Mawmaw,
Hi there this is Kitt and I am glad you had your BP checked and followed up with your physician.
High blood pressure can result from several factors. The heart itself can impact blood pressure. The heart muscles itself can enlarge, causing higher pressure of blood exiting the heart. Cardiomyopathy or enlargement of the heart muscle also increases blood pressure. Excess weight makes your heart work harder to pump blood through the body.
Extra fluid in your circulatory system as a result of lots of salt intake, kidney problems or other medical conditions also puts a higher demand on the heart. Increased blood volume also causes more constriction within the blood vessels, translating into higher blood pressure.
The blood vessels play an important role in your blood pressure. Usually, the arteries are elastic and can expand and contract in rhythm with the hearts pumping action. High cholesterol and the plaques that form cause the arteries to lose their elasticity. Each time the heart pumps, the vessel can no longer stretch, and a higher pressure is created. Just think about what happens if you
Smoking cigarettes constricts, or tightens your blood vessels, pushing the blood pressure even higher.
Some medications you take such as steroids, non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), nasal decongestants and other cold remedies, diet pills, cyclosporine, erythropoetin, tricyclic antidepressants and a type of anti-depressant called monoamine oxidase inhibitors can also contribute to increased BP.
Some of the conditions that can cause secondary hypertension include:
Kidney disease. Damage to your kidneys from inherited or other disorders, such as diabetes, can limit your kidneys' ability to remove salt from your blood, which can cause high blood pressure.
Sleep apnea. A sleep disorder in which breathing is interrupted during sleep.
Renal artery narrowing. This narrowing of kidney arteries can cause a release of hormones that raise blood pressure.
Cushing's disease, aldosteronism and pheochromocytoma. Diseases that can trigger excessive production of hormones by your adrenal glands, which can lead to high blood pressure.
Coarctation of the aorta. A narrowing of the main blood vessel supplying blood from your heart to your body.
By effectively treating these medical conditions, you can typically get your blood pressure under control or even cure it.
Please follow up with your physician as ealry treatment and change in life style can lower your BP dramatically. Reference: Medical Surgical Nursing; Williams and Hopper, 2nd edition.