When blood moves through the arteries, it pushes against the walls of the arteries with force. Blood pressure measures the force of blood as it travels through the arteries. Untreated high blood pressure, or hypertension, can lead to conditions such as stroke and heart failure. There are three stages of hypertension, and each one has a specific treatment regimen.
Prehypertension
"Primary Care Medicine: Office Evaluation and Management of the Adult Patient" by Allan H. Goroll and Albert G. Mulley describes prehypertension as a stage of hypertension where a person is at increased risk of developing hypertension. People in this group have a systolic blood pressure between 120 and 139 mmHg or a diastolic blood pressure between 80 and 89 mmHg. Treatment for this stage of hypertension usually involves lifestyle changes to help reduce the risk for developing hypertension and to control blood pressure. MayoClinic.com states that medication may not be needed for prehypertension treatment unless a patient has heart disease, diabetes or kidney disease.
Hypertension Stage 1
Individuals with a systolic blood pressure reading between 140 and 159 mmHg or a diastolic pressure between 90 and 99 mmHg have hypertension stage 1. The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute states that most patients in this stage of hypertension should be treated with thiazide diuretics. This class of drugs reduce blood pressure by removing excess sodium and water from the body. Thiazide diuretics also protect the body from complications of hypertension such as stroke and heart failure. In some instances, thiazide diuretics and other drugs may be used to treat hypertension stage 1. Lifestyle changes are also incorporated in hypertension stage 1 treatment.
Hypertension Stage 2
In hypertension stage 2, the systolic blood pressure is 160 mmHg or greater, while the diastolic blood pressure is 100 mmHg or more. This stage of hypertension is treated with lifestyle changes, thiazide diuretics and an additional medication that may be a beta blocker, calcium channel blocker, angiotensin II receptor blocker or angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor. Using a two-drug combination in this stage of hypertension may bring down blood pressure quickly. Alpha blockers and vasodilator drugs may be introduced in this stage if the two-drug combination is ineffective at lowering blood pressure in this stage.
References
- National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute: Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation, and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7)
- MayoClinic.com: Choosing Blood Pressure Medications
- "Primary Care Medicine: Office Evaluation and Management of the Adult Patient"; Allan H. Goroll and Albert G. Mulley; 2009
- "Complete Guide to Symptoms, Illness and Surgery" by H. Winter Griffith, Stephen Moore and Kenneth Yoder; 2006
- "High Blood Pressure for Dummies"; Alan L. Rubin; 2007
