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Hypertension!
Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension! Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness. And they take the... read more
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism Or Under Active Thyroid Gland Thyroid is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland situated at the base of the neck,... read more
Uric Acid, Gout And Kidney Stones!
Raised Levels Of Blood Uric Acid, Gout And Kidney Stones! Many people suffer from raised levels of uric acids in... read more
Fatty Liver Disease Or Hepatic Steatosis
Kinds Of Fatty Liver Disease Or Hepatic Steatosis Obese people have a greater risk of developing hypertension, diabetes or heart... read more
Acute And Chronic Inflammation!
The Root Cause Of Diseases Like Diabetes, Heart Disease And Cancers! Everyone knows hypertension, diabetes, heart disease, strokes, arthritis and... read more
Choosing A Healthy Cooking Oil!
How To Choose A Healthy Cooking Oil! This is a delicate and controversial issue, involving complex scientific research which is... read more
Heart Health Poster Boy Olive Oil Vs Groundnut Oil!
Choosing Between Olive Oil And Groundnut Oil! Hit the internet to search for foods to fight inflammation and the chronic... read more
Omega 3 Fatty Acids!
Health Benefits Of Omega 3 Fatty Acids! Carbohydrates, proteins and fats are the three macronutrients of our nutrition. Fats are composed... read more
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June 2023
Hypertension!
Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!
Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.
And they take the threat of the disease seriously.
But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.
And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.
So many people may not even know that they have the disease.
So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.
And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.
***
So What Is Hypertension?
Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.
It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.
Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.
Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.
The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.
The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.
As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:
Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.
Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.
Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.
Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.
***
Types Of Hypertension:
Primary Or Essential Hypertension:
A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.
In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.
Secondary Hypertension:
Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.
Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.
***
Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:
Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.
Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.
That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.
***
Effects Of Hypertension:
Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.
This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.
Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.
It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.
Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.
Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.
It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.
It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.
Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.
***
Prevention Of Hypertension:
Hypertension is best prevented than treated.
Maintain ideal body weight.
Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.
Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.
Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.
Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.
Keep stress low.
Limit alcohol consumption.
Stop smoking.
***
Treatment Of Hypertension:
Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.
Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.
Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.
According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.
So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!
Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism Or Under Active Thyroid Gland
Thyroid is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland situated at the base of the neck, below the prominence of the Adam’s apple, resting on the trachea or the windpipe.
It produces three hormones, the two thyroid hormones called triiodothyronine or T3 and thyroxine or the T4 hormones and calcitonin.
The two thyroid hormones control the metabolic rate, synthesis of proteins and the growth and development of children.
Calcitonin is involved in calcium homeostasis that is, it takes up calcium from the blood and deposits it in bones.
The two thyroid hormones are regulated by thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH, which is secreted by the master endocrine gland, the pituitary and the production of TSH in turn is regulated by a hormone called the thyrotropin releasing hormone or the TRH, produced by the hypothalamus, a part of the brain.
It means the final control of the thyroid gland lies with the brain.
***
Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism:
When the thyroid gland produces excess thyroid hormones, it results in hyperthyroidism while when it produces low levels of the thyroid hormones, it results in hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is more common in women and in people over 60.
The commonest cause of hypothyroidism all over the world is deficiency of iodine in food and most countries have tackled the problem by iodising the salt available to its population.
A condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland, is the common cause of hypothyroidism in areas where there is no iodine deficiency in the population. It gradually destroys the gland.
***
Hypothyroidism:
Hypothyroidism can cause a variety of symptoms including fatigue, intolerance of cold, slow pulse rate, anaemia, depression, constipation, dyspepsia, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, hoarseness of voice, hair loss, dry, rough skin, weight gain, heavy menstruation in ladies and weight gain.
Apart from depression, hypothyroidism is also known to accompany severe psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder, mood disorders and schizophrenia.
It can occur also in pregnancy. Not treating hypothyroidism during pregnancy can lead to delayed growth and low intellectual development of the baby.
Mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism too can cause infertility and miscarriages and can also cause a grave pregnancy condition called pre-eclampsia, a condition in which there is rise in the blood pressure and loss of significant amounts of protein in urine. Gestational diabetes is also seen in hypothyroidism in pregnancy.
In mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism the TSH levels are raised but the thyroid hormone levels are normal.
***
The diagnosis and the treatment:
Many times, the patient of hypothyroidism is the last to complain about the condition. Often a family doctor may suspect the disease seeing sudden weight gain, deteriorated skin and changes in voice in a regular patient plus probably dulled comprehension reflected in speech and eyes, suspects hypothyroidism.
A doctor will usually suspect hypothyroidism when she or he sees that your skin and hair are dry and rough, there is coldness and swelling of extremities and your heart rate is slow (bradycardia). He may also see delayed relaxation of tendons on testing the tendon reflexes and a kind of non pitting oedema called myxoedema.
Thyroid function lab tests include checking the blood levels of the pituitary hormone TSH and levels of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.
High blood levels of TSH and / or low levels of T3 and T4 are diagnostic of hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is treated by your doctor with levothyroxine, a synthetic form of the thyroxine hormone or T4.
Levothyroxine is safe in pregnancy.
Your doctor will order regular lab checks of your blood levels of TSH, T3 and T4 (thyroid function test) and adjust the dose of your medication based on the severity of the symptoms and the levels of the hormones, from time to time.
That is the reason why you have to check your thyroid function and see your doctor at regular intervals as advised by your doctor.
***
The weight gain due to hypothyroidism is of mild to moderate degree. A huge weight gain is unlikely to be caused by hypothyroidism.
Many slimming programs tell people under their treatment that they haven’t lost weight because they have hormonal problems.
The commonest hormonal problems related to obesity are PCOD and hypothyroidism.
It doesn’t matter whether your weight gain is due to PCOD or hypothyroidism.
You still have to eat healthy and at least walk adequately to slim down perfectly and overcome PCOD and most likely help your doctor to reduce your levothyroxine dose considerably.
And people unfailingly do succeed, if they do.
The people on these slimming programs didn’t fail because they had hormonal problems, but because the treatments themselves were unscientific.
Also read the articles, ‘Basics Of Nutrition’, ‘The Science Of Exercise’ and the ‘Simple Steps To Slimming’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: PCOD‘ on this website.
Grid
Hypertension!
Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!
Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.
And they take the threat of the disease seriously.
But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.
And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.
So many people may not even know that they have the disease.
So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.
And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.
***
So What Is Hypertension?
Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.
It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.
Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.
Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.
The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.
The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.
As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:
Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.
Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.
Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.
Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.
***
Types Of Hypertension:
Primary Or Essential Hypertension:
A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.
In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.
Secondary Hypertension:
Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.
Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.
***
Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:
Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.
Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.
That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.
***
Effects Of Hypertension:
Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.
This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.
Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.
It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.
Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.
Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.
It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.
It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.
Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.
***
Prevention Of Hypertension:
Hypertension is best prevented than treated.
Maintain ideal body weight.
Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.
Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.
Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.
Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.
Keep stress low.
Limit alcohol consumption.
Stop smoking.
***
Treatment Of Hypertension:
Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.
Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.
Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.
According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.
So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!
Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism Or Under Active Thyroid Gland
Thyroid is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland situated at the base of the neck, below the prominence of the Adam’s apple, resting on the trachea or the windpipe.
It produces three hormones, the two thyroid hormones called triiodothyronine or T3 and thyroxine or the T4 hormones and calcitonin.
The two thyroid hormones control the metabolic rate, synthesis of proteins and the growth and development of children.
Calcitonin is involved in calcium homeostasis that is, it takes up calcium from the blood and deposits it in bones.
The two thyroid hormones are regulated by thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH, which is secreted by the master endocrine gland, the pituitary and the production of TSH in turn is regulated by a hormone called the thyrotropin releasing hormone or the TRH, produced by the hypothalamus, a part of the brain.
It means the final control of the thyroid gland lies with the brain.
***
Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism:
When the thyroid gland produces excess thyroid hormones, it results in hyperthyroidism while when it produces low levels of the thyroid hormones, it results in hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is more common in women and in people over 60.
The commonest cause of hypothyroidism all over the world is deficiency of iodine in food and most countries have tackled the problem by iodising the salt available to its population.
A condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland, is the common cause of hypothyroidism in areas where there is no iodine deficiency in the population. It gradually destroys the gland.
***
Hypothyroidism:
Hypothyroidism can cause a variety of symptoms including fatigue, intolerance of cold, slow pulse rate, anaemia, depression, constipation, dyspepsia, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, hoarseness of voice, hair loss, dry, rough skin, weight gain, heavy menstruation in ladies and weight gain.
Apart from depression, hypothyroidism is also known to accompany severe psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder, mood disorders and schizophrenia.
It can occur also in pregnancy. Not treating hypothyroidism during pregnancy can lead to delayed growth and low intellectual development of the baby.
Mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism too can cause infertility and miscarriages and can also cause a grave pregnancy condition called pre-eclampsia, a condition in which there is rise in the blood pressure and loss of significant amounts of protein in urine. Gestational diabetes is also seen in hypothyroidism in pregnancy.
In mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism the TSH levels are raised but the thyroid hormone levels are normal.
***
The diagnosis and the treatment:
Many times, the patient of hypothyroidism is the last to complain about the condition. Often a family doctor may suspect the disease seeing sudden weight gain, deteriorated skin and changes in voice in a regular patient plus probably dulled comprehension reflected in speech and eyes, suspects hypothyroidism.
A doctor will usually suspect hypothyroidism when she or he sees that your skin and hair are dry and rough, there is coldness and swelling of extremities and your heart rate is slow (bradycardia). He may also see delayed relaxation of tendons on testing the tendon reflexes and a kind of non pitting oedema called myxoedema.
Thyroid function lab tests include checking the blood levels of the pituitary hormone TSH and levels of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.
High blood levels of TSH and / or low levels of T3 and T4 are diagnostic of hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is treated by your doctor with levothyroxine, a synthetic form of the thyroxine hormone or T4.
Levothyroxine is safe in pregnancy.
Your doctor will order regular lab checks of your blood levels of TSH, T3 and T4 (thyroid function test) and adjust the dose of your medication based on the severity of the symptoms and the levels of the hormones, from time to time.
That is the reason why you have to check your thyroid function and see your doctor at regular intervals as advised by your doctor.
***
The weight gain due to hypothyroidism is of mild to moderate degree. A huge weight gain is unlikely to be caused by hypothyroidism.
Many slimming programs tell people under their treatment that they haven’t lost weight because they have hormonal problems.
The commonest hormonal problems related to obesity are PCOD and hypothyroidism.
It doesn’t matter whether your weight gain is due to PCOD or hypothyroidism.
You still have to eat healthy and at least walk adequately to slim down perfectly and overcome PCOD and most likely help your doctor to reduce your levothyroxine dose considerably.
And people unfailingly do succeed, if they do.
The people on these slimming programs didn’t fail because they had hormonal problems, but because the treatments themselves were unscientific.
Also read the articles, ‘Basics Of Nutrition’, ‘The Science Of Exercise’ and the ‘Simple Steps To Slimming’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: PCOD‘ on this website.
Uric Acid, Gout And Kidney Stones!
Raised Levels Of Blood Uric Acid, Gout And Kidney Stones!
Many people suffer from raised levels of uric acids in their blood.
Often this condition is found in routine renal function tests.
Most often this condition is ignored if the rise is borderline.
But left untreated, long term rise in uric acid could cause chronic illnesses like gout and renal stones and kidney and heart disease.
What exactly are these diseases?
***
Certain foods that we eat contain chemicals called purines.
Uric acid is formed when purines are broken down by our body.
Uric acid dissolves in blood and it is transported to the kidneys and they excrete it out of our body in urine, maintaining the blood uric acid levels normal (3.5 to 7.2 mg / dL).
If the blood uric acid levels rise above 7.2 mg / dL, the condition is called hyperuricemia.
If excess uric acid is accumulated in our body, it may get deposited in our joints in the form of uric acid crystals causing a very painful form of arthritis called gout.
They may also settle in the kidneys forming kidney stones.
If the condition is not treated it can cause permanent bone, joint, tissue and kidney damage and can also lead to heart disease.
Researchers have also found links between hyperuricemia and high blood pressure, type 2 diabetes and fatty liver.
***
Foods high in purines are:
Sea food like salmon and sardines and shell fish shrimps (prawns) and lobsters.
Red meat.
Organ meats like liver.
Sugar sweetened foods like sweetened cereals, bakery products, candies.
Alcohol, especially beers and distilled liquors and also non alcoholic beers.
Certain vegetables like spinach, asparagus.
***
Signs and symptoms of gout:
When the blood uric acid levels remain high for long time sharp needle like crystals of uric acid or urate crystals get deposited in some joints and tissues around the joints.
This causes the joints to become hot, red, swollen and tender. The pain is severe and comes on quickly and peaks in less than twelve to twenty four hours.
The joint at the base of the big toe is affected in half the cases, but the heal, knee, wrists, finger joints too can be affected.
Such attacks can recur frequently, unless treated.
Some people may also develop hard, painless deposits of uric acid crystals called tophi. These too can cause bone damage and arthritis.
Gout appears to affect elderly males more often. It is also associated with metabolic syndrome, presence of abdominal obesity, hypertension, insulin resistance and abnormal lipid profile including high triglyceride levels. So people with hypertension and diabetes are also at a greater risk of developing it.
Gout affects habitual beer drinkers and those who drink a lot of sweetened drinks. It also affects people who habitually consume purine rich foods like some fishes including shell fish like prawns and lobsters and red meats.
Some vegetables like cauliflower, asparagus, spinach, mushrooms, green peas and chickpeas (chana in Marathi) and fava beans (wal papadi in Marathi) and some dried beans too have high levels of purines.
But the plant purines have not been found to cause gout attacks as much as the animal purines.
And some individuals report different vegetables triggering gout attacks in them, including some vegetables not high in purines, e.g. tomatoes.
It probably means some factors other than purines may have a role to play in these attacks.
So such people might want to avoid foods those trigger gout attacks in them, irrespective of their purine content.
Dietary precautions may reduce the recurrence or the severity of gout attacks, but they cannot replace medication to control hyperuricemia and the attacks of gout or prevent further joint damage due to hyperuricemia.
In short, medications lowering blood uric acid levels are essential even if you watch your food and avoid foods those trigger gout attacks.
***
Diagnosis of gout:
Presence of hyperuricemia is not the same as gout.
Gout is diagnosed if uric acid crystals are found in the fluid drawn from the swollen joints or by special imaging diagnostic procedures like ultrasound, X Ray and CAT scan.
***
Treatment of hyperuricemia and gout:
Avoid red meat, organ meat and alcohol, especially beers.
Avoid the sugar sweetened foods viz. sweetened cereals, bakery products, candies
Sea food includes healthy proteins and healthy fats including the omega 3 fatty acids.
The health benefits of sea food on general and heart health outweighs the risk of hyperuricemia.
So you can have sea food in moderation.
Consuming vegetables like spinach and asparagus have not been seen to cause hyperuricemia. So they needn’t be excluded from your food.
Eat well balanced, wholesome food and exercise regularly to lose weight, if you are overweight.
Drink ample water to help the kidneys to excrete uric acid build up in the blood and the kidneys.
Taking Vitamin C may help.
Dietary exclusion of high purine foods will not be sufficient to lower blood uric acid levels or to prevent the gout attacks.
Your doctor will prescribe specific drugs to lower your blood uric acid levels.
Your doctor will also prescribe anti inflammatory medications (NSAIDs) to reduce the pain and duration of the attack.
Kidney stones may get get flushed out in urine.
They may require surgical intervention if they don’t get flushed out.
Also read ‘Basics Of Nutrition’ and ‘Simple Steps To Slimming’ on this website.
Medium
Hypertension!
Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!
Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.
And they take the threat of the disease seriously.
But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.
And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.
So many people may not even know that they have the disease.
So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.
And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.
***
So What Is Hypertension?
Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.
It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.
Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.
Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.
The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.
The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.
As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:
Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.
Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.
Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.
Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.
***
Types Of Hypertension:
Primary Or Essential Hypertension:
A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.
In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.
Secondary Hypertension:
Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.
Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.
***
Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:
Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.
Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.
That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.
***
Effects Of Hypertension:
Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.
This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.
Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.
It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.
Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.
Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.
It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.
It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.
Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.
***
Prevention Of Hypertension:
Hypertension is best prevented than treated.
Maintain ideal body weight.
Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.
Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.
Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.
Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.
Keep stress low.
Limit alcohol consumption.
Stop smoking.
***
Treatment Of Hypertension:
Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.
Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.
Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.
According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.
So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!
Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism Or Under Active Thyroid Gland
Thyroid is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland situated at the base of the neck, below the prominence of the Adam’s apple, resting on the trachea or the windpipe.
It produces three hormones, the two thyroid hormones called triiodothyronine or T3 and thyroxine or the T4 hormones and calcitonin.
The two thyroid hormones control the metabolic rate, synthesis of proteins and the growth and development of children.
Calcitonin is involved in calcium homeostasis that is, it takes up calcium from the blood and deposits it in bones.
The two thyroid hormones are regulated by thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH, which is secreted by the master endocrine gland, the pituitary and the production of TSH in turn is regulated by a hormone called the thyrotropin releasing hormone or the TRH, produced by the hypothalamus, a part of the brain.
It means the final control of the thyroid gland lies with the brain.
***
Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism:
When the thyroid gland produces excess thyroid hormones, it results in hyperthyroidism while when it produces low levels of the thyroid hormones, it results in hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is more common in women and in people over 60.
The commonest cause of hypothyroidism all over the world is deficiency of iodine in food and most countries have tackled the problem by iodising the salt available to its population.
A condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland, is the common cause of hypothyroidism in areas where there is no iodine deficiency in the population. It gradually destroys the gland.
***
Hypothyroidism:
Hypothyroidism can cause a variety of symptoms including fatigue, intolerance of cold, slow pulse rate, anaemia, depression, constipation, dyspepsia, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, hoarseness of voice, hair loss, dry, rough skin, weight gain, heavy menstruation in ladies and weight gain.
Apart from depression, hypothyroidism is also known to accompany severe psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder, mood disorders and schizophrenia.
It can occur also in pregnancy. Not treating hypothyroidism during pregnancy can lead to delayed growth and low intellectual development of the baby.
Mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism too can cause infertility and miscarriages and can also cause a grave pregnancy condition called pre-eclampsia, a condition in which there is rise in the blood pressure and loss of significant amounts of protein in urine. Gestational diabetes is also seen in hypothyroidism in pregnancy.
In mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism the TSH levels are raised but the thyroid hormone levels are normal.
***
The diagnosis and the treatment:
Many times, the patient of hypothyroidism is the last to complain about the condition. Often a family doctor may suspect the disease seeing sudden weight gain, deteriorated skin and changes in voice in a regular patient plus probably dulled comprehension reflected in speech and eyes, suspects hypothyroidism.
A doctor will usually suspect hypothyroidism when she or he sees that your skin and hair are dry and rough, there is coldness and swelling of extremities and your heart rate is slow (bradycardia). He may also see delayed relaxation of tendons on testing the tendon reflexes and a kind of non pitting oedema called myxoedema.
Thyroid function lab tests include checking the blood levels of the pituitary hormone TSH and levels of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.
High blood levels of TSH and / or low levels of T3 and T4 are diagnostic of hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is treated by your doctor with levothyroxine, a synthetic form of the thyroxine hormone or T4.
Levothyroxine is safe in pregnancy.
Your doctor will order regular lab checks of your blood levels of TSH, T3 and T4 (thyroid function test) and adjust the dose of your medication based on the severity of the symptoms and the levels of the hormones, from time to time.
That is the reason why you have to check your thyroid function and see your doctor at regular intervals as advised by your doctor.
***
The weight gain due to hypothyroidism is of mild to moderate degree. A huge weight gain is unlikely to be caused by hypothyroidism.
Many slimming programs tell people under their treatment that they haven’t lost weight because they have hormonal problems.
The commonest hormonal problems related to obesity are PCOD and hypothyroidism.
It doesn’t matter whether your weight gain is due to PCOD or hypothyroidism.
You still have to eat healthy and at least walk adequately to slim down perfectly and overcome PCOD and most likely help your doctor to reduce your levothyroxine dose considerably.
And people unfailingly do succeed, if they do.
The people on these slimming programs didn’t fail because they had hormonal problems, but because the treatments themselves were unscientific.
Also read the articles, ‘Basics Of Nutrition’, ‘The Science Of Exercise’ and the ‘Simple Steps To Slimming’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: PCOD‘ on this website.
Large
Hypertension!
Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!
Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.
And they take the threat of the disease seriously.
But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.
And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.
So many people may not even know that they have the disease.
So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.
And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.
***
So What Is Hypertension?
Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.
It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.
Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.
Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.
The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.
The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.
As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:
Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.
Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.
Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.
Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.
***
Types Of Hypertension:
Primary Or Essential Hypertension:
A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.
In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.
Secondary Hypertension:
Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.
Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.
***
Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:
Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.
Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.
That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.
***
Effects Of Hypertension:
Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.
This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.
Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.
It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.
Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.
Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.
It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.
It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.
Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.
***
Prevention Of Hypertension:
Hypertension is best prevented than treated.
Maintain ideal body weight.
Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.
Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.
Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.
Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.
Keep stress low.
Limit alcohol consumption.
Stop smoking.
***
Treatment Of Hypertension:
Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.
Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.
Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.
According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.
So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!
Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism Or Under Active Thyroid Gland
Thyroid is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland situated at the base of the neck, below the prominence of the Adam’s apple, resting on the trachea or the windpipe.
It produces three hormones, the two thyroid hormones called triiodothyronine or T3 and thyroxine or the T4 hormones and calcitonin.
The two thyroid hormones control the metabolic rate, synthesis of proteins and the growth and development of children.
Calcitonin is involved in calcium homeostasis that is, it takes up calcium from the blood and deposits it in bones.
The two thyroid hormones are regulated by thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH, which is secreted by the master endocrine gland, the pituitary and the production of TSH in turn is regulated by a hormone called the thyrotropin releasing hormone or the TRH, produced by the hypothalamus, a part of the brain.
It means the final control of the thyroid gland lies with the brain.
***
Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism:
When the thyroid gland produces excess thyroid hormones, it results in hyperthyroidism while when it produces low levels of the thyroid hormones, it results in hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is more common in women and in people over 60.
The commonest cause of hypothyroidism all over the world is deficiency of iodine in food and most countries have tackled the problem by iodising the salt available to its population.
A condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland, is the common cause of hypothyroidism in areas where there is no iodine deficiency in the population. It gradually destroys the gland.
***
Hypothyroidism:
Hypothyroidism can cause a variety of symptoms including fatigue, intolerance of cold, slow pulse rate, anaemia, depression, constipation, dyspepsia, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, hoarseness of voice, hair loss, dry, rough skin, weight gain, heavy menstruation in ladies and weight gain.
Apart from depression, hypothyroidism is also known to accompany severe psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder, mood disorders and schizophrenia.
It can occur also in pregnancy. Not treating hypothyroidism during pregnancy can lead to delayed growth and low intellectual development of the baby.
Mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism too can cause infertility and miscarriages and can also cause a grave pregnancy condition called pre-eclampsia, a condition in which there is rise in the blood pressure and loss of significant amounts of protein in urine. Gestational diabetes is also seen in hypothyroidism in pregnancy.
In mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism the TSH levels are raised but the thyroid hormone levels are normal.
***
The diagnosis and the treatment:
Many times, the patient of hypothyroidism is the last to complain about the condition. Often a family doctor may suspect the disease seeing sudden weight gain, deteriorated skin and changes in voice in a regular patient plus probably dulled comprehension reflected in speech and eyes, suspects hypothyroidism.
A doctor will usually suspect hypothyroidism when she or he sees that your skin and hair are dry and rough, there is coldness and swelling of extremities and your heart rate is slow (bradycardia). He may also see delayed relaxation of tendons on testing the tendon reflexes and a kind of non pitting oedema called myxoedema.
Thyroid function lab tests include checking the blood levels of the pituitary hormone TSH and levels of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.
High blood levels of TSH and / or low levels of T3 and T4 are diagnostic of hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is treated by your doctor with levothyroxine, a synthetic form of the thyroxine hormone or T4.
Levothyroxine is safe in pregnancy.
Your doctor will order regular lab checks of your blood levels of TSH, T3 and T4 (thyroid function test) and adjust the dose of your medication based on the severity of the symptoms and the levels of the hormones, from time to time.
That is the reason why you have to check your thyroid function and see your doctor at regular intervals as advised by your doctor.
***
The weight gain due to hypothyroidism is of mild to moderate degree. A huge weight gain is unlikely to be caused by hypothyroidism.
Many slimming programs tell people under their treatment that they haven’t lost weight because they have hormonal problems.
The commonest hormonal problems related to obesity are PCOD and hypothyroidism.
It doesn’t matter whether your weight gain is due to PCOD or hypothyroidism.
You still have to eat healthy and at least walk adequately to slim down perfectly and overcome PCOD and most likely help your doctor to reduce your levothyroxine dose considerably.
And people unfailingly do succeed, if they do.
The people on these slimming programs didn’t fail because they had hormonal problems, but because the treatments themselves were unscientific.
Also read the articles, ‘Basics Of Nutrition’, ‘The Science Of Exercise’ and the ‘Simple Steps To Slimming’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: PCOD‘ on this website.
Large Alt
Hypertension!
Basic Information About Blood Pressure And Hypertension!
Today many people are aware that diabetes is a grave illness.
And they take the threat of the disease seriously.
But more people have hypertension than diabetes and few people are aware that hypertension is as grave a disease as diabetes.
And a person with hypertension may not have any symptoms.
So many people may not even know that they have the disease.
So it is vital that you get a blood pressure check regularly, more so if you have family history of hypertension, heart disease and strokes.
And it is equally vital that you don’t ignore it, if you have it.
***
So What Is Hypertension?
Arterial blood pressure is measured as mm of Hg or mercury.
It has a higher level or the systolic blood pressure and a lower level or the diastolic blood pressure.
Systole is the phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles, the lower two chambers of the heart contract, the left ventricle sending blood out to the whole body and right ventricle to the lungs.
Diastole is that phase of the heart beat in which the ventricles relax after the contraction, receiving blood from the atria which are the two chambers above the ventricles.
The blood flowing through the arteries exerts certain pressure on the walls of the arteries when it flows through them, both when the ventricles contract, that is the systole and when they relax, the diastole.
The pressure when the ventricles contract is the systolic blood pressure and the pressure when they relax, is the diastolic blood pressure.
Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition in which the blood pressures in the arteries are persistently higher than normal.
As per the American College Of Cardiology and the American Heart Association, the normal ranges and the raised levels of the blood pressure are as follows:
Normal blood pressure is 120 by 80 mm of Hg, or below.
Elevated blood pressure: Blood pressure ranging between systolic pressure 121 to 129 and diastolic pressure 80 or less mm of Hg, is elevated blood pressure.
Stage I hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 131 to 139 and the diastolic between 80 to 89 mm of Hg.
Stage II hypertension: Systolic blood pressure between 140 or higher and the diastolic 90 or more, mm of Hg.
***
Types Of Hypertension:
Primary Or Essential Hypertension:
A complex combination of genes and environmental factors, excess salt consumption, Western kind of high fat – high calorie, high animal food diet deficient in complex carbohydrates, green vegetables and fruits, lack of exercise, abdominal obesity, stress, aging are some of the factors which can contribute to the development of hypertension.
In this type of hypertension, the major contributor to hypertension is the increased peripheral resistance to blood flow through arteries.
Secondary Hypertension:
Secondary hypertension is the hypertension which has an underlying disease as the cause of hypertension.
Kidney disease, renal artery stenosis (narrowing) are the most common causes underlying this kind of hypertension, endocrinal disorders like Cushing’s Syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hypothyroidism, certain pituitary disorders and a pituitary tumour called pheochromocytoma can also cause hypertension.
***
Signs And Symptoms Of Hypertension:
Hypertension usually causes few symptoms. That is why it is called a silent killer.
Some people may complain of headaches, especially at the back of the head, vertigo, tinnitus and fainting. But anxiety and stress can also cause these symptoms.
That is why hypertension is often detected in general medical check up or sometimes when people go for blood donation.
***
Effects Of Hypertension:
Prolonged hypertension causes inflammation in the endothelium, the inner lining, of the arterial walls damaging the arteries including those of various organs of the body.
This can lead to hardening and thickening of the arterial walls and narrowing of their lumen. This is called atherosclerosis.
Atherosclerosis causes loss of elasticity in the arterial walls causing an increase in the peripheral resistance to the blood flow and it also leads to heart attacks and strokes.
Raised blood pressure causes greater resistance to the flow of the blood through the arteries and forces the heart to pump harder to circulate blood through our body, causing hypertrophy (thickening) of the heart muscle. The thickened heart muscle struggles to pump blood efficiently and eventually fails to do so, causing heart failure.
It can also lead to weakening and bulging of the arteries. This is called aneurism and such aneurisms can rupture and cause heavy internal bleeding causing grave complications, including strokes.
Thickening and narrowing and aneurysms of the arteries in kidneys or eyes can damage these organs and can lead to renal failure and loss of vision.
Hypertension also contributes to development of the metabolic syndrome that leads to development of diabetes, heart attacks and strokes.
It can also cause circulatory problems and strokes in the brain.
It can a lead to impairment of memory and understanding and development of vascular dementia, a general name given to a condition that causes decline of cognitive abilities of thinking, remembering and reasoning in a person leading to inability to perform daily activities.
Hypertension is a major cause of premature death all over the world.
***
Prevention Of Hypertension:
Hypertension is best prevented than treated.
Maintain ideal body weight.
Keep your salt consumption low, eat less than 6 gm table salt.
Keep your animal food consumption low, eat more of complex carbohydrates, vegetables, fruits and low fat milk.
Have at least five helpings of vegetables and fruits every day.
Have regular cardiovascular exercise like brisk walking, jogging, running, cycling, swimming, aerobics.
Keep stress low.
Limit alcohol consumption.
Stop smoking.
***
Treatment Of Hypertension:
Your doctor may advise lifestyle modification, healthy diet, low salt consumption, regular cardiovascular activity, weight loss, quitting alcohol and smoking and reduction in stress.
Doctors treat hypertension with a variety of anti hypertensive drugs including diuretics, calcium channel blockers, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE inhibitors), angiotensin receptor blockers (ARBs) and beta blockers.
Previously beta blockers were thought to be effective as the first line treatment for hypertension, but the Cochrane Review, an independent, high quality review system of research in health care, has found that beta blockers were less effective in preventing heart disease than were the other anti hypertensive drugs.
According to a study published in 2003, 5 mm Hg drop in blood pressure reduces the risk of stroke by 34%, ischaemic heart disease by 21% and lowers the threat of dementia, heart failure and mortality due to heart disease.
So focus on getting your blood pressure down to the normal level, as early as possible!
Also read the articles ‘Preventing Hypertension’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: Hypertension’ on this website.
Hypothyroidism
Hypothyroidism Or Under Active Thyroid Gland
Thyroid is a butterfly shaped endocrine gland situated at the base of the neck, below the prominence of the Adam’s apple, resting on the trachea or the windpipe.
It produces three hormones, the two thyroid hormones called triiodothyronine or T3 and thyroxine or the T4 hormones and calcitonin.
The two thyroid hormones control the metabolic rate, synthesis of proteins and the growth and development of children.
Calcitonin is involved in calcium homeostasis that is, it takes up calcium from the blood and deposits it in bones.
The two thyroid hormones are regulated by thyroid stimulating hormone or TSH, which is secreted by the master endocrine gland, the pituitary and the production of TSH in turn is regulated by a hormone called the thyrotropin releasing hormone or the TRH, produced by the hypothalamus, a part of the brain.
It means the final control of the thyroid gland lies with the brain.
***
Hyperthyroidism and hypothyroidism:
When the thyroid gland produces excess thyroid hormones, it results in hyperthyroidism while when it produces low levels of the thyroid hormones, it results in hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is more common in women and in people over 60.
The commonest cause of hypothyroidism all over the world is deficiency of iodine in food and most countries have tackled the problem by iodising the salt available to its population.
A condition called Hashimoto’s thyroiditis or Hashimoto’s disease, an autoimmune disease of the thyroid gland, is the common cause of hypothyroidism in areas where there is no iodine deficiency in the population. It gradually destroys the gland.
***
Hypothyroidism:
Hypothyroidism can cause a variety of symptoms including fatigue, intolerance of cold, slow pulse rate, anaemia, depression, constipation, dyspepsia, muscle weakness, shortness of breath, hoarseness of voice, hair loss, dry, rough skin, weight gain, heavy menstruation in ladies and weight gain.
Apart from depression, hypothyroidism is also known to accompany severe psychiatric disorders like bipolar disorder, mood disorders and schizophrenia.
It can occur also in pregnancy. Not treating hypothyroidism during pregnancy can lead to delayed growth and low intellectual development of the baby.
Mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism too can cause infertility and miscarriages and can also cause a grave pregnancy condition called pre-eclampsia, a condition in which there is rise in the blood pressure and loss of significant amounts of protein in urine. Gestational diabetes is also seen in hypothyroidism in pregnancy.
In mild or sub clinical hypothyroidism the TSH levels are raised but the thyroid hormone levels are normal.
***
The diagnosis and the treatment:
Many times, the patient of hypothyroidism is the last to complain about the condition. Often a family doctor may suspect the disease seeing sudden weight gain, deteriorated skin and changes in voice in a regular patient plus probably dulled comprehension reflected in speech and eyes, suspects hypothyroidism.
A doctor will usually suspect hypothyroidism when she or he sees that your skin and hair are dry and rough, there is coldness and swelling of extremities and your heart rate is slow (bradycardia). He may also see delayed relaxation of tendons on testing the tendon reflexes and a kind of non pitting oedema called myxoedema.
Thyroid function lab tests include checking the blood levels of the pituitary hormone TSH and levels of the thyroid hormones T3 and T4.
High blood levels of TSH and / or low levels of T3 and T4 are diagnostic of hypothyroidism.
Hypothyroidism is treated by your doctor with levothyroxine, a synthetic form of the thyroxine hormone or T4.
Levothyroxine is safe in pregnancy.
Your doctor will order regular lab checks of your blood levels of TSH, T3 and T4 (thyroid function test) and adjust the dose of your medication based on the severity of the symptoms and the levels of the hormones, from time to time.
That is the reason why you have to check your thyroid function and see your doctor at regular intervals as advised by your doctor.
***
The weight gain due to hypothyroidism is of mild to moderate degree. A huge weight gain is unlikely to be caused by hypothyroidism.
Many slimming programs tell people under their treatment that they haven’t lost weight because they have hormonal problems.
The commonest hormonal problems related to obesity are PCOD and hypothyroidism.
It doesn’t matter whether your weight gain is due to PCOD or hypothyroidism.
You still have to eat healthy and at least walk adequately to slim down perfectly and overcome PCOD and most likely help your doctor to reduce your levothyroxine dose considerably.
And people unfailingly do succeed, if they do.
The people on these slimming programs didn’t fail because they had hormonal problems, but because the treatments themselves were unscientific.
Also read the articles, ‘Basics Of Nutrition’, ‘The Science Of Exercise’ and the ‘Simple Steps To Slimming’ and ‘Health Problems Of The Young: PCOD‘ on this website.