Cardiology Blood Pressure

Question 1

Hypertensive Crisis

Answer 1

A sudden, severe increase in blood pressure. The blood pressure reading is 180/120 millimeters of mercury (mm Hg) or greater. A hypertensive crisis is a medical emergency. It can lead to a heart attack, stroke or other life-threatening health problems.
SYMPTOMS: Anxiety.
Blurred vision.
Chest pain.
Confusion.
Nausea and vomiting.
Not responding to stimulation (unresponsiveness)
Seizures.
Severe headache.
CAUSE: Forgetting to take blood pressure medication. Suddenly stopping certain heart medications, such as beta blockers. Medication interactions

Question 2

Hypotension

Answer 2

Low blood pressure is a reading of less than 90/60mmHg. It does not always cause symptoms, but you may need treatment if it does.
SYMPTOMS: lightheadedness or dizziness.
feeling sick.
blurred vision.
generally feeling weak.
confusion.
fainting.
CAUSE: Causes include dehydration, long-term bed rest, pregnancy, certain medical conditions and some medications. This type of low blood pressure is common in older adults. Postprandial hypotension. This drop in blood pressure occurs 1 to 2 hours after eating

Question 3

Primary Hypertension

Answer 3

(Formerly Known as Essential Hypertension)
Occurs when you have abnormally high blood pressure that’s not the result of a medical condition. This form of high blood pressure is often due to obesity, family history and an unhealthy diet
SYMPTOMS: Blood in your urine (hematuria).
Blurry vision.
Chest pain and shortness of breath.
Dizziness and lightheadedness.
Fatigue.
Mental fog.
Nosebleed.
Severe headaches.
CAUSE: family history, advancing age, obesity, high sodium diet, alcohol consumption and physical inactivity. In cases of hypertension in which a specific cause is identified, the term secondary hypertension is used.

Question 4

Secondary Hypertension

Answer 4

High blood pressure that’s caused by another medical condition. It can be caused by conditions that affect the kidneys, arteries, heart or endocrine system. Secondary hypertension can also occur during pregnancy.
SYMPTOMS: Pheochromocytoma: Sweating, increased frequency or force of heartbeats, headache, anxiety.
Cushing’s syndrome: Weight gain, weakness, abnormal growth of body hair or loss of menstrual periods (in women), purple striations (lines) on the skin of the abdomen.
CAUSE: high blood pressure that’s caused by another medical condition. It can be caused by conditions that affect the kidneys, arteries, heart or endocrine system. Secondary hypertension can also occur during pregnancy.

Question 5

Pulmonary Hypertension

Answer 5

Happens when the pressure in the blood vessels leading from the heart to the lungs is too high. With pulmonary hypertension, the blood vessels to the lungs develop an increased amount of muscle in the wall of the blood vessels.
SYMPTOMS: shortness of breath.
tiredness.
feeling faint or dizzy.
chest pain (angina)
a racing heartbeat (palpitations)
swelling (oedema) in the legs, ankles, feet or tummy (abdomen)
CAUSE: Some common underlying causes of pulmonary hypertension include high blood pressure in the lungs’ arteries due to some types of congenital heart disease, connective tissue disease, coronary artery disease, high blood pressure, liver disease (cirrhosis), blood clots to the lungs, and chronic lung diseases like emphysema