Hypertension is one of the common diseases in adults and it is mostly associated with people above 50 years of age. Most of the old people attending hospital in Kenya have high blood pressure yet they do not know. It is after taking the measurement that the disease is detected.
Hypertension can lead to rupture of small blood vessels, hence eye, renal and heart complications, ascitis, liver failure and so on. It can also lead to coronary heart disease, heart failure, kidney failure, and stroke.
The causes of hypertension are not very clear, but there are some predisposing factors. These include heart disease, liver and kidney disease and eclampsia in pregnancy. In many individuals, hypertension has a genetic predisposition. A stressful lifestyle can also contribute to hypertension.
Hypertension is confirmed when there is an increase of over 20mm Hg diastolic pressure on more than two occasions. That means that the individual is measured on different days and the increase is persistent. This can be done at level 3 to level 6 of the health care system in Kenya.
The management involves the use of drugs and modification of one’s lifestyle. The drugs commonly used are diuretics, blood vessel dilators, centrally acting drugs, and beta-blockers. The more familiar names are aldomet (methyldopa), Inderal (propranolol), lasix (Frusemide), and captopril. The management of hypertension is done from a health centre level to referral level. District hospitals, provincial hospitals and referral hospital in Kenya are the place where compications of hypertension can be done.
The objective is to decrease the intravascular volume, decrease the force of contraction and decrease peripheral resistance. This is intended to decrease the amount of work being performed by the heart.
The preventive message given to the patient with hypertension is:
- Regular checkups.
- Compliance with drugs.
- Modification of lifestyle.
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