The Karen Hospital will be hosting a cardiac surgical camp from January
16th - 24th 2016 for patients requiring coronary artery by grafting
(CABG). The procedures will be performed by a team of surgeons from
Germany in conjunction with our local team.
If you need these services kindly visit our facility located along Langata Road. Share widely. For inquiries call Mercy on 0721775070
Wednesday, 23 December 2015
HYPERTENSION
Hypertension, otherwise known as
high blood pressure is a chronic medical condition that is characterized by
abnormal force as blood flows through the arteries. Medically, it is said that
one has hypertension if they have a blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg. A single
high blood pressure reading is not necessarily a sign of high blood pressure.
A
number of reasons predispose one to high blood pressure. As one ages, their
risk of getting hypertension also increases but this does not mean that young
people are not affected. Recent times have had cases of children and
adolescents who are hypertensive. This could be due to other predisposing
factors that facilitate the occurrence of cardiovascular conditions such as
poor lifestyle choices.
Obesity
is another factor that could lead to hypertension. A diet with too much salt
(sodium) and processed foods, consumption of alcohol and tobacco and lack of
physical exercises are among poor lifestyle choices that expose people to
illnesses. Chronic stress is another contributor. While stress is part of life,
people are advised to stop worrying over things they have little or no control
over. Genetics could also cause hypertension. People from families with a
history of high blood pressure have high chances of developing it in their
lifetime.
High
blood pressure can also be an indication of other medical conditions such as
kidney disease or overactive thyroid glands among others. Untreated, high blood
pressure could lead to weakening of the heart, development of an aneurysm in
the blood vessel, heart attack, narrowing of the blood vessels among other
conditions.
Regular
health check-ups
It is rather
unfortunate that high blood pressure does not have symptoms, that is why it is
popularly termed as the silent killer. Therefore, regular health check-ups are
recommended in order to arrest certain conditions as early as possible before
they damage the body.
The Karen
Hospital recently carried out a study to assess the prevalence, awareness,
management and treatment of hypertension in two main slums in Nairobi This
research saw 5,194 residents above 18 years participate.
The survey
established that the prevalence of hypertension was 12.3 per cent (12.7 per
cent in women and 12 per cent in men). The level of consciousness concerning
their hypertensive state having been told by a medical expert was 19.5 per cent
(30.7 per cent in women and 10.8 per cent in men). About 47 per cent (44.9 per
cent in women and 50.9 per cent in men) of those who were aware of being
hypertensive state had been on medication for a year before the survey was
carried out. Among those who had been on medication only 21.5 per cent (14.4
per cent in women and 35.7 per cent in men) had controlled blood pressure to
levels below 140/90 mmHg. Hypertension control among all affected was below 3
per cent.
The research
concluded that high blood pressure among slum dwellers was common. However, a
majority of people sort treatment the moment the condition is revealed. This
shows that huge strides can be made in the management of hypertension as long
as there is awareness. There is a great need to put together strategies and
policies that will influence prevention, early detection and availability of
proper treatment of high blood pressure in such localities.
Once a diagnosis
has been made, one is always advised on how to live a healthy life with minimum
risks. For instance, one is advised to greatly reduce salt intake, reduce and
if possible stop alcohol and tobacco consumption, increase intake of food and
vegetables while limiting fat intake. Regular exercises will also do the body a
lot of good. Reduction and maintenance of low body weight will lead to a
reduction in blood pressure.
The
Karen Hospital has wellness programmes. These are medical check-up comprising
of a number of tests that give a “snapshot” of the functioning of your body.
This helps to avoid surprises by medical conditions such as hypertension that
are slowly creeping on us. There is also a hypertension management programme
where patients with high blood pressure are comprehensively managed in terms of
diet and treatment. Visit any of our branches and benefit from these helpful
interventions.
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