Search results
Results From The WOW.Com Content Network
A diagram explaining factors affecting arterial pressure. Pathophysiology is a study which explains the function of the body as it relates to diseases and conditions. The pathophysiology of hypertension is an area which attempts to explain mechanistically the causes of hypertension, which is a chronic disease characterized by elevation of blood pressure.
High blood pressure usually does not cause symptoms itself. [1] It is, however, a major risk factor for stroke, coronary artery disease, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, peripheral arterial disease, vision loss, chronic kidney disease, and dementia. [2] [3] [4] [12] Hypertension is a major cause of premature death worldwide. [13]
The difference between the systolic and diastolic pressures is known as pulse pressure, [1] while the average pressure during a cardiac cycle is known as mean arterial pressure. [ 2 ] Blood pressure is one of the vital signs —together with respiratory rate , heart rate , oxygen saturation , and body temperature —that healthcare ...
Essential hypertension (also called primary hypertension, or idiopathic hypertension) is a form of hypertension without an identifiable physiologic cause. [1] [2] It is the most common type affecting 85% of those with high blood pressure. [3] [4] The remaining 15% is accounted for by various causes of secondary hypertension. [3]
Their function is to sense pressure changes by responding to change in the tension of the arterial wall. [1] The baroreflex can begin to act in less than the duration of a cardiac cycle (fractions of a second) and thus baroreflex adjustments are key factors in dealing with postural hypotension , the tendency for blood pressure to decrease on ...
In the heart, increased arterial stiffness, increased systolic blood pressure, and widened pulse pressures, all resulting from chronic hypertension, can cause significant damage. Coronary perfusion pressures are decreased by these factors, which also increase myocardial oxygen consumption, possibly leading to left ventricular hypertrophy .
Prehypertension, also known as high normal blood pressure and borderline hypertensive (BH), [1] is a medical classification for cases where a person's blood pressure is elevated above optimal or normal, but not to the level considered hypertension (high blood pressure).
Reduced arterial compliance is also seen in patients with diabetes and also in smokers. It is actually a part of a vicious cycle that further elevates blood pressure, aggravates atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), and leads to increased cardiovascular risk. Arterial compliance can be measured by several techniques.