Arterial Hypertension

Hypertension means an elevation of the arterial pressure above the normal borders. This already outlines a first problem: to define these borders. The arterial pressure varies with the age, and in oneself individual can oscillate in any moment due to multiple phenomena: emotion, cold, physical activity, etc. A border wild maximum of 145 mm of mercury usually accepts (Hg.) for the systolic pressure and of 90 mm of Hg. for the diastolic pressure under idle conditions.

Diverse apparatuses exist, named esfigmomanómetros, for the determination of the arterial pressure. They consist on a bag rubber and cloth and in armlet form that is arranged around the arm or leg. This bag is wired to a gauge that measures the variances of the pressure of the interior of that. When the pressure inside the bag overcomes to the pressure inside the artery, the step of blood is discontinued by the same one and the pulse disappears beyond the point of application of the pipe nipple. By means of the observation of the keystrokes or the auscultation with a stethoscope, the moment can be determined in that passes blood again as it is made descend the pressure inside the pipe nipple. The figure of pressure at this time corresponds to the systolic pressure or maxim. The diastolic pressure or minimum it is recognized by auscultation and it corresponds to the moment in that he/she stops to be auscultated the pulse to be made the continuing flow. The arterial pressure is expressed in a mm of mercury.

From the etiologic point of view, that is to say, as for the lawsuit of the elevation of the arterial pressure, they are distinguished do groups: the main or primary hypertension, of unknown lawsuit, and the secondary hypertension to diverse illnesses.

The arterial hypertension is a discovery they frequent the clinic. The frequency of this affection increases with the age, near 80 percent of the hipertensos it is between the 40 and 70 years. Until the 40 years, the man has bigger trend that the woman to be affection of hypertension; above the 40, the status is invested. Of the 80 to 85 percent of all the cases, the hypertension can be considered as main. In this an illness that seems to be related with the progress of the civilization, being strange in the asiatic and African countries. But it is not related with he/she prays her, since among the blacks of United States of North America it is more frequent than among the white population.