Hypertension, otherwise known as high blood pressure, is common and important to treat in order to prevent complications such as heart attack, stroke and heart failure. Around 1 in 4 adults in the UK have hypertension.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is usually diagnosed when your blood pressure in clinic is above 140/90 or 135/85 when at home. If you have diabetes, kidney disease or heart failure, your target blood pressure may be lower.
If your expert Consultant Cardiologist suspects your blood pressure is high during your visit, they may arrange for you to wear a 24-hour blood pressure monitor to clarify.
There are usually no symptoms from high blood pressure, so it is important to get your blood pressure checked regularly so that it can be treated and reduce the risk of heart attacks, stroke and heart failure. If the blood pressure is very high or has increased rapidly it can cause headaches, chest pain and breathlessness.
If you are diagnosed with hypertension, your expert Consultant Cardiologist will decide what investigations are required. If you are young or your blood pressure is very high, you may need a series of blood test and urine tests together with detailed MRI scans of your heart, aorta, kidneys and adrenal glands in case there is a cause for your high blood pressure.
In most cases involving older patients, there is no reversible cause of hypertension but you may need an :
echocardiogram (ultrasound) to look for damage to the heart arising from raised blood pressure
Your expert Consultant Cardiologist will work with you to reduce your blood pressure to target levels.
Lifestyle changes are important and can directly reduce blood pressure. If you are overweight, you will be advised to try to lose weight, and if your diet is unhealthy or contains excess salt, you’ll be advised on a new diet plan to follow. Exercise is useful in reducing blood pressure. If your drink excess alcohol then reducing this is another way to reduce your blood pressure. You should stop smoking.
For many cases, patients will need more than lifestyle changes to achieve their blood pressure target. There are a number of different types of medications available and often more than one will be required. Your expert Consultant Cardiologist will guide you to the best combination to achieve optimum control and minimise any side effects.
Hypertension (high blood pressure) is common but needs thorough investigation and careful treatment by expert Consultant Cardiologists to reduce the risk of heart attack, stroke and heart failure. Our expert Consultant Cardiologists are available for consultation on any day of the week and weekends as well.
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