Hypertension (HTN): Blood pressure (BP) refers to the pressure of circulating blood pumped out by the heart on the walls of blood vessels. The powerful output allows blood circulating a circle in vivo within 10-12 seconds.
Systolic pressure (SBP): Maximum BP during one heart beat; diastolic pressure (DBP): minimum BP in between two heart beats.
The classification of hypertension
The table below is applicable to patients without taking any antihypertensive drugs or having any acute diseases, but require twice or more BP measurements to obtain the average BP.
| Category | SBP (mmHg) | DBP (mmHg) |
| Desired | <120 | <80 |
| Prehypertension | 120-139 | 80-90 |
| Stage I hypertension | 140-159 | 90-99 |
| Stage II hypertension | ≧160 | ≧100 |
Hypertension can be caused by primary or secondary factors. In clinical practice, 90% of cases are primary hypertension, which are mostly associated with genetic or environmental factors, while secondary hypertension is usually caused by other physical dysfunctions. The control of hypertension is a life-long business. Currently hypertension can be well-controlled by proper medications; however, it still cannot be cured completely.
Easy blood pressure control steps 123:
1. Regular BP measurement on daily basis; 2. Diet control; 3. Keep doing exercise.
Hyperglycemia: Human body can transform carbohydrate into glucose, which enters cells with the assistance of insulin as body energy. Therefore, long-term insulin insufficiency may increase blood glucose levels and lead to hyperglycemia or DM due to the failure of intracellular glucose uptake. Diet control, exercise as well as medications are the primary approaches for blood glucose control.
Hyperlipidemia: Fat in blood stream is called blood lipids, including cholesterol and triglycerides (TG, also called neutral fat). Cholesterols can be classified as total cholesterol (TC), high-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C, good cholesterol) and low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C, bad cholesterol). Part of the cholesterol comes from liver and part comes from diet. Smoking may damage inner walls of vessels, result in cholesterol accumulation and thus increase the risks of cardiovascular diseases.
The diagnostic criteria of hyperlipidemia (Unit: mg/dl)
| Category | Total cholesterol (TC) | Triglycerides (TG) | Low-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (LDL-C) | High-density lipoprotein-cholesterol (HDL-C) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Desired | < 200 | < 150 | < 100 | 女>50 / 男>40 |
| Borderline high | 200-239 | 150-199 | 130-159 | |
| High | ≥ 240 | ≥ 200 | ≥ 160 |
Steps 12345 away from hyperlipidemia:
1. Regular blood tests; 2. Diet control; 3. Healthy lifestyle; 4. Quit smoking; 5. Medications
