Even if your blood pressure (BP) is slightly elevated, you may be prone to a stroke, research says. Prehypertension is a clinical category to describe patients whose BP is elevated but still considered within normal range. People with prehypertension have a 55 percent higher chance of experiencing a stroke than people without it, University of California School of Medicine noted.
That hypertension or abnormally high BP is a major risk for cardiovascular diseases and strokes is well-known, but much less is known about the dangers of prehypertension, the journal Neurology reports.
A stroke is a condition where a blood clot or ruptured artery or blood vessel interrupts blood flow to the brain. A lack of oxygen and glucose (sugar) flowing to the brain leads to brain damage, causing impairment in speech, movement and memory.
“Generally speaking, the higher the blood pressure, the greater the risk of death and disease, possibly starting from within the normal blood range,” said Bruce Ovbiagele, professor of neurosciences.
Researchers identified 12 relevant prospective cohort studies of prehypertension, derived from the general population. Four were from the US, five from Japan, two from China and one from India, according to a California statement.
The combined studies involved more than 518,000 participants and covered periods ranging from 2.7 years to 32 years, with stroke occurrences documented.
The prevalence of prehypertension in the studies ranged from 25 to 46 percent.
“Overall, people who had prehypertension (in the studies) were at a 55 percent higher risk of experiencing a future stroke than people without prehypertension,” said Ovbiagele. “This result was held regardless of sex, race, ethnicity, blood pressure type or the type of stroke.”
The health risk was measurably greater for those whose blood pressure levels were at the high end of the “normal” spectrum.
Source: IANS
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First Published: Jun 14, 2012 at 9:15 AM
I have high blood pressure msleyf. Stroke is not the only thing to worry about with high blood pressure, there are other issues as well; heart, kidneys, etc. It’s very important to avoid salt. Don’t have a salt shaker at the table. Don’t add salt in cooking. Don’t purchase or eat foods that are packaged, pre-prepared, processed, cured, canned, pickled, or frozen. They are all VERY high in sodium, too high for someone with high blood pressure.There are also seasoning blends that contain salt as well that he will have to avoid and condiments should be limited to small amounts (ketchup, mustard, etc.). Your father needs to eat fresh food, prepared at home, without salt. He will have to learn to use seasonings without salt like Mrs. Dash, curry powder, etc. for flavour. Your father should also make sure he drinks plenty of water, at least 2 litres per day or more. Caffeine also raises blood pressure so if he’s a coffee drinker he needs to cut back. I’m down to about 1/2 a cup a day though that’s a little extreme. 1 cup or maybe 2 on occasion is plenty. He should stop drinking any sodas/pops with caffeine such as Coke, Pepsi, etc.Controlling blood pressure with medication alone is not enough. He must also cut way back on salt, eat a healthy diet, and get adequate exercise. A brisk walk every evening would do him a world of good.
very valuable infomation for the safity of the viewers and all friends watching the e-mail on this phenomena.