HYPERTENSION
• Concept and Etiology: How does the disease affect the
cardiovascular and hematopoietic body systems in particular?
How does it deviate from the definition of health discussed in
Module One?
• The primary effects of hypertension on the cardiovascular
system includes excess amount of pressure on arterial
walls and blood vessels, making it difficult for the arterial
system to deliver blood to the rest of the body. This
difficulty increases the work for the heart, resulting in
thicker walls of the heart which can in turn increase one’s
risk of experiencing a heart attack, heart failure, or even
death. Other health issues that hypertension can lead to
include, but are not limited to, stroke, kidney damage,
bone loss, atherosclerosis, vision loss, and complications
with memory and comprehension. On the hematopoietic
system, hypertension causes other problems by
decreasing the flow of blood. Blood is responsible for
transporting oxygen to cells, delivering nutrients,
electrolytes, lipids, hormones, and antibodies as well as
sending blood through the kidneys to get filtered.
Unfortunately, when blood flow is constricted, the
kidneys will not receive the blood needed to maintain its
high-priority role in the body. Therefore, the blood is not
getting filtered properly and waste materials may remain
in the blood stream and fluid may build up because the
body cannot excrete properly. Because the kidneys play
such a central role in the body, this issue will affect the
entire system.
• Classification: How is the disease classified?
• Hypertension is classified as blood pressure that is
continuously higher than the normal range. There are two
forms of hypertension including primary and secondary.
Primary hypertension refers to this form of the disease
that evolves over time. Secondary hypertension, on the
other hand, is referred to as this form of the disease that
develops as a result of an underlying condition, such as
renal disease, congenital heart defects, medications, etc.
Other forms of hypertension include malignant,
pregnancy-induced, and it can also be classified as systolic
hypertension or diastolic hypertension depending on the
data of the blood pressure measurement.
• Clinical Manifestations (Symptoms and Signs): What are the
symptoms and signs of the disease or disorder? Be sure you
understand the difference between symptoms (subjective) and
signs (objective).
• Common symptoms of hypertension include chest pain,
headaches, fatigue, vision difficulties, irregular heartbeats,
nausea, anxiety, muscle tremors, nosebleeds, and buzzing
in the ears.
• Common signs of hypertension include elevated systolic
blood pressure which is diagnosed if the number is 130 or
higher, elevated diastolic blood pressure which is
diagnosed if the number is 80 or higher, blood cells or
urine crystals in urine sample, enlargement of the heart
shown by an echocardiogram or electrocardiogram, or
high cholesterol, which can actually be a cause of
hypertension. b
• Diagnostic Tests: What are some additional diagnostic tests
that can be done to illuminate the diagnosis? For example,
when you injure your ankle, they take an x-ray to determine if it
is broken or sprained.
• Some diagnostic tests used to diagnose hypertension
include blood pressure testing, urine testing (urinalysis),
cholesterol testing, ambulatory monitoring (24-hour blood
pressure monitoring) to see how blood pressure changes
over time, electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG) to measure
the electrical activity of the heart, or echocardiogram,
which is essentially an ultrasound of the heart.
RESOURCES
• High blood pressure and chronic kidney disease. National Kidney
Foundation. (2021, February 12). Retrieved November 2, 2021,
from
https://www.kidney.org/news/newsroom/factsheets/High-
Blood-Pressure-and-
CKD#:~:text=High%20blood%20pressure%20causes%20kidne
y,extra%20fluid%20from%20your%20body.
• Mayo Foundation for Medical Education and Research. (2021,
July 1). High blood pressure (hypertension). Mayo Clinic.
Retrieved November 2, 2021, from
https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/high-blood-
pressure/diagnosis-treatment/drc-
20373417?_ga=1.150436790.1874333668.1451493679.
• The facts about high blood pressure. www.heart.org. (n.d.).
Retrieved November 2, 2021, from
https://www.heart.org/en/health-topics/high-blood-
pressure/the-facts-about-high-blood-pressure.
