High blood pressure and stroke

Scientists said that 80% of strokes can be prevented. The single best way to do that is to get body blood pressure in the healthy range. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries.

Extremely high blood pressure — a top number (systolic pressure) of 180 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or higher or a bottom number (diastolic pressure) of 120 mm Hg or higher — can damage blood vessels. A normal blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mmHg.

High blood pressure puts a strain on blood vessels all over the body, including the arteries that lead to the brain. This means the heart has to work much harder to keep the blood circulation going. Too much force inside the blood vessels damages the artery walls and makes them weaker. As a result, the heart may not be able to pump blood effectively.

There are two main types of strokes:
*Strokes caused by blocked blood flow - ischemic stroke
*Strokes caused by bleeding in or around the brain.

Eighty percent of strokes are ischemic, caused by the narrowing of the large or small arteries of the brain, or by clots that block blood flow to the brain.

Strokes are more common among women than men, the American Stroke Association reports. Black people are also at higher risk than whites. High blood pressure usually develops over time. It can happen because of unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as not getting enough regular physical activity. Certain health conditions, such as diabetes and having obesity, can also increase the risk for developing high blood pressure.
High blood pressure and stroke

Definition of stroke

Strokes are brain attacks. They occur when the blood supply to the brain becomes blocked. A stroke is a medical emergency that needs immediate medical attention. Stroke can be defined as abrupt onset of a focal neurological deficit lasting more than 24 hours. It is also called cerebrovascular accident (CVA) or apoplexy. An acute stroke refers to the first 24-hour-period of a stroke.

The majority of strokes occur when blood vessels to the brain become narrowed or clogged with fatty deposits called plaque. This cuts off blood flow to brain cells.

Stroke is classified on the basis of its aetiology as either ischaemic (87%)or haemorrhagic (13%).
*Ischaemic stroke is produced by occlusion of a cerebral artery [thrombotic or atherosclerotic (50%), embolic (25%) and microartery occlusion, “lacunar stroke”, (25%)].
*Haemorrhagic stroke is caused mainly by spontaneous rupture of blood vessels or aneurysms or secondary to trauma.

Stroke remains the second leading cause of death at the global level and in the European region. Of the 56 million deaths that occur every year worldwide, 10.8% are due to stroke. Eighty-five per cent of these stroke deaths among all ages occur in developing countries.

The word “stroke” was likely first introduced into medicine in 1689 by William Cole in A Physico-Medical Essay Concerning the Late Frequencies of Apoplexies. Before Cole, the common term used to describe very acute nontraumatic brain injuries was “apoplexy.” Apoplexy was used by Hippocrates circa 400 BC.

Definition of stroke

Signs of stroke

Stroke is the fifth leading cause of death in America today. It’s also a major cause of severe, long-term disability. People over 55 years old have more chance of stroke, and the risk gets greater as they get older.

By knowing the signs and symptoms of stroke, you can take quick action and perhaps save a life—maybe even your own. Immediate signs of stroke including:
*Face drooping
*Arm weakness
*Speech difficulty or confusion

Other warning symptoms:
• Sudden numbness or weakness on one side of the body
• Sudden confusion or trouble understanding
• Sudden trouble seeing in one or both eyes
• Sudden trouble walking, dizziness, loss of balance or coordination
• Sudden severe headache with no known cause

A stroke occurs when a blood vessel that carries oxygen and nutrients to the brain either bursts, ruptures or is blocked by a clot. As a result, the brain cannot get the blood and oxygen it needs and pieces of the brain die.
Signs of stroke

What is stroke?

Stroke has been recognized for thousands of years and is the third most common cause of death after heart disease and cancer in developed countries.

Approximately 550,000 people suffer a stroke each year nearly 150, 000 people die from stroke, and about 3 million stroke survivors have varying degrees of residual neurological impairment.

It is a disease of the brain and is caused by a blockage or rupture of the essential blood supply that results in an acute clinical syndrome lasting more than 24 hours.

There is clear neurological deficit and some degree of permanent brain damage.

Based on the blood vessel involved the symptoms are different and specific and often help pinpoint the exact location of the lesion in the central nervous system.

The two most common types of stroke are:
*Ischemic – blockage
*Hemorrhagic (intracerebral) – bleeding

While some risk factors for ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke are different, the following risk factors are applicable to 90% of strokes:
*High blood pressure
*Smoking
*Waist to hip ratio
*Unhealthy diet
*Consuming too much alcohol
What is stroke?

Protective Effects of Alcohol to Blood Pressure and Stroke

Protective Effects of Alcohol to Blood Pressure and Stroke
A relatively high alcohol intake (>4 drinks/d) is associated with elevated blood pressure and an increased risk of stroke.

Recent evidence from cohort studies suggest that the association between alcohol and hypertension may be J-shaped, such that light and moderate drinkers have a modestly reduced risk of developing hypertension, although the exact mechanism for this effect is unknown.

Studies on the association between moderate alcohol consumption and stroke have been mixed.

Several case control and cohort studies have seen a reduced risk of stroke among moderate drinkers.

In that studies that found benefit, the reduction is usually limited to ischemic rather than hemorrhagic stroke.

Clearly the data support no increase in ischemic risk at moderate levels, but more work is needed to determine if drinking patterns if influence risk of stroke.
Protective Effects of Alcohol to Blood Pressure and Stroke

High Blood Pressure

Hypertension and You
High blood pressure (hypertension) is designated as either essential (primary) hypertension or secondary hypertension and is defined as a consistently elevated blood pressure exceeding 140/90 mm Hg.

In essential hypertension (95% of people with hypertension), no specific cause is found, while secondary hypertension (5% of people with hypertension) is caused by an abnormality somewhere in the body, such as in the kidney, adrenal gland, or aortic artery.

Essential hypertension may run in some families and occurs more often in the black population, although the genes for essential hypertension have not yet been identified.

High salt intake, obesity, lack of regular exercise, excessive alcohol or coffee intake, and smoking may all adversely affect the outlook for the health of an individual with hypertension.

High blood pressure is called "the silent killer" because it usually causes no symptoms for many years, even decades, until it finally damages certain critical organs.

Poorly controlled hypertension ultimately can cause damage to blood vessels in the eye, thickening of the heart muscle and heart attacks, hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis), kidney failure, and strokes.

Heightened public awareness and screening of the population are necessary to detect hypertension early enough so that it can be treated before damage has occurred to the critical organs.

Lifestyle adjustments in diet and exercise and compliance with medication regimes are important factors in determining the outcome for people with hypertension.

Several classes of anti-hypertensive medications are available, including ACE inhibitors, ARB drugs, beta-blockers, diuretics, calcium channel blockers, alpha-blockers, and peripheral vasodilators.

Most anti-hypertensive medications can be used alone or in combination: some are used only in combination; some are preferred over others in certain specific medical situations; and some are not to be used (contraindicated) in other situations.

The goal of therapy for hypertension is to bring the blood pressure down to 140/85 in the general population and to even lower levels in diabetics, blacks, and people with certain chronic kidney diseases.

Screening, diagnosing, treating, and controlling hypertension early in its course can significantly reduce the risk of developing strokes, heart attacks, or kidney failure.
Hypertension and You