Clinics
High Blood Pressure
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension affects around 10 million people in the UK and there are many undiagnosed cases.
The condition is generally symptomless and the only way of finding out whether you’re affected is by taking a blood pressure reading. It is recommended that everyone over 40 has regular pressure checks either at home, in a pharmacy or at the GP surgery.
Pharma.MyonlineDoctor can provide you with an online prescription for blood pressure medications following an online consultation with our GMC-registered doctors.
High blood pressure describes a situation in which blood is forced through the arteries at an increased pressure. This can occur if your blood vessels are narrower than usual or if the heart is pumping blood harder than it normally would.
The increased pressure on the cardiovascular system puts the heart and blood vessels under strain, and this could lead to arterial rupture, heart failure and death.
High Blood pressure treatments
There are many medications available to treat hypertension. The following prescription medicines can be provided through the Pharma.MyonlineDoctor private prescription service:
- Ramipril
- Lisinopril
- Perindopril
- Losartan
- Enalapril
- Amlodipine
- Atenolol
- Bendroflumethiazide
- Bisoprolol
- Amias
- Felodipine
- Lercanidipine
About Hypertension
High blood pressure increases the risk of heart disease and stroke so it is vital pressure is maintained at a normal level. This can be done by managing lifestyle factors and by taking prescription medications.
Whilst relatively easy to diagnose, it can be difficult to pinpoint a specific cause of hypertension. Some medical problems which can cause hypertension include:
chronic kidney diseases
diseases in the arteries supplying the kidneys
chronic alcohol abuse
hormonal disturbances
endocrine tumours
What factors increase the risk of hypertension?
The factors known to worsen hypertension include:
A family history of hypertension
obesity
smoking
diabetes Type 1 or Type 2
kidney diseases
high alcohol intake
excessive salt intake
insufficient exercise
certain medicines, such as steroids.
In order to reduce your risk of developing high blood pressure you should assess any personal risk factors and address them.
Hypertension has been linked to a number of serious illnesses, some of which are potentially life-threatening:
Heart disease –is the number one cause of death in the UK and is strongly associated with high blood pressure.
Stroke – is up to six times more likely to occur in people who have hypertension. When you have a stroke the supply of blood to the brain is cut off, so the consequences can be both serious and sometimes fatal. It is important to spot the signs of stroke as early as possible to minimise the damage.
Kidney disease and kidney failure – are serious long term illnesses which may require dialysis or organ transplantation.
Erectile Dysfunction – can be caused by hypertension itself, but can also be a side effect of the medications used to treat high blood pressure.
Eye disease – or hypertensive retinopathy occurs following damage to the blood vessels in the retina.
Diabetes – and hypertension are strongly correlated illnesses. Diabetes is a chronic illness which occurs when the body is unable to control blood sugar levels. Excess sugar in the blood can lead to nerve and blood vessel damage.
High blood pressure during pregnancy can be dangerous to both mother and child.
