Monthly Archives: June 2010

High blood pressure

Posted by zqxyear1 on June 4, 2010 Comments Off

What is high blood pressure?

It causes the heart to work harder than normal putting both the heart and arteries at greater risk of damage. High blood pressure, or hypertension, increases the risk of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure, damage to the eyes, congestive heart failure and atherosclerosis.

Hypertension exists where the pressure at which blood is pushing against blood vessel walls is consistently above average.

Blood pressure changes throughout the day. In particular, it increases during exercise and decreases during sleep.

Untreated high blood pressure can cause the heart to become abnormally large and less efficient (ventricular hypertrophy) causing heart failure and increased risk of heart attack.

Symptoms

Although high blood pressure can cause headaches, dizziness and problems with vision, the majority of people suffer no symptoms at all. As a result many people with hypertension remain undiagnosed because they have no symptoms to motivate them to see a doctor or get their blood pressure checked.

However, despite the lack of symptoms hypertension can lead to heart attack, stroke, kidney damage, and many other medical problems

Causes and risk factors

In over 90 per cent of cases, the cause is unknown. In the remaining cases, high blood pressure is a symptom of a recognisable underlying problem such as a kidney abnormality, tumour of the adrenal gland or congenital defect of the aorta (in these cases when the root cause is corrected, blood pressure usually returns to norma).

This type of high blood pressure is called secondary hypertension.

If high blood pressure isn’t treated and is combined with obesity, smoking, high blood cholesterol levels or diabetes, the risk of heart attack is several times higher.

Arteries also suffer the effects of high blood pressure, becoming scarred, hardened and less elastic. Though this hardening of the arteries often occurs with age, high blood pressure accelerates the process. The hardened or narrowed arteries are unable to supply the amount of blood the body’s organs need, preventing them working effectively. Another risk is that a blood clot may lodge in an artery narrowed by atherosclerosis, blocking blood supply.

Treatment and recovery

The only way to find out if you have high blood pressure is to have your blood pressure checked. A doctor or other qualified health professional should check a patient’s blood pressure at least once every two years.

It’s measured in millimetres of mercury (mm Hg) and is defined in an adult by the recording of two readings:

  • The first is called the systolic pressure and represents the force of the blood as the heart contracts (beats) to pump it around the body. This is the higher of the two readings and records blood pressure at or above 140mm Hg.
  • The second, called the diastolic, is the pressure while the heart is relaxed and filling with blood again in preparation for the next contraction or heart beat. This value is lower than the systolic pressure and records blood pressure at or above 90mm Hg.

What is considered to be an acceptable blood pressure and what is hypertension (and then what needs treatment) depends on several factors. A single high reading isn’t enough to warrant a diagnosis of hypertension as blood pressure can be raised in all of us now and then – even the sight of a doctor can be enough to put it up. So there must be at least three high readings to cause concern.

When high blood pressure is first diagnosed, tests may be done for an underlying cause (i.e. secondary hypertension) especially if the person is young or has very high blood pressure. If an underlying cause is found it should be treated.

There’s no cure as such for essential hypertension, but following a healthy lifestyle can be enough to bring blood pressure down to a normal level. This is one reason why drug treatment may not be offered for healthy individuals with only mild hypertension (above 140/90 mmHg but below 160/100 mmHg).

Medication is used if lifestyle changes alone fail to lower blood pressure sufficiently. Its generally recommend that drug treatment is offered to:

  • Those with a blood pressure above 160/100 mmHg.
  • Those with isolated systolic hypertension of more than 160 mmHg.
  • Those with a blood pressure of more than 140/90 mmHg (i.e. mild hypertension) but who also have cardiovascular disease or significant risk of developing cardiovascular disease, diabetes, or damage to the heart, kidney or eyes as a result of high blood pressure.

Current UK guidelines also recommend that blood pressure levels need to be even lower for certain people and say treatment should aim to lower blood pressure to below 130/80 if a person has:

  • A complication of diabetes, especially kidney problems.
  • Had a serious cardiovascular event such as a heart attack, TIA or stroke.
  • Has certain chronic kidney diseases.

All medicines can have side effects and sometimes it’s necessary to try different drugs if initial treatments cause problems.

World Cup attacked for ‘unhealthy sponsors’

Posted by zqxyear1 on June 1, 2010 Comments Off

FIFA has scored an “own goal” by agreeing sponsorship deals for the 2010 World Cup with companies that sell unhealthy products,  campaigners say.

The World Cancer Research Fund criticised the governing body for partnering with the likes of Coca Cola, McDonald’s and Budweiser.

It said the tournament should be an opportunity to promote active lifestyles.

Advertisers denied the deals would negatively impact children’s diets.

The three companies are partners or official sponsors for the World Cup giving them a visible presence inside the stadiums on advertising hoardings and digital displays.

And the charity believes that with matches being watched by billions of people in more than 200 countries people across the world will be influenced.

Teresa Nightingale, the charity’s general manager, said: “There is no doubt that when it comes to the fight against childhood obesity, football can be a force for good because it is a type of physical activity that is accessible to almost everyone.

“I am sure many children will be inspired by the skills of the likes of Rooney and Messi and try to repeat them in their back gardens and local parks in the same way as their parents and grandparents once tried to emulate Maradona and Pelé.”

But she added: “It is disappointing that these companies have been chosen as sponsors and partners.

“The FIFA website describes sponsorship as an opportunity to promote brands on a global basis and we would argue that it is a real own goal to be giving this opportunity to companies that are known for unhealthy products.”

Lead by example

She said it was important to be realistic and accept that the existing sponsorship agreements were now in place. But she said it would be a great boost for public health around the world if FIFA could show real leadership on this issue by announcing that it would not consider companies that promote unhealthy products as sponsors or partners in future.

She said that the charity was raising its concerns to make parents aware of the effect of this type of marketing and urged them to stock up on healthy foods, such as fruit and vegetables.

Ian Barber, director of communications at the Advertising Association, said: “When the Government’s research suggests that, at most, advertising has a marginal impact on a child’s overall diet, these comments risk everyone taking their eye off the ball.

“Without sponsorship, we would have fewer events like the World Cup to inspire young people, not to mention the scores of advertising-funded programmes which aim to keep kids active and healthy.

“If we are serious about improving child health, we need to find more ways to help kids choose the right lifestyle and less time on well-meaning but often poorly evidenced and mis-directed rhetoric.”

FIFA said it ran projects using the popularity of football to highlight and tackle urgent global health issues.

Men’s skin cancer death rate doubles over 30 years

Posted by zqxyear1 on June 1, 2010 Comments Off

The rate of men dying from the deadliest form of skin cancer has doubled over the past three decades.

Figures from Cancer Research UK show a steep increase in deaths from malignant melanoma, especially in elderly men. In the late 1970s fewer than 400 (1.5 per 100,000) men died from melanoma but that figure has now risen to over 1,100 (3.1 per 100,000). Yet the cancer is preventable if people avoid sunburn and deal with ‘worrying’ moles early, the charity said. The death rates for women have also risen, from 1.5 to 2.2 per 100,000.

The figures also reveal that although more women are diagnosed in the first place, more men die from the disease.

In men aged over 65 deaths have risen from 4.5 per 100,000 to 15.2 per 100,000 over the past 30 years.

Caroline Cerny, from Cancer Research UK, said men needed to learn to look after their skin.

“Too often men leave it up to their partners or mothers to remind them to use sunscreen or cover up with a shirt and hat, and even to visit the doctor about a worrying mole,” she said.

Be vigilant

The figures suggest men are either not aware of skin cancer symptoms or are ignoring them and putting off going to see their GP, she added.

“It’s crucial that people go to their doctor as soon as they notice any unusual changes to their skin or moles – the earlier the cancer is diagnosed the easier it will be to treat.”

Care services minister Paul Burstow said that the figures were worrying and everyone needed to be vigilant.

“Seeing many people with sunburn from the recent sunny weather is a reminder of how easy it is to damage your skin,” he said.

Dermatologist Dr Jonathan Bowling, from the Radcliffe Hospitals Trust and the private Cadogan clinic, said it was vital that anyone with any concerns about their moles seek help from a qualified dermatologist.

“If you are worried about a mole, go to a GP,” he said.

“Either he can refer you, or if you are still worried you can ask to see a dermatologist.”