why do people have to take blood pressure mediciane?

Answer 1

Because if blood pressure is left uncontrolled it can get too high or too low and can lead to many cardiovascular problems.

Answer 2

Hello:
This answer is in response to your question about blood pressure medication.
To start off with, hypertension (high blood pressure) is known as the "silent killer", because there are no symptoms associated with this disease until it is too late.
A normal blood pressure is about 130/80. The two numbers (top number is called "systolic" and is the maximum pressure exerted on the arteries when the heart pumps blood out into the arteries. The bottom number called "diastolic" is the residual pressure exerted on the arteries when the heart is at rest, ie.filling back with blood for the next heartbeat.
High blood pressure is 140/90 or lower if someone has diabetes or heart disease.
There are a number of factors that make the blood pressure go up. It is not just the occasional rise in blood pressure that us doctors worry about. It is when the pressure stays elevated over long periods of time.
The excess pressure exerted on the arteries is very dangerous and over time can lead to heart attack, strokes, kidney failure, loss of vision, aneurysms in the brain or abdominal aorta that if they burst you can bleed to death inside. Essentially anything and everything in the body is affected by high blood pressure, ie. anything that requires a blood suppy.
Stress, smoking, caffeine are factors that will temporarily raise the blood pressure but do not keep it elevated for months, years at a time.
The majority of high blood pressure, ie 90 % of cases are what is called "essential hypertension" simply meaning there is no discernable cause, other than genetics, being overweight, lack of exercise, etc.
The other 5-10 percent are caused by kidney disease, certain tumors that secrete hormones that will elevate the blood pressure, like adrenal gland tumors and others.
If blood pressure cannot be controlled with six months of lifestyle changes (weight loss, exercise, reduction in salt intake) then medication MUST be started. This is a very dangerous disease and is one of the most common causes of cardiovascular disease in the world. There are several classes of anti-hypertensive meds. I usually start with a diuretic drug which causes the patient to urinate out excess fluid thus reducing the blood pressure. If that doesnt work then I will add another med from a different class called an ACE-inhibitor. The combination of these two meds are very effective and have synergistic effects when taken together. Another plus when adding the second medication is that it has a tendency to protect the kidneys from the effects of elevated pressure.
Hypertension is for the most part a life-long disease and most will have to take meds for the rest of their lives, that is if they fail the lifestyle changes (the majority of people just cannot or do not want to change their old habits).
I have had a few patients who I have been able to stop their meds but that is very rare.
Anyone with high pressure must see an eye doctor annually to make sure there is no damage to their retinas from the pressure. Additionally, they must see a cardiologist to make sure there is no damage. Often, people will go years without even knowing they have high blood pressure. Men are the worst. They tend not to go to the doctor unless they are practically on their death bed or their spouses force them to go. By that time, they already have heart disease, clogged arteries, damage to their eyes, kidney disease.
So as you see, this "silent killer" is a very serious condition that must be aggressively treated.
In a lot of instances, the first symptoms of high blood pressure is a heart attack or stroke.
I hope this helped answer your question
Regards,
Warren Shaffer, M.D.

Answer 3

High blood pressure for a long time is a fisk factors for many other conditions such as stroke, ischaemic heart disease, chronic renal failure,diabetes and so on.
So people with high blood pressure should be properly diagnosed and get proper treatment to prevent the above conditions.

Answer 4

High blood pressure is very bad for your organs. It predisposes people to heart disease and stroke. Additionally it can dramatically affect your kidneys, your heart function (congestive heart failure), your arteries, erectile function, and eyes.

Answer 5

To help regulate the oxygen in their blood.

Answer 6

because they have either high or low blood pressure.