High blood pressure

What is high blood pressure and how to identify it?

High blood pressure also known as hypertension, is a risk factor and its treatment is very significant to the health of your heart. High blood pressure does not usually cause particular symptoms. To find out your blood pressure, you have to measure it personally or have someone else measure it. Blood pressure can be determined by repeatedly measuring it under calm circumstances, for example using an automatic monitor intended for home use or at a nurse’s reception. What constitutes dangerously high blood pressure depends on individual risk factors. If the criteria are one‑off blood pressure readings of 140 and 90 mmHg, or high pharmacotherapy for blood pressure, approximately half of the men and two-fifths of the women over 30 years of age have high blood pressure.

How do you examine and treat high blood pressure?

The doctor responsible for your treatment will map out your blood pressure situation through an interview, clinical examination and, if necessary, laboratory and imaging examinations. An ECG or ultrasound imaging performed by a cardiologist can show asymptomatic heart muscle strain or an asymptomatic heart muscle disorder caused by high blood pressure. Based on the examination results, your doctor will design a customised, optimal treatment plan for you. Changes in lifestyle, including increasing exercise, a healthy diet, weight loss and quitting smoking are important, but most patients additionally need medication to treat high blood pressure. The choice of medication and follow‑up are individually customised to optimally suit each patient.

What are the most common risk factors related to high blood pressure?

High blood pressure is usually a condition known as essential hypertension, where high blood pressure does not have a single identifiable cause. The prevalence of high blood pressure is affected by, for example, genetics, weight, diabetes, kidney disease, and lifestyle, such as excessive salt and alcohol consumption and little exercise. Left untreated, high blood pressure may increase the risk of heart attack, stroke and kidney failure. High blood pressure is also a key risk factor for heart