Editorial Team
... Read More
By clicking “Accept All Cookies”, you agree to the storing of cookies on your device to enhance site navigation, analyze site usage, and assist in our marketing efforts. Cookie Policy.
Written By: Editorial Team | Published : May 28, 2014 1:51 PM IST
In what could open a new debate on what actually causes high blood pressure, a team of scientists have suggested that stiff arteries can be the main culprit. In experiments over a computer model of a 'virtual human', they found that stiff arteries alone are enough to cause high blood pressure. The arterial stiffness represents a major therapeutic target. This is contrary to existing models, which typically explain high blood pressure in terms of defective kidney function, explained Klas Pettersen, a researcher at the Norwegian University of Life Sciences.
When blood pressure travels down the aorta from the heart, a special group of cells in the aortic wall, called baroreceptors, sense the pressure in this stretch of the aortic wall and send signals with this information to the nervous system. If the blood pressure is too high, these cells send stronger signals and the body is able to lower blood pressure. However, if the aorta gets stiffer, as typically happens with age, this stretch of the aorta is not as sensitive as it once was in measuring blood pressure. With the stiffening of the wall that follows ageing, these sensors become less able to send signals that reflect the actual blood pressure. Our mathematical model predicts the quantitative effects of this process on blood pressure, Pettersen emphasised. (Read: 10 ways hypertension or High BP affects your body)
If this is proven right, arterial stiffness and baroreceptor signaling will become hotspot targets for the treatment of high blood pressure and the development of new medicines and medical devices, said Stig W. Omholt from the Norwegian University of Science and Technology. The model predictions were compared with data on the health history of 74,000 people, including blood sample collection from 65,000 people, said the study recently published in PLOS Computational Biology. High blood pressure affects more than one billion people worldwide. But doctors cannot fully explain the cause of 90 percent of all cases. (Read: 10 expert tips for controlling hypertension (Gallery))
What is hypertension or high blood pressure?
Blood pressure is the measure of strength or force exerted by blood on the walls of the blood vessels it is flowing through. This pressure largely depends on the efficiency with which your heart pumps the blood throughout the body. Harder the heart pumps, narrower the arteries become and greater will be the pressure exerted on the walls of the arteries. High blood pressure increases your risk for several diseases and conditions heart disease, chronic kidney disease (CKD), heart attack and stroke.
Symptoms of hypertension
High blood pressure is a silent killer and does not have any symptoms as such. So then how does one suspect high BP? Here are a few signs that are closely associated with hypertension and are seen in quite a few people. If you have any of these signs, it is good signal for you to go to a doctor and get your BP checked.
1. Headache: Some studies support the possibility of headache being a sign of hypertension. One of the studies found that 28% of the study participants who had recurrent headaches had high blood pressure. 'Among Indians, early morning headache is a more common sign,' says Dr Pradip Shah, consultant physician.
2. Breathlessness: High blood pressure is associated with thickening of the heart muscle, reducing the space for oxygen-rich blood to flow from the lungs to the heart ventricles from where it gets pumped to the entire body. This can cause the blood to flow back into the lungs resulting in breathing difficulties.
3. Nosebleed: The blood vessels in your nose are very tiny and susceptible to damage. Therefore, increasing blood pressure can easily damage them causing nosebleed. (Read: Hypertension or high BP types, causes, symptoms, diagnosis, treatment and prevention)
You may also like to read:
With inputs from IANS
For more articles on hypertension, visit our hypertension section. Follow us on Facebook and Twitter for all the latest updates! For daily free health tips, sign up for our newsletter. And to join discussions on health topics of your choice, visit our forum.
