Valsartan is used to treat hypertension or high blood pressure. Hypertension adds workload to the heart and arteries. If it continues for longer, the heart may not function properly. Also, it can damage the heart, brain, and kidney blood vessels, resulting in a stroke.
Valsartan is also used to treat heart failure and left ventricular failure. Left ventricular failure occurs when the left side of the heart becomes swollen, enlarged, or stiff. It causes the pooling of the blood in the lungs because the heart cannot pump it properly.
Valsartan is an angiotensin ll receptor blocker that blocks the substance in the body, which causes blood vessels to tighten. Instead, you can have sacubitril in the class of medications to control blood volume.
It relaxes the blood vessels and lowers the blood pressure.
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What Causes High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)?
Many factors increase the risk of getting high blood pressure;
- If you eat too much salt and you do not prefer eating vegetables and fruit in your diet
- Not doing enough exercise
- If you smoke or drink too much alcohol, coffee, or other caffeine-based drinks.
- If you do not get much sleep or have a disturbed sleep schedule
- Live in a deprived area
- Have any relative with high blood pressure
- Black Caribbean descent or black African ancestry
The main reason behind the high blood pressure is underlying health conditions or taking certain drugs.
Health conditions that can be the reason behind high blood pressure are;
- Diabetes
- Kidney disease
- Long-term kidney infection
- Obstructive sleep apnoea- where there is the relaxation of the wall of the thorax that interrupts normal breathing.
- Narrowing of the arteries supplying the kidneys
- The condition of the immune system attacks parts of the body such as joints, organs, or skin, known as lupus.
- Scleroderma is a condition that causes thickened skin and causes problems related to blood vessels and organs.
Few medicines that can increase your blood pressure, such as;
- Contraceptive pills
- Some herbal remedies which specifically contain liquorice
- Recreational drugs
- Selective serotonin-noradrenaline reuptake inhibitor
- Recreational drugs such as cocaine and amphetamines
- Steroids and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs
In these cases, conditions can be normalized if a person stops taking medicines and drugs.
Is Hypertension Considered a Heart Disease?
High blood pressure can have multiple factors such as genetics, obesity, too much salt intake in your diet, arterial stenosis, or stiffening of your arteries as you age.
However, Hypertension has a major contributing factor to heart disease, but it is not heart disease.
High pressure on the blood vessel walls the reason behind the damage to the vessels of the heart, and if you are allowed to run unchecked, in the later period, it can be the reason behind the damage to the brain and eyes, kidneys as well.
How to Lower Your Blood Pressure?
Your lifestyle plays an important role in controlling high blood pressure without medication. Here are a few methods which you can consider to lower your blood pressure:
Lose Your Extra pounds
Being overweight can also the reason behind high blood pressure, so make sure you avoid that and lose the extra pounds.
Exercise Regularly
If you have high blood pressure issues, you must exercise regularly, reducing the risk of Hypertension.
Eat Healthy Diet
Keep a food diary, consider boosting potassium levels in your diet and be a smart shopper.
Limit the Amount of Alcohol You Drink
Drinking more than a moderate amount of alcohol can raise blood pressure. It can also reduce the effectiveness of the medication, so you must limit the amount of alcohol drinking.
Quit Smoking
Quitting smoking can help you to reduce the risk of heart disease and improve your overall health.
Cut Back on Caffeine
Caffeine plays a major role in blood pressure. People who do not drink coffee regularly can easily mark the difference, as it raises their blood pressure to 10mm Hg. so make sure you avoid it.
Reduce Your Stress
Focus on your issues and make strategies to solve them, avoid stress triggers, practice gratitude, and make time to do different activities and relax.
Monitor Your Blood Pressure at Regular Intervals and See Your Doctor Regularly.
Regularly monitor your blood pressure, which can keep tabs on your health condition. Make sure to change certain lifestyle changes, which can alert you about a healthy life.
Get Support
Getting support from your family and friends can reduce your health. If you think you need support from people other than the family and friends, you can join support groups, where people can give you an emotional and morale boost.
Can Prehypertension Be Cured?
There is no such full-proof method to cure high blood pressure, but it can lowered by treatment, and if anybody has mild blood pressure, that may brought under control.
