09 Jun 2013

Hypertension patients should not lose hope as there is a range of medication in place to treat the disease.

Ministry of Health principal public relations' officer, Ms Doreen Motshegwa said this in an interview.

Ms Motshegwa encouraged the affected patients to strive to maintain their body mass index (BMI), which should range between 18.5 -24.9 kg for normal weight.  

BMI refers to a measure for human body shape based on weight and height and used to determine whether an individual has a healthy weight for his/her height.

She advised hypertension patients to exercise regularly, at least a minimum of 150 minutes per week and also avoid taking alcohol and smoking.

She said the recommended fat intake in grams per day for people with normal weight is 70 grams for females and 50 grams for overweight females, and for males on normal weight should be 95 grams per day and 70 grams for overweight males.

The condition commonly known as ‘high blood pressure’, she said, occurs when the blood pressure in the arteries is chronically elevated.

Regarding the symptoms, Ms Motshegwa said hypertension in isolation usually produces no symptoms although some people report headaches, fatigue, dizziness, blurred vision, facial flushing or tinnitus.

Furthermore, she said hypertension comes in two types being sential hypertension which stands at 95 per cent of unknown cause and the secondary hypertension with five per cent known associated factors which include, obesity, diabetes, aging, chronic kidney diseases, genetics and family history, drugs/hormones/steroids, alcohol, tobacco, stress and pregnancy among others.

She said it is diagnosed through three separate measurements of blood pressure which are taken at least one week apart on arms or it is usually found incidentally when healthcare professionals do a routine checkup on persons visiting a health facility. 

Ms Motshegwa further said one could suspect hypertension if the blood pressure is measured on two consecutives with an interval of 2-5 minutes apart and its blood pressure readings in adults over the age of 18 is categorised in three classes of measurements being the optimal, normal and high normal.

Optimal is 120 mmhg on the systolic and 80 mmhg on the diastolic, whereas the normal ranges between 120-129 mmhg on the systolic and from 80-84 mmhg on the diastolic and the high normal is when it ranges between 130-139 mmhg on the systolic and 85-89 mmhg on the diastolic.

She said the hypertension is also in three grades, grade one (mild) stands at 140-159 systolic and 90-99 on the diastolic and grade two (moderate) runs between 150-179 mmhg systolic and 100-109 mmhg on the diastolic measurement and the last one being grade three (severe) ranges from 180 mmhg on the systolic measurement and 110 mmhg on the diastolic.

An 87-year-old Ms Gosetsemang Khumo said she has been diagnosed with hypertension in the past 20 years but she is still doing well, stating that her secret is  sticking to doctor’s advice of avoiding salty and fatty meals.

Ms Motshegwa revealed that a total of 47 949 new patients who were registered at the outpatient department (OPD) throughout health facilities in the country in 2005 were found with a condition in which the arteries have persistently elevated blood pressure which result in the heart pumping blood harder.

The figures dropped to 44 384 in 2006, 36 853 in 2007, and in 2008   it went down to 36 094 and rose to 36 622 in 2009 as per the ministry of health statistics unit. ENDS