutar said.
There is also a close link between hypertension and stroke. Ramoutar explained that as hypertension damages arteries, it accelerates the deposition of cholesterol plaque. Plaque can clog arteries pumping blood to the brain.
Similarly, hypertension increases pressure on the kidney, which filters toxins from your blood. It could lead to you seeking dialysis. Because hypertension disrupts blood supplies, it can lead to erectile dysfunction. While some people avoid visiting doctors, Ramoutar said the first treatment of hypertension is free and does not require medical intervention. He recommends purchasing a blood pressure test kit to monitor yourself at home. He said when medics at medical facilities check a patient's blood pressure; the results are often falsely high.
"It is recommended that doctors do not recommend blood pressure tests, that you measure your blood pressure at home and that you measure it three times."
Ramoutar said people should ignore the first reading, which is usually high, as they are conscious of checking their blood pressure. Sequential monitoring will show an accurate reading after the third test. If your blood pressure is consecutively high, call or visit your doctor.
Medications come to mind as the first option for treating hypertension, but the primary causes are a poor diet and a sedentary lifestyle. Ramoutar said there are five treatment options before doctors prescribe medication. They are a low-salt diet, exercise, weight loss, quitting cigarette smoking and reducing alcohol intake.
"All of these measures will reduce your blood pressure by about 15 mmHg. It is equivalent to the reductions provided by tablets. Only if these measures fail, then doctors recommend medication."
