Hypertension Flashcards
what end organ damage can high blood pressure cause?
> brain: stroke, cognitive decline, haemorrhage > eye: retinopathy > veins: peripheral vascular disease > kidneys: renal failure, proteinuria > heat: MI, LVH, CHD, CHF
what is the definition of hypertension?
Blood pressure above which the benefits of treatment outweigh the risks of morbidity and mortality
what is the parameters for stage one hypertension?
clinical blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg or higher and an ABPM daytime average 135/85 mmHg or higher
what is stage 2 hypertension?
clinical blood pressure is 160/100 mmHg or higher and ABPM daytime average is 150/95 mmHg or higher
what is severe hypertension?
a clinic systolic blood pressure is 180mmHg or higher or the diastolic pressure is 110mmHg or higher.
what is the cause of primary hypertension?
there is no cause that can be found
name some causes of hypertension?
> chronic renal disease
renal artery stenosis
endocrine disease
how do risk factors affect the morbidity from blood pressure
they increase in exponentially but and there is a baseline risk for all ages
name some factors that increase the risk form hypertension
> smoking > diabetes mellitus > renal disease > hyperlipidaemia > previous MI/stroke > left ventricular hypertrophy
what are the prime contributors to blood pressure?
> cardiac output: stroke volume and heart rate
> peripheral vascular resistance
how does the sympathetic system increase blood pressure?
> vasoconstriction
tachycardia
increased cardiac output
what happens if the sympathetic effect is maintained for long periods of time?
it can become permanent resulting in a higher blood pressure
what is the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system responsible for controlling?
> sodium balance
blood pressure
blood volume
what stimulates the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system?
> fall in blood pressure
fall in circulating volume
sodium depletion
where is renin released from?
the jaxtaglomerular apparatus
what are the properties of angiotensin 2?
> vasoconstrictor
it is an anti-natriuretic peptide and anti-diuretic peptide
stimulator of aldosterone release from adrenal glands
angiotensin 2 is also a hypertrophic agent. what is the effect of this?
this stimulates myocyte and smooth muscle hypertrophy in arterioles. this creates narrow lumens that cannot dilate and become stiff. this could result in them splitting.
give 4 examples of the aetiology of hypertension
> polygenic: major genes and poly genes
> polyfactorial: environment and individual/shared
how would a hereditary defect in the smooth muscle lining of arterioles affect the blood pressure?
it is likely to cause increased reactivity of resistance vessels and resultant increase in peripheral resistance
describe the sodium homeostatic effect
in essential hypertension the kidneys are unable to excrete the appropriate amounts of sodium for any given blood pressure. sodium and fluid are then retained causing an increase in blood pressure.
why does blood pressure tend to increase with age?
there is decreased arterial compliance
in what family relations does the closest correlation of hypertension exist?
between siblings
how many genes are important to hypertension?
> 30 but they only account for 0.5mmHg each
what is the effect of salt intake reduction to blood pressure?
it does lower BP in hypertensive patients but has no real effect on people with normal blood pressure
how does alcohol effect the blood pressure?
small amounts decrease the blood pressure but large amounts increase the blood pressure.
what is the average fall in blood pressure due to reduction in alcohol consumption?
5/3mmHg
by how much would an untreated patients BP fall if they were to lose 9kg?
by 19/18 mmHg
what is the effect of birth weight on hypertension?
low birth weight creates a higher likelihood of developing hypertension and heart disease
what can sustained hypertension lead to?
end-organ damage to blood vessels, heart and kidneys
name some renal disease that cause secondary hypertension
> chronic pyelonephritis
fibromuscular dysplasia
renal artery stenosis
polycystic kidneys
what drugs can cause secondary hypertension?
> NSAIDs
oral contraception
corticosteriods
name some endocrine conditions that can cause secondary hypertension
> conn's syndrome > cushings > phaeochromocytoma > hypo/hyper thyroidism > acromegaly
what vascular problem can lead to high blood pressure?
coarctation of the aorta
what causes radial delay?
the aorta narrows, and depending where it is there is a difference in time between the radial or femoral pulses as the narrowing slows and weakens the pulse.
what must be used to identify true hypertension?
> ambulatory blood pressure monitoring
> home blood pressure monitoring
give some examples of treatable causes of hypertension?
> renal artery stenosis
cushings’ disease
Conn’s syndrome
sleep apnoea