HEART RIGHT: LIVING WITH HYPERTENSION

By Sejoro Tonuewa

Getting diagnosed with hypertension may seem scary for most, especially in a conservative and religious community like ours, where a lot of people are largely uninformed about the disease. A lot of people view the disease as a death sentence while even many more view the daily medication requirement as scary and burdensome, with a lot of patients consequently not adhering to their therapy regimen. This could lead to fatal complications, however with proper therapy and management, hypertensive patients can live fulfilling, healthy lives.

Hypertension basically means persistently elevated blood pressure [normal blood pressure is below 120 mmHg (systolic blood pressure) and below 80 mmHg (diastolic blood pressure)] and it can be caused by diverse factors. It could also be a symptom of an underlying condition. Hence, it is important that definitive tests like echocardiogram, are carried out in the hospital, asides routine blood pressure monitoring. In 2015, WHO estimated that 1 in 4 men and 1 in 5 women have hypertension. Also, 1.13 billion people in the world have hypertension with two-third of these living in middle and low-income countries like Nigeria. In Nigeria, it is estimated that 1.5 millon cases are diagnosed yearly. Furthermore, less than one-fifth of these have their blood pressure in control.

Usually, in 90-95% of cases, there are no known causes of the disease. However, some risk factors have been identified, some of them one has no control over E.g race (with blacks more likely to have the disease), age (the older you get, the more likely you are to develop hypertension), a family history of hypertension (especially close relatives: father, mother, uncle, etc) as well as a presence of co-existing diseases such as diabetes which can predispose one to hypertension.
However, there are other risk factors which we can influence. These include: diets high in fat and sodium content, excessive alcohol intake, tobacco use, unhealthy weight as well as a sedentary lifestyle (physical inactivity).

Oftentimes, there are no symptoms experienced when the blood pressure is high and when symptoms are felt, they usually occur when the blood pressure is extremely high and may include: headaches, confusion, chest pain, anxiety., tremor. The only way to detect a high blood pressure is by measuring the blood pressure. It is important to add that hypertension is a chronic disease, usually requiring lifelong management. Hence, drugs will be required to be taken lifelong. This causes a challenge with patient compliance, as most people think that the daily pills are burdensome. Most people want a one-time panacea, little wonder many fall victim to scams promising total cure but leaving them worse. Some people, after taking their drugs for a while and seeing positive results, stop their drugs until they start ‘feeling the symptoms again’. More importantly, there are serious fatal complications associated with poorly managed hypertension including: stroke, heart failure, aneurysm amongst others. Therefore, controlling one’s blood pressure is imperative.

So, if you were recently diagnosed with hypertension, or have even been living with it for a while, but still do not know how best to handle it, the following tips should help:

• Monitor your blood pressure regularly: It is important to regularly check your blood pressure and document the results. This will help to evaluate therapy and review your medications. You can purchase a blood pressure monitor for home use or visit a community pharmacy near you where the blood pressure measurement is usually free of charge.
• Lifestyle modification: This is perhaps the first and most critical step in battling hypertension. It will be necessary to quit unhealthy habits like smoking and excessive alcohol intake, while some new habits will need to be formed such as reduction in salt intake and regular exercises. These help to regulate blood pressure and reduce drug burden.
• Use your medications as prescribed: This is also very important. Use your drug exactly as prescribed by your healthcare provider, ensuring that your health care provider is properly licensed to do so. Do not stop your drugs without consulting your health provider. Furthermore, do not give your drugs to others or use other people’s drugs not prescribed for you. In the event that you are unable to buy your drugs, you should inform your health provider for an alternative. Moreso, ensure you get your drugs from licensed pharmacies so as to avoid buying counterfeit products.

Remember, you are not alone, your pharmacist and other healthcare providers are working together with you to ensure you live your best life, in spite of hypertension.