All young people should have their blood pressure checked every few years – especially if someone in the family has Hypertension (high blood pressure).

What Is Blood Pressure?

Blood pressure is the force that drives the blood around the body (circulation).

If the blood pressure is too low, oxygen doesn’t get to the tissues (this is called shock).  If the blood pressure is too high, the pressure can cause damage to sensitive organs like the heart, kidneys, eyes and brain.

If the blood pressure is really high, it can make the blood burst out of the blood vessels in a haemorrhage (this is one cause of strokes in the brain).

What Causes Hypertension?

Hypertension or high blood pressure is rare in young people, although it is very common in adults.  In young people, hypertension can be caused by obesity (being overweight), taking the contraceptive pill, diabetes, smoking, stress, repeated kidney infections or other kidney problems.

The same things that cause Hypertension in young people can cause Hypertension in adults.  However, we do not know what causes most Hypertension in adults.  When an adult is diagnosed with Hypertension and the cause is unclear, doctors refer to it as “Essential Hypertension”.

Can You Prevent Hypertension?

Yes, by eating healthily, avoiding being overweight and not having too much salt in your diet.  It’s fine for your parents to put a little salt in their cooking, but don’t add more on the table, and avoid very fatty and salty foods like chips and crisps.

Stopping smoking may also help, however, having your blood pressure checked every couple of years is the best way to prevent problems with Hypertension.

How Do You Treat Hypertension?

If your blood pressure is high, losing weight and cutting out salt are the first steps.  If the blood pressure stays high, then tablets called Anti-hypertensives will be necessary.

Anti-hypertensives are medications that reduce the blood pressure by widening the blood vessels (vasodilatation), reducing the amount of fluid in the body that the heart has to pump around (diuretics), and by helping the heart cope with the blood pressure.  People with Hypertension need to see their doctor every 3 to 6 months to check how their blood pressure is going.

What Do The Numbers In Blood Pressure Mean?

The two numbers on the blood pressure readings tell us the pressure in the blood when the heart is contracting (called the systolic pressure) and the pressure in the blood when the heart is resting in-between beats (called the diastolic pressure).  They are both important – and it’s dangerous if either of them are raised.