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Hypertension |
You may ask, "what does hypertension have to do with the kidneys?" Hypertension, or High Blood Pressure, is actually a cause of chronic kidney disease and vice versa. Leaving high blood pressure untreated could lead to heart attack, stroke, and kidney failure. Fortunately, controlling hypertension can easily be accomplished by losing excess weight, exercising more, not smoking, and cutting down on salt.
Dr. Munjal specializes in hypertension management. As with most medical conditions, one size does not fit all. Your consultation with Dr. Munjal regarding hypertension will detail the best way to manage your high blood pressure.
Dr. Munjal specializes in hypertension management. As with most medical conditions, one size does not fit all. Your consultation with Dr. Munjal regarding hypertension will detail the best way to manage your high blood pressure.
Watch
How to Measure Your Blood Pressure at Home |
The Basics of High Blood Pressure |
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What is Blood Pressure?
Blood Pressure is the measurement of the circulating blood against the walls of the blood vessels. This is a measurement of the amount of force the body is using to get blood through the arteries.
What can contribute to blood pressure raising and lowering?
What can contribute to blood pressure raising and lowering?
- Changing body position: standing up, sitting down, bending over
- Exercise: Lack of exercise can lead to weight gain and cause higher blood pressure. Exercise can also temporarily raise the blood pressure.
- Hydration: being dehydrated can cause your blood pressure to lower and being over-hydrated can cause your blood pressure to increase
- Nutrition: High sodium and/or low potassium can lead to high blood pressure as they balance one another out in the body.
- Hormones: Hormones like aldosterone, cortisol, and catecholamines can affect the blood pressure due to their influence on fluid and electrolyte balance.
- Stress: Changes in blood pressure due to stress are generally temporary due to changes in lifestyle and eating habits to assist with coping to high stress levels.
- Certain chronic conditions: Kidney disease and diabetes are two of the most common contributing factors to hypertension.
- Smoking/Vaping: The nicotine and chemicals in cigarettes and vapes can cause the blood vessels to narrow, causing the heart to beat faster, subsequently raising blood pressure.
- Alcohol: Alcohol can increase blood pressure temporarily, but over time, it can lead to long term increases. Additionally, alcohol includes calories that can lead to weight gain that will potentially lead to an increase in blood pressure as well.
Tracking Blood Pressure
Taking your blood pressure and keeping track of the readings is vital to your health if you have hypertension or Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD). However, this task can get daunting or become overwhelming for some. For current patients, we have a few tools that may help alleviate the stress around tracking your blood pressure.
Blood Pressure Logs: We provide blood pressure log sheets that assist with keeping your blood pressure information neat and organized. Additionally, there is a reference sheet with instructions and tips for taking the most accurate readings. Be sure to bring this sheet back in at your appointments so we can see your trends!
Trackers: Our patient portal has a feature that allows patients to link a blood pressure monitor to their account to track readings so it is more readily available to your care team. This information is not regularly monitored, so be sure to call in when you notice a change or have concerns that need to be addressed by your care team. By using the trackers feature in the patient portal, you can show your other healthcare providers your history of readings by simply logging into your portal on your phone or other smart device.
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM): Our remote patient monitoring program allows you and your healthcare provider to manage your health from the comfort of your own home via bluetooth or 4G enabled health tracking devices. You will be assigned a Care Coordinator that will reach out on a monthly basis and will work with you to maintain consistent communication regarding your vital readings. You will receive additional communication for readings that are out of the designated range to ensure you are doing well. This program comes with an app that stores all of your readings for you with a wide range of other features that can help your overall health.
Putting these tools to use is only as helpful and effective as the habits associated with them. Staying on top of taking your blood pressure on a regular basis is the most important part of tracking it.
Blood Pressure Logs: We provide blood pressure log sheets that assist with keeping your blood pressure information neat and organized. Additionally, there is a reference sheet with instructions and tips for taking the most accurate readings. Be sure to bring this sheet back in at your appointments so we can see your trends!
Trackers: Our patient portal has a feature that allows patients to link a blood pressure monitor to their account to track readings so it is more readily available to your care team. This information is not regularly monitored, so be sure to call in when you notice a change or have concerns that need to be addressed by your care team. By using the trackers feature in the patient portal, you can show your other healthcare providers your history of readings by simply logging into your portal on your phone or other smart device.
Remote Patient Monitoring (RPM): Our remote patient monitoring program allows you and your healthcare provider to manage your health from the comfort of your own home via bluetooth or 4G enabled health tracking devices. You will be assigned a Care Coordinator that will reach out on a monthly basis and will work with you to maintain consistent communication regarding your vital readings. You will receive additional communication for readings that are out of the designated range to ensure you are doing well. This program comes with an app that stores all of your readings for you with a wide range of other features that can help your overall health.
Putting these tools to use is only as helpful and effective as the habits associated with them. Staying on top of taking your blood pressure on a regular basis is the most important part of tracking it.
Documents and Additional Resources
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