There are risk factors that are modifiable and unmodifiable with HTN (hypertension) otherwise known as high blood pressure or HBP.
The risks that are unmodifiable, meaning you cannot change them, are
*family history - parents, grandparent, or siblings
*Age
* Race
The risk factors that are modifiable, meaning you can change them, are
*Smoking
*Obesity and DM (Diabetes Mellitis)
*Sedentary lifestyle - couch potatoes, no exercise
* High sodium diet - cut out the salt
* High fat diet - quit the fast food
* Excessive alcohol intake - quit drinking
* Stress
I hope this clears things up for those of you who don't understand how family history and other factors relate to hypertension. Any more questions, please do not hesitate to ask.
Source: Chapter 32 Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing.
Lecutre on 1/25/07 by Kelly Burg, RN, MSN, Associate Professor of Nursing.
There are also 2 types of HTN (high blood pressure) Primary and secondary.
Primary means that there is no known cause. Secondary means that it could be one or more of many causes, some of which are mentioned above, and others include, but are not limited to the following:
Kidney disease
Cushings Disease
Steroid use
Brain tumors
Pregnancy
Pheochromocytoma - a benign (not cancerous) tumor of the adrenal gland. The adrenal gland sits atop of the kidneys
Hormone replacement
Sorry BK, while cardiovascular disease is dangerous, health history may play a significant role in treating hypertension.
Assessment and Diagnosis includes a health history, physical exam, retinal exam, lab tests including urinalysis and blood chemistries, 12 lead EKG, chest x-ray, and renal studies.
Source is still Brunner & Suddarth's Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing, Chapter 32.
bkdaniels disagrees: What difference will a history make with HBP? Cardiovascular disease is always an ailment of its own, despite previous health conditions.
Page 1030 in the Brunner Med-Surg text and I quote
"A complete history it obtained to assess for signs and symptoms that indicate target organ damage (ie, whether specific tissues are damaged by the elevated blood pressure). Such manifestations may include anginal pain; shortness of breath; alterations in speech, vision, or balance; nosebleeds; headaches, dizziness; or nocturia.
During the physical examination, the nurse must also pay specific attention to the rate, rhythm, and character of the apical and peripheral pulses to detect effects of hypertension on the heart and blood vessels. A thorough assessment can yield valuable information about the extent to which the hypertension has affected the body and about any other personal, social, or financial factors related to the condition. For example, some patients' ability to adhere to an antihypertensive medication regimen may be thwarted if they lack the financial resources to by the medication."
I hope this at least partially clears up why a history is necessary when making a diagnosis of HTN.
It just so happens that this is what we are focusing on in class this past week and next week. It will be on our first exam. Also, let me mention that I know about this as
I have HTN too.
So, now we know that HTN is not only cardiovascular in nature, there are other factors that may lead to HTN as well, although it does severely compromise the cardiovascular tree.