High Blood Pressure

High blood pressure is the leading cause of stroke, heart attack, and heart failure, but one in five American adults don’t realize they have it. Olawumi O. Ayo Akatue, MD, and Richmond A. Akatue, MD, founded Cornerstone Medical Associates to ensure men and women in Smyrna, Tennessee, have access to the highest-quality care available, so they can effectively manage chronic conditions, like high blood pressure. To protect your health from high blood pressure, call Cornerstone Medical Associates, or schedule an appointment online today.

High Blood Pressure Q & A

When your heart pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout your body, the blood applies force against the inside of your arteries. If this force remains high for extended periods of time, you have high blood pressure.

High blood pressure, or hypertension, causes your heart and blood vessels to work harder and less efficiently than needed. As blood applies increasing levels of force against your arteries, tissue becomes damaged, plaque builds up, and your arteries become more narrow. This makes your heart work even harder as it tries to pump blood to other parts of your body.

High blood pressure is known as “the silent killer” because you usually don’t realize you have it until it causes serious damage.

Having high blood pressure can lead to serious health complications, including:

Irregular heartbeat, or arrhythmia
Vision loss
Cognitive issues
Aneurysm
Stroke
Heart attack
Heart failure

High blood pressure can also damage to your other organs in your body and the blood vessels in your kidneys.

There are two kinds of high blood pressure: primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. Primary hypertension typically develops slowly over time. When secondary hypertension occurs, it’s sudden and due to another health condition.

Causes of primary hypertension typically include:

Having a family history of the condition
Smoking or chewing tobacco
Consuming a diet that’s low in potassium and vitamin D and high in sodium
Being overweight or obese
Having a sedentary lifestyle

Although anyone can develop high blood pressure, it’s usually more common in women and men over 65. In African-Americans, however, high blood pressure often occurs at a younger age.

Dr. Olawumi O. Ayo Akatue and Dr. Richmond A. Akatue diagnose high blood pressure using an inflatable blood pressure cuff to measure your systolic and diastolic pressures. Your systolic pressure records how hard your heart pumps and diastolic pressure captures your heart as it rests between beats.

To effectively manage high blood pressure, your doctor works closely with you to develop a whole-body course of treatment. This often includes educational information to help you understand the causes and risks of high blood pressure, lifestyle modifications to improve your diet and exercise regimen, and regular blood pressure checks.

Call Cornerstone Medical Associates, or schedule an appointment online today.