Periodic checks essential after 40 to keep hypertension under check

Readings of blood pressure (hypertension) vary according to conditions, and precautions should be taken to ensure that proper readings are secured, said a chief interventional cardiologist.

Delivering the key-note address at the World Hypertension Day programme organised the Dr. said blood pressure should be measured immediately after the patient has had coffee or cigarette.

“Know your numbers” (blood pressure readings) is the theme of the World Hypertension Day this year.

The patient should sit for a few minutes and calm down after reaching the hospital or clinic. “There is a difference in reading if the patient has a full bladder and men should not wear full sleeves as it effects the readings” he said.

Big fluctuations in blood pressure cause damage to the fine blood vessels in the vital organs. While heart attack was an important side effect of high blood pressure, brain stroke leading to paralysis was also common and a bigger danger, he said.

There was little that could be done for patients with paralysis, therefore prevention of high blood pressure which caused it was more important.

A Dr. said hypertension could be controlled by modification of lifestyle, diet and physical activity.

Paediatric cardiologist said there was great danger in the sudden stopping of medication. This causes the blood pressure to shoot up even higher that when the medication was started.

Asked about low blood pressure, Dr. said there was a great variation in the blood pressures of people. Only those who suffer the symptoms of low blood pressure like giddiness were considered as having low blood pressure. There was no prolonged medical treatment for low BP, he explained.

Later, there was an interesting interaction session with patients who asked questions about reasons for pain after an angiogram, whether there were repeated paralytic strokes and the symptoms of low BP.

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Blood test can help diagnose pre-eclampsia

A simple blood test can help diagnose a common but potentially fatal pregnancy complication- pre-eclampsia, finds a study.

During the study, by measuring the concentration of placental growth factor (PIGF) in a woman's blood, doctors were able to diagnose pre-eclampsia 2 days sooner on average.

" We knew monitoring PIGF was an accurate way to help detect the condition but were unsure whether making this tool available to clinicians would lead to better care for women. Now we know that it does," said the lead author.

Pre-eclampsia, a condition in pregnancy characterised by high blood pressure, sometimes with fluid retention and proteinuria, can cause damage to vital organs, fits and can be fatal for the woman and baby, if left untreated. Globally, 100 women die due to pre-eclampsia every day.

" For the last 100 years, we've diagnosed pre-eclampsia by measuring blood pressure and checking for protein in a woman's urine. These are relatively imprecise and often quite subjective, he noted.

For the study, the research team studies 1,035 women with suspected pre-eclampsia from 11 maternity units across UK. They're randomly assigned to 2 groups= 1 had their PIGF test results made available to their clinical team, the other did not.

The PIGF testing was shown to reduce the average time to diagnose pre-eclampsia from 4-2 days and serious complications before birth ( such as eclampsia, stroke and maternal death) to 4 % from 5 %.

There was no change in the likelihood of complications for the baby, the age at which babies were delivered prematurely or whether they're admitted to a neonatal unit, the researchers said.

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