Hipertensión

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Hipertensión

Nombres alternativos:

Hipertensión arterial; Presión sanguínea alta; Tensión arterial alta

Síntomas:

La mayor parte del tiempo, no se presentan síntomas. Los síntomas que pueden ocurrir abarcan:

Si se presenta dolor de cabeza fuerte o cualquiera de los síntomas mencionados anteriormente, se debe acudir al médico de inmediato, ya que esto puede ser un signo de complicación o presión arterial peligrosamente alta, llamada hipertensión maligna .

Signos y exámenes:

El médico llevará a cabo un examen físico y revisará la presión arterial. Si la medición es alta, el médico puede pensar que se trata de hipertensión. Por lo tanto, será necesario repetir las mediciones con el tiempo, de tal manera que se pueda confirmar el diagnóstico.

Si la persona controla su presión arterial en el hogar, se le pueden hacer las siguientes preguntas:

Se pueden hacer otros exámenes para buscar sangre en la orina o insuficiencia cardíaca. El médico buscará signos de complicaciones para el corazón, los riñones, los ojos y otros órganos en el cuerpo.

Estos exámenes pueden abarcar:

Referencias:

Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7). Rockville, Md. National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, US Department of Health and Human Services; August 2004. National Institutes of Health Publication No. 04-5230.

Wang Y, Wang QJ. The prevalence of prehypertension and hypertension among US adults according to the new joint national committee guidelines: new challenges of the old problem. Arch Intern Med . 2004;164(19):2126-34.

Eyre H, Kahn R, Robertson RM, et al. Preventing cancer, cardiovascular disease, and diabetes: A common agenda for the American Cancer Society, the American Diabetes Association, and the American Heart Association. Circulation . 2004;109(25):3244-55.

Berg AO. Screening for High Blood Pressure Recommendations and Rationale U.S. Preventive Services Task Force. USPSTF Guide to Clin Preventive Services . June 1, 2003; 1.

Whelton PK, He J, Appel LJ, et al. Primary prevention of hypertension: Clinical and public health advisory from The National High Blood Pressure Education Program. JAMA. 2002;288(15):1882-8.

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