What is the cause of high blood pressure?
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension is commonly referred to as the silent killer because it usually has no warning signs or symptoms. There is no single cause for the condition, yet it has a host of known risk factors.
What is “normal Blood Pressure?
A blood pressure reading has a top number (systolic) and bottom number (diastolic). The ranges have historically read as follows:
- Normal: Less than 120 over 80 (120/80)
- Prehypertension: 120-139 over 80-89
- Stage 1 high blood pressure: 140-159 over 90-99
- Stage 2 high blood pressure: 160 and above over 100 and above
- High blood pressure in people over age 60: 150 and above over 90 and above
These guidelines were just changed November 13, 2017 by the American Heart Association.
What this change means
The guidelines set new categories that get rid of “prehypertension” and effectively increases the number of Americans who are now categorized as having hypertension from 32% of adults to 46% of U.S. adults or 103.3 million people.
- Normal: Under 120 over 80
- Elevated: Top number 120-129 and bottom less than 80
- Stage 1: Top of 130-139 or bottom of 80-89
- Stage 2: Top at least 140 or bottom at least 90
Two categories of high blood pressure
- Essential high blood pressure (primary high blood pressure) – no cause has been identified.
- Secondary high blood pressure – the high blood pressure has an underlying cause, such as kidney disease, or a specific medication the patient is taking.
Risk factors for High blood pressure
- Age
- Family History
- Outdoor Temperature
- Ethnic Background
- Obesity
- Physical activity
- Smoking
- Alcohol intake
- Salt intake
- Mental Stress
- Diabetes
Sex and high blood pressure
High blood pressure has long been known to increase risks of heart attack and stroke. It also impacts healthy sex lives and creates erectile dysfunction in men with the condition.
There are two primary ways in which high blood pressure can impact sexual function in men.
- The most direct way this occurs is through blood pressure lowering. Less blood flow occurs when high cholesterol leads to atherosclerosis. Atherosclerosis is another word for build ups of fatty deposits, cellular waste products, calcium and fibrin that clog arteries.This can translate to less blood flow to the penis, as erections are blood filling events this is a problem. Penile atherosclerosis is the medical term for plaque buildup and hardening of the arteries in the penis. However, this is less common in men with hypertension and more common in men with diabetes according to clinical studies.
- Blood pressure meds and ED are highly connected, this is the second, and without question the most common way high blood pressure can create erectile dysfunction. Beta blockers and diuretics that treat high blood pressure cause erection problems. This potentially shifts a quality of life problem to a life-threatening event.
Some men purposely skip their blood pressure medications to have sex. Skipping medications to engage in sexual relations is both common and dangerous.
According to Hello Heart, 70% of men with side effects from blood pressure medications like impotence stop taking the medications. If you stop taking your blood pressure medications “cold turkey,” your blood pressure could actually sky rocket, putting you a risk for heart attack or stroke. Work with your doctor on ways to lower your blood pressure without disrupting your sex life.
Otherwise it has been reported that having sex is good for your heart and many men who have high blood pressure experience a healthy sex life. Speak to your physician if your medications are creating erectile dysfunction. Alternative hypertensive medications may address side effects that include ED.
Treatments for erectile dysfunction are also available when switching high blood pressure medications is not effective. It’s important that ED medications and high blood pressure medications are safe when taken together.
Does Viagra raise blood pressure?
Precautions around taking Viagra while taking medications to treat high blood pressure have led some men to ask, “does Viagra raise blood pressure?” The answer to this is no. Viagra is a PDE5 inhibitor which reduces blood pressure by dilating blood vessels.
Taking Viagra becomes a problem if you also are consuming a medication that lowers blood pressure. By taking Viagra with a blood pressure medication, you could cause a significant drop in your body’s blood pressure to dangerously low levels very quickly. This comes with a host of negative and dangerous side effects.
The active ingredient in Viagra is sildenafil citrate, which is a phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitor. Originally British scientist tested sildenafil citrate as a medication to treat high blood pressure in 1989. By the 1990s in early trials of the drug, researchers noticed an interesting side effect, an increase in erections.
Blood pressure meds and ED
There is no substitute for working with your physician to determine which blood pressure medications cause ED. Medline Plus lists over 25 high blood pressure medications linked to erectile dysfunction as well as 75 other medication that are also linked to impotence. Diuretics and beta blockers are the most common high blood pressure meds linked to ED.
High blood pressure and a vacuum erection device
Speak to you physician about a SomaTherapy-ED vacuum erection device if you are interested in restoring sexual function when taking high blood pressure medications. In a survey of 20,000 men who were prescribed a vacuum erection device from Augusta Medical Systems 53% were taking high blood pressure medications.
You can purchase now without a prescription directly from the most trusted manufacturer of medical grade vacuum therapy devices!
The post What men should know about high blood pressure and Viagra appeared first on Augusta Medical Systems.
source https://www.augustams.com/high-blood-pressure-and-viagra/
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