The Karen Hospital

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.