High Blood Pressure

Brandon Riverview Medical Associates

Primary Care Practice, Urgent Care, & Weight Loss Center located in Brandon, FL & Riverview, FL

High blood pressure may impact your health long before you notice any symptoms related to its presence. That’s one of the reasons the physicians at Brandon Riverview Medical Associates in Brandon and Riverview, Florida, recommend every adult have periodic blood pressure checks. And if yours is running high, they can uncover the reason for the elevation and develop a treatment strategy that brings it down. Don’t ignore your blood pressure. Schedule an appointment at Brandon Riverview Medical Associates today. Call the office or book your visit online.

High Blood Pressure Q & A

Why is high blood pressure so serious?

Blood pressure measures the force of your blood as it presses against artery walls. It’s determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and level of resistance your blood encounters as it passes through your arteries. Narrow arteries and high blood volume equal high blood pressure.

When left untreated, persistently elevated blood pressure damages artery walls and can cause harm to various vital organs in your body, such as your heart, kidneys, and brain. Because you may have elevated blood pressure for years without symptoms, it’s often referred to as the silent killer. The higher your blood pressure and the longer it goes without treatment, the greater your risk of complications.

Fortunately, a simple blood pressure check that takes about a minute can detect this potentially serious health issue.

What health complications are associated with high blood pressure?

Untreated high blood pressure can increase your risk of:

Heart attack or stroke due to hardening and thickening of your arteries (atherosclerosis)
Heart failure caused by left ventricular hypertrophy/thickening and decreased functionality of the pumping chamber of your heart
Kidney damage due to weakened and narrowed blood vessels
Development of abnormal blood vessels in the eyes that can lead to irreversible vision loss

Over time, high blood pressure that goes untreated can also cause trouble with your ability to remember, think, or learn and may lead to a certain type of dementia (vascular dementia).

How do you treat high blood pressure?

Treatment for high blood pressure (hypertension), often includes relatively simple lifestyle changes that may lower your pressure to a normal range, such as:

Following a heart-healthy diet and decreased salt intake
Adding routine physical activity to your schedule
Maintaining a healthy weight or losing weight if necessary

Depending on the severity of your elevated blood pressure, your doctor may also recommend medication to help relax your blood vessels and reduce the workload on your heart or a diuretic that helps your kidneys eliminate water and sodium, which reduces your blood pressure.

Schedule a blood pressure check today at Brandon Riverview Medical Associates. Call the office or book an appointment online.

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