Health Fair Blood Pressure - 2115 Words

Health Fair: Blood Pressure Carpia Daniels Wendy Ferguson Anne Maina Christine Peterson RN10 San Joaquin Valley College July 18, 2016 It’s no surprise that in today’s society many suffer from longer working hours and a more chaotic lifestyle. These in turn could lead to unhealthy eating habits and health conditions that one may not be aware of. According to the American Heart Association, â€Å"High blood pressure, or hypertension, is a disease. Even though it typically has no symptoms, HBP can have deadly health consequences if not treated, about 80 million U.S. adults have been diagnosed with high blood pressure.† This paper will discuss in detail what blood pressure is, how it’s measured, how it can be treated, and ways that†¦show more content†¦Hypertension is the most common diagnosis in the United States. One in three Americans have hypertension. Hypertension is classified as a sustained systolic blood pressure of 140 mm Mg or higher, or a sustained diastolic blood pressure of 90 mm Mg or higher according to the Seventh Joint National Committee (Kivi). Chances of developin g hypertension increases with age. Hypertension does not only occur in adults, it also occurs in children. Hypertension is usually symptomless unless left untreated and reaches dangerously high levels; then a person might experience symptoms such as headaches, shortness of breath or nosebleeds (Staff, High Blood Pressure). Hypertension is classified by three different types: Primary Hypertension, Secondary Hypertension and Complicated Hypertension (Staff, High Blood Pressure). In Primary Hypertension there is usually no cause but it is thought to be brought on by genetic and environmental factors such as diet, stress, and being overweight. Secondary Hypertension is caused by an underlying disease, ex. Kidney problems, adrenal gland tumors. Complicated Hypertension is brought on once Hypertension becomes severe and chronic and can cause tissue damage and target organ damage (Staff, High Blood Pressure). Hypotension is classified as a blood pressure reading of 90 mmHg systolic or less and 60 mmHg diastolic or less according to the Mayo Clinic (Staff, Low Blood Pressure).