Hypertension, or high blood pressure, becomes prevalent as people get older—regardless of gender. However, there is a noticeable difference in hypertension incidence in men and women depending on age.

What is hypertension

Your heart is responsible for pumping blood to your blood vessels so that oxygen and essential nutrients are transported to vital organs in your body. As the blood is pumped by the heart, pressure builds on your blood vessels. This is what is called blood pressure. It is a measure that rises and falls throughout the day as activities also vary in level of exertion or effort. However, if it is consistently higher than the normal range, then it is likely you have hypertension. Once you are hypertensive, the more at risk you are for life-threatening conditions such as stroke or heart attack.

Blood pressure is measured in two numbers: systolic and diastolic pressure. Systolic pressure is pressure felt when your heart pumps blood into your blood vessels. Diastolic pressure is the pressure felt as your heart rests in between beats. When written down, systolic pressure is written at the top and diastolic pressure on the bottom; they are separated by a line. A blood pressure written as 120/80 mm Hg is read as 120 over 80 mm Hg (millimeter of mercury).

Please visit https://guidelines.hypertension.ca/ for guidelines to measure blood pressure and to determine the stage of as per Canadian health standards.

When your blood pressure is first found to be elevated, your physician may advise you to continue monitoring and to make certain lifestyle changes. As your blood pressure becomes higher, treatment becomes more complex.

The role of gender in hypertension

High blood pressure becomes prevalent as people get older—regardless of gender. However, there is a noticeable difference in hypertension incidence in men and women depending on age.According to a study published in Annals of Clinical Hypertension about hypertension and gender, “Although both men and women develop hypertension, distinct gender differences in the incidence and severity of hypertension are well established where men have a higher incidence of hypertension compared with women of the same age until the sixth decade of life.”

Men are more likely to develop hypertension earlier vs. women who develop the condition more in their later years. It is important to remember that the condition develops not just because of age, but because of biological and behavioral factors. Some of those risk factors are listed below.

How to treat and prevent hypertension

Those diagnosed with hypertension may be prescribed a change in lifestyle, and those in more severe stages may need to take medications. The medicine prescribed is based on the physician’s assessment of the person’s health status, and assessment for presence of other conditions such as diabetes and heart diseases.

Prevention of hypertension may be possible by removing behavioral risk factors in your life. Please refer to prevention and treatment guidelines of Hypertension Canada at their website https://guidelines.hypertension.ca

There are also other things you can do to help maintain good health overall:

• Limit alcohol intake. While it is okay to enjoy an alcoholic drink every now and then, avoid making drinking alcohol a part of your daily routine.
• Avoid stress. In stressful situations, your body reacts with hormone spikes and can temporarily cause an increase in blood pressure. It is best to avoid exposure to situations or things that regularly trigger your stress.

Being diagnosed with hypertension requires commitment from the patient to make better lifestyle choices in order to prevent the development of life-threatening conditions such as heart attack, stroke, etc. You can still make adjustments to your lifestyle at any stage of hypertension you are in, and your physician will be able to help you manage this condition with appropriate treatment plans.

Whether you are at risk for hypertension or any other condition, it is important to seek regular check-ups, to undergo annual physical examinations, and to make smarter choices in the way you eat, move, and rest.

The above information is only guidelines to learn more about healthy lifestyle and controlling blood pressure, but this is not treatment. Please talk to your doctor for any diagnosis and treatment about your health.