What's the difference between hypertension and high blood pressure?

If you have high blood pressure, there are questions you may have surrounding the topic in order to gain a better understanding - and hold - of this common, yet no-less serious condition. 

Top Doctors speaks to internationally-recognised consultant cardiologist Dr Arjun Ghosh who answers some of the most frequently-asked queries about hypertension in this informative article.     

What's the difference between hypertension and high blood pressure?

Hypertension and high blood pressure are really, synonymous. It's a phenomenon when the blood pressure is above normal. Normal blood pressure, we say, for adults is around 120/80mm of mercury. When the values significantly elevate both on the higher and lower value is when we talk about hypertension and this is when we get concerned.

Really, any values that are more than 140, we would be concerned about from the top and also values more than ninety, we'd definitely be concerned. Anything inbetween 120 to 140 and between 80 to 90, we are still concerned, it is abnormal and we'd normally like to investigate that further.

What is the main cause of hypertension?

Hypertension is a condition connected to ageing and it's often related to a number of external risk factors. When we look at typically western populations and diets, and daily stresses, we see that with age blood pressure both rises in both men and women. This is due to a stiffening of the arteries in the body so the blood has to pump out against stiffer arteries and this causes more pressure to be generated and the blood pressure goes up.

There are a number of external factors that can influence the blood pressure as well:

• Being overweight
• Increased salt in the diet
• Smoking
• Lack of exercise
• Stress

All of these can also influence the blood pressure in a detrimental way and increase it.

What foods cause hypertension?

There are some foods which can cause blood pressure to go up. Some of them can cause the blood pressure to go up acutely and some of them can cause the blood pressure to go up in the long run.

The most important isn't necessarily food itself but an ingredient, which is salt. The more salt there is in the diet, the higher the blood pressure will go, and over time this isn't going to happen immediately, this is a long-term process. So we always recommend that, when you're cooking, put the least amount of salt as possible or don't put extra salt in, and also when you're eating, not to put extra salt for flavour in, because this in the long term can cause blood pressure to go up.

In the acute setting, there are certain foods that can cause blood pressure to rise transiently, and they're often caffeine-containing things like coffee and caffeinated drinks. Again, the blood pressure rise with these agents is normally much more of a sudden phenomenon rather than a chronic long-term process.

Does anxiety cause high blood pressure?

Chronic stress can definitely cause blood pressure to go up. That's often a bit more of a long-term phenomenon.

The acute stressful situation can cause the blood pressure to go up, there and then. Any worries, any stress, any fright, any bad news can unfortunately cause the blood pressure to go up, but that should normally settle down with time.

However, chronic stress, that could be work stress, family stress and non-work stress; all of these in the long run do cause a lot of different hormonal surges and activation of different neurohormonal pathways. All of which can result in an increase in blood pressure.

What are the five symptoms of high blood pressure?

One of the biggest problems with high blood pressure is that it doesn't neatly fit into having symptoms that can be directly attributed to high blood pressure. If you have a problem with a blood supply and the heart, you can get pain in the chest, and if you have a problem with the heart function or failure, you can be short of breath.

With hypertension, unfortunately, it doesn't quite work like that and that's often why many people are undiagnosed with high blood pressure. High blood pressure sometimes can just be diagnosed because of a chance visit to the GP or doctor, and they check your blood pressure, and the blood pressure is high.

If the blood pressure is very high, then you may get symptoms and that can be a headache, you may get blurred vision, you may get a general sense of unease or discomfort, but these are usually quite uncommon and normally the blood pressure would need to be quite high. It would need to happen relatively quickly for these symptoms to occur, which is often the reason why we say that with age, blood pressure does rise so you can measure your blood pressure at home once a month or so, just to make sure that it's within normal limits if you have concerns.

Is hypertension a serious condition?

Hypertension can definitely be a serious condition if it's untreated. It can cause damage to the different organs that the heart supplies blood to. So, the heart supplies blood to the kidney, for example, and if the blood pressure is elevated there can be damage to the kidneys.

High blood pressure can cause an increased risk of stroke, it can cause an increased risk of heart attack, so there are some significant complications that can occur with elevated blood pressure. Usually why these complications would occur is if the blood pressure is elevated for prolonged periods of time, which is why it's important that if the blood pressure is elevated, good control is achieved. The better the control of blood pressure, the less likely it is to have any of the complications.

How can I bring my blood pressure down immediately?

It may not be necessarily a good idea to bring the blood pressure down very quickly, especially if the blood pressure is chronically elevated, or if the blood pressure has suddenly gone up. If you bring the blood pressure down too quickly, that can also have consequences.

The main aim, really, should be to try and prevent blood pressure rising in the first place, but if the blood pressure is significantly elevated, you should try and remain as calm as possible, relax, try and take some deep breaths, sit down, try and remove all stresses.

Often, what you can find is when the blood pressure is rechecked, maybe five minutes later and then rechecked again five minutes after that, blood pressure settles down itself. When people are stressed and rushing, blood pressure often rises but when they're in restful, peaceful environments, blood pressure can settle down.

Arrange an appointment with Dr Ghosh to address your blood pressure and cardiology concerns concerns.