According to Report published by Center of Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) in death toll due to hypertension is on a rise these days. This has achieved a figure of almost 8 out of 100,000 patients who are yearly diagnosed with hypertension. Superficially this figure may not seem enough but when compared to the number of patients suffering from hypertension going over 50 million, it becomes a sum of over 8000 deaths an year in America. Considering other parts of the world, this may go up to 25,000-30,000 deaths annually by this omnipresent disease.

While it may not be considered fatal, Hypertension can kill. Most of such deaths occur from acute hypertension which causes extremely high blood pressure. Sometimes, this pressure is so high that it leads collapsing and bursting of veins and arteries. It results in massive loss of blood due to internal bleeding which in most of the cases is not even known to the patient.

Difference between Normal and Acute Hypertension

Medically acute hypertension is no different from an average case of high blood pressure other than very high levels of pressure on the walls or nerves and arteries. This pressure is measured by amount of the force exerted by blood against the artery or nerve walls as the heart pumps blood. A normal range for blood pressure remains 120-80 while normal hypertension patients register a reading of 140-90. The same readings go up to a whooping figure of 200-150 in case of acute hypertension. It is also termed as Second stage hypertension or exercise hypertension.

Causes of Acute Hypertension

As the name suggests, one of the major cause of acute hypertension is excessive exercising. Generally patients suffering from high blood pressure are advised to work out so that their heart functions normally. It also reduces the chances of a stroke or a cardiac arrest, but there lies a very thin line between the two. If a patient engages in strenuous activities such as football or basketball for prolonged time period, blood pressure rises up to 220 mmHg. This often leads to seizure of the patient. Just before a seizure, a patient will experience blackouts along with excessive perspiration. This perspiration is difficult to notice since high levels of physical activity that a body performs during such sports or exercises.

It can also be triggered by any medical disorder or a sudden fluctuation in the level of hormones or enzymes in the body. This suddenly alters blood viscosity and forces human heart to pump more and more blood through the body.

Treatment of Acute Hypertension

While general precautions and changes in existing lifestyles needs to be incorporated into ones routine, hypertension of a stage two can be treated only with the use of medicines. These lifestyle modifications are more stringent which makes them difficult to be followed.

A patient on acute hypertension needs to totally abstain from the intake of alcohol and nicotine via cigarettes. Any other form of intoxicating substances should also be avoided at all cost. One should also be careful with the level of salts. Superficially, cutting down salts completely may look like a possible solution, but human body needs a minimum amount of salt to function normally.

In case of medications, patients should discuss their past medical history with their doctors. After certain test use of certain types of blockers may be allowed. Even inhibitors help in fighting hypertension but none of the above said compound is sufficient alone to bring down levels of blood pressure. A multi pronged approach with use of diuretics along with blockers and HCT is one of most advised solutions.

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With the regular intake of standard medicines over a prolonged period of time, human body might not respond that well to certain treatments and medication. In such acute cases, a doctor may prescribe Atacand Plus to the patient which is a combination of more than two drugs and HCT.