High Blood Pressure

The pressure of blood in your arteries / blood vessels is blood pressure and is measured in millimetres of mercury (mmHg). Your blood pressure is recorded as two figures. For example, 1450/90 mmHg. This is said as ’145 over 90’.

High blood pressure is a blood pressure that is 140/90 mmHg or above each time it is taken. That is, the blood pressure is ’sustained’ at 140/90 mmHg or above.

Blood pressure reading that is high does not mean that you have ’high blood pressure’. Your blood pressure varies throughout the day. It may be high for a short time if you are anxious, stressed, or have just been exercising.

You are said to have ’high blood pressure’ (hypertension) if you have several blood pressure readings that are high, and which are taken on different occasions, and when you are relaxed.

High blood pressure is a ’risk factor’ for developing a cardiovascular disease (such as a heart attack or stroke), and kidney damage, sometime in the future. If you have high blood pressure, over the years it may have a damaging effect to arteries and put a strain on your heart. In general, the higher your blood pressure, the greater the health risk. But, high blood pressure is just one of several possible risk factors for developing a cardiovascular disease.

Hemorrhagic Stroke

The hemorrhagic stroke occurs when a blood vessel inside the brain bursts. The bleeding damages the surrounding brain tissue. The brain cells are much more gentle and sensitive than any other cells in the human body. The bleeding increases the pressure applied to the brain cells that surround the bleeding and this is what causes the damage.

The most common cause of hemorrhagic stroke is high blood pressure. Another cause is an aneurysm. It causes the blood vessel wall to become thinner and bust at some point. Stroke can also be caused by the accumulation of a protein called amyloid within the artery walls, particularly in the elderly. This makes the arteries more prone to bleeding.

Hemorrhagic strokes form nearly 20% of all stroke cases. It may occur in all ages and the average risk age is lower than the ischemic stroke risk age.

The symptoms of the hemorrhagic stroke include weakness or inability to move some part of the body, numbness or lost of sensation, decrease or lost vision, speech difficulties, disorientation and inability to recognize familiar faces, sudden headache, dizziness, etc.

The hemorrhagic stroke can be treated through a surgery or with medication only. Depending on the severity, treatment includes lifesaving measures, relief of symptoms and repair of the cause of the bleeding. Surgery can help reducing the brain damage caused by the stroke as well as quicken the recovery. Regardless of the treatment chosen a person who has suffered a hemorrhagic stroke needs a serious long term treatment. Most of the patients need physical therapy, other need behavior modification or family counseling.

There are different types of hemorrhagic stroke - subarachnoid hemorrhage and intracerebral hemorrhage. The subarachnoid hemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel in the area between the brain and the skull starts bleeding. The intracerebral hemorrhage occurs when a blood vessel deep inside the brain starts bleeding. Both types may be caused by structural problems with the arteries such as aneurysm or Arteriovenous Malformation. The aneurysm is a week area in the blood vessel wall that fills with blood and bulges. High blood pressure or an injury may cause the bulge to rupture and start bleeding. Arteriovenous Malformation is a malformation of the brain’s blood vessels. This kind of malformation is usually present since birth and develops slowly with time. It characterizes with weak blood vessels that increases the risk of a hemorrhagic stroke.

Strokes can be very scary.