High blood pressure puts you at risk for life-threatening heart disease and stroke. As scary as that is, hypertension is a very treatable condition. At Four Peaks Internal Medicine in Phoenix, Arizona, Fayz Yar Khan, MD, and the primary care team help you design the right approach to help reduce your blood pressure, including medication and lifestyle adjustments. To get screened for high blood pressure and learn more about how to manage hypertension, call the office or request an appointment online today.
Also known as hypertension, high blood pressure is a condition that causes your blood to place excess force on the artery walls. Consistent blood pressure readings over 140/90 indicate high blood pressure.
High blood pressure is often called the “silent killer” because it carries no symptoms. That’s why it’s important to go in for regular checkups with your doctor at Four Peaks Internal Medicine so they can help detect high blood pressure with a simple cuff reading.
The pressure against the walls damages the delicate tissues inside the blood vessels. Cholesterol collects inside those tears and leads to atherosclerosis. As the blood vessels narrow, blood pressure rises, creating a vicious circle.
High blood pressure can cause damage to the heart and other parts of the body, leading to conditions that include:
If you experience any obvious symptoms, make an appointment with the team at Four Peaks Internal Medicine right away. However, if you are experiencing a life-threatening emergency, call 911.
What you eat, how much you weigh, the habits you keep, and your stress levels all affect your blood pressure. Several lifestyle adjustments make the most dramatic improvement in your blood pressure. They include:
It’s also important to schedule regular check-ins with your primary care doctor at Four Peaks Internal Medicine to test your blood pressure regularly and ensure your treatment is working.
If you have unhealthy lifestyle habits, then your treatment begins with changing them, which might include:
If lifestyle changes don’t lower your blood pressure, then your doctor can help you get it under control with prescribed medication.
Make an appointment online or over the phone with the team at Four Peaks Internal Medicine to have your blood pressure checked today.