CEBU, Philippines – It is reported that one in every three American adults has high blood pressure. Furthermore, while women are as likely to have the condition as men, they are more prone to acquiring it in their twilight years.
According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), men and women both have the tendency to develop hypertension during their lifetimes. However, women over 65 years old are more prone to acquiring it, particularly those who are past their menopausal stage.
Amado I. Nazal, medical director of Pharex Health Corporation, pointed out that women who passed through their menopausal stage are at an increased risk of having hypertension because of hormonal changes and increase in body mass index that comes with age.
"Hormonal changes relative to menopause can lead to weight gain, making blood pressure more reactive to salt. Eventually, this leads to hypertension," Nazal said.
Pharex Health Corporation, the most prescribed generic brand of medicines, emphasizes the importance of prioritizing optimum health among older women to keep hypertension at bay before it leads to heart failure.
"The most important consideration every woman aged 65 and older needs to make," Nazal said, "is to recognize the importance of having a healthy lifestyle as the key to preventing hypertension and other health conditions."
He added, "It's easy to start improving one's lifestyle; the challenge [is] making it a habit. This specifically applies to people who already have the disease. For people diagnosed with hypertension, the best practice is to always consult the doctor and comply with the medication schedule even when symptoms are not surfacing."
Nazal concluded, "Women who are already in their post-menopausal stage need to start taking care of themselves, especially [as] their metabolism slows down. Embarking on a [new] lifestyle… is not a one-time travel. It is a [whole] life's worth of adventure you can give to yourself. And someday, you'll thank yourself you did."
Hypertension is a common condition which triggers the heart to pump blood excessively. When the heart pumps more blood through narrower arteries, the likely result is higher chances of high blood pressure. The World Health Organization has identified hypertension as one of the major contributors to the present global disease burden, since it causes health problems such as cardiovascular disease.