Anatomical Chart Company Catalogue 2014

What is High Blood Pressure? When the heart beats, it pumps blood out to all parts of the body thru the arteries creating force or pressure against thewalls of the arteries.Likeair ina tire,bloodfillsarteries toacertaincapacity.But justas toomuchairpressurecandamagea tire,highbloodpressure candamagehealthyarteries.Whenbloodpressure ishigh theheartmustworkharder topump the sameamountofblood through the arteries.Bloodpressure rises and fallsduring theday, butwhen bloodpressure stayshigh over time, it is calledhigh bloodpressure (HBP)orhypertension.Thewear and tear causedbyuntreatedhighbloodpressure can causedamage to theheart,kidneys and eyes, and increases the risk forheart attack, stroke,kidney failure, coronaryarterydisease,andother serioushealthproblems. Signs and Symptoms of High Blood Pressure Most of the time, high bloodpressuredoes not cause any symptoms. It is oftendiagnosedwhen apatient visits theirphysician for a routine check-up.Many peopledo not realize they have high blood pressure until it has causeddamage to their body. In rare cases, headaches can result from extremelyhighbloodpressure. Understanding High Blood Pressure

Complications of High Blood Pressure

HighBloodpressure that isnot controlled can cause long-termdamage toyourblood vessels,brain,heart,kidneys,and eyes.Learningaboutyourbloodpressure canhelp reduceyour riskofhavinga strokeorheartattack. Askyourhealth careprovider to checkyourbloodpressure today.

BRAIN Stroke –Bloodvessels in thebrain thataredamaged,weakened andnarrowedbyhighbloodpressuremaybulgeout (aneurysm) andburst causingblood to seep into thebrain tissue (hemorrhage). Orblood clotsmay form in thearteries leading to thebrain, blockingbloodflow. Transient IschemicAttack –TIA (ministroke) isabrief, temporarydisruptionofblood supply to thebrain. It’soften causedby atherosclerosisor ablood clot—bothofwhich canbe a resultofhighbloodpressure.

Blood clot Hemorrhage

Aneurysm

EYES Thickened,narrowedor tornbloodvessels in the eyesmay result invision loss.

How is Blood Pressure Measured? Bloodpressure ismeasuredwith a simple testusingabloodpressure cuff.The cuff iswrapped around yourupper arm and inflated enough to stop thebloodflow inyourartery fora few seconds.When the cuff is releasedordeflated, thefirst soundheardbyyourhealth careprovider through the stethoscope is the whooshing soundofyourheartpushingblood intoyour arteries.This is called the “systolic”bloodpressure. The“diastolic”bloodpressure iswhen thisnoisedisappears, indicating theheart is relaxed. The systolicbloodpressurenumber is always statedfirst followedby thediastolicnumber. For example,yourbloodpressuremaybe read as“117over 76”,orwritten “117/76”.

Damagedbloodvessels in the retinaof the eye

Two numbers are used to describe blood pressure:

BLOODVESSELS Highbloodpressure candamage the innerwallsofarteries causing them to thicken andharden, a condition called arteriosclerosis .Cholesterolandother substances (plaque) in theblood can collecton thedamagedwallsof thearteries;a condition called atherosclerosis ; andmayblockbloodflow causingproblems such as chest pain (angina),heart attack,heart failure,kidney failure, stroke,blockedarteries inyour legsor arms (peripheral arterialdisease), eyedamage, and aneurysms.

Diastolic (bottom number) The second number is lower than the systolic pressure and measures blood pressure when the heart relaxes between beats.This is called “diastolic bloodpressure.”Anormal healthy number is around 76. Your blood pressure normally changes throughout the day. It rises when you are active, and lowerswhenyouare resting. Systolic (top number) The top number called “systolic blood pressure” measures bloodpressurewhen the heartpumps blood forward through the arteries to the restofyourbody.This force createspressureon thearteries.Bloodpressure ishighest when theheartbeats,pumping theblood.Anormalhealthynumber isaround117. mmHg isameasurementofpressure

117 76

mm Hg

Healthy and Unhealthy Blood Pressure Levels

Thickened arterywalls Arteriosclerosis

Plaquebuilduponwallsof artery Atherosclerosis

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Anatomical Charts & Posters ANEURYSM Over time, the constantpressureofbloodmoving throughaweakenedartery cancauseasectionof itswall toenlargeand formabulge (aneurysm).Ananeurysm canburst and cause internalbleeding.Aneurysms can form in anyartery in thebody,but they’remost common in theaorta, thebody’s largestartery.

Blood Pressure Category

Systolic mmHg (upper #)

Diastolic mmHg (lower #)

B.

less than 120

less than 80

and

Normal

120 – 139

80 – 89

or

Prehypertension

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 1

140 – 159

90 – 99

or

Aortic aneurysm

Burst aneurysm

High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Stage 2

HEART CoronaryArteryDisease (CAD) –Affects the arteries that supplyblood to theheart.Thickened andnarrowed coronaryarteriespreventblood from flowing freely to theheart, causing chestpain (angina),heart attackor irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias). LeftVentricularHypertrophy (LVH) –Highbloodpressure forces theheart to workharder topumpblood to the restof thebody.This causes theheart’s leftpumping chamber (the leftventricle) to thickenor stiffen limiting theventricle’sability topump blood, increasing the riskofheartattack,heart failureand sudden cardiacdeath. Heart failure –Over time, the strainon theheart fromhighbloodpressure can cause theheart toweakenandwork less efficiently, eventually failing tomeet thebody’sdemand forblood.

160 orhigher

or

100 orhigher

Hypertensive Crisis (Emergency care needed)

or

Higher than 180

Higher than 110

*Your doctor should evaluateunusuallylow blood pressurereadings.

http://www.heart.org/HEARTORG/

Types and Causes of High Blood Pressure (Hypertension) Primary or essential hypertension is themost common type of high blood pressure. Inmost cases the exact causes are unknown;however thereare several factors that increaseor contribute toyour chancesofdevelopinghighbloodpressure: •Obesityorbeingoverweight •Lackofphysical activity •Poordiet, especiallyone that includes toomuch saltand too littlepotassium •Genetics and familymedicalhistory •Age andgender •High levelsof alcohol consumption •Ethnicbackground •Stress •Smoking and secondhand smoke Secondaryhypertension may result from aknown cause such as: •Chronickidneydisease •Adrenal and thyroidproblemsor tumors •Diabetes •Pregnancy •Someneurologicdisorders

Blocked coronary arteries Angina

Thickenedheartmuscle LeftVentricularHypertrophy

KIDNEYS Highbloodpressure isoneof themost common causesof kidney failure. It candamageboth the large arteries leading to thekidneys and the tinybloodvesselswithin thekidneys. Damage to eitherprevents thekidneys from effectivelyfilteringwaste from theblood,allowingdangerous levelsoffluidandwaste toaccumulate. Glomerulus –filters waste fromblood

High Blood Pressure in Children Teens, childrenand evenbabies canhavehighbloodpressure.Althoughhigh bloodpressure is farmore commonamong adults, the rate amongkids ison the rise, a trend that experts link to the increase in childhoodobesity.Early diagnosisandtreatmentcan reduceorprevent theharmful complications ofhighbloodpressure.TheAmericanHeartAssociation recommends thatall childrenhave theirbloodpressuremeasuredyearly.Children have the same test forhighbloodpressure as adults;however,

Bloodvessel damagedby Arteriosclerosis

Prevention and Management

interpreting thenumbers ismoredifficult.Your child’s physicianwilluse chartsbasedonyour child’sgender, height, age andbloodpressurenumbers todetermine whetherornotyour childhashighbloodpressure.

Highbloodpressure canbepreventedandmanagedbestby adjustingyour lifestyle.Decreaseyourbloodpressureby: •Reducebodyweight ifoverweight •Maintainahealthyweight •Eathealthy foods •Decrease salt inyourdiet •Decrease fat inyourdiet • Increasefiber inyourdiet •Donot smoke •Avoidexcessive alcohol intake •Exercise regularly •Manage stress •Followyourphysician’s instructionsand takeanymedicationsasprescribed

PublishedbyAnatomicalChartCompany | Developed in consultationwithDr.DouglasS.Moodie.

© 2014

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