Hypertension at a "young " age .
Posted , 3 users are following.
Hi. I know little about my family history (my family is a long story lol.)
Im at 37 year old female soon to be 38. Anyway about six months ago my gp said i had high bp. (Around 150/110.) She said i was too young to have it si reffered me to a cardiologist who did a lot of tests. They found no cause for it deeming it inherited. An echocardiogram showed my heart muscle was slightly thickened. An ecg showed "slight" abnormalities which the cardiologist wasnt worried about. I was put on low dose of an ace inhibitor (2mg) which according to my bp monitor has bought down my bp but sometimes its still slightly above 120/80. No side effects noted but its a very small dose. Im due for another echo in 6 months which will hopefully show my heart hasnt gotten any thicker. Sometimes im aware of a strange sensation in my chest - not painful "light" is the only way I can think of to describe it. I eat healthy dont smoke but i dont exercise and im unfit but im not overweight. Is hypertension killing me? Im afraid of what the echo will show in 6 months.
0 likes, 3 replies
lily65668 funkykristi
Posted
It sounds to me as if it's been caught in time and is now well under control so no, it's not killing you.
Starting a regular gentle exercise programme will almost certainly improve things. This shouldn't involve working out vigorously in the gym a couple of times a month - in fact, that's the worst kind of exercise. Simple everyday things like walking to and from the shops or part of the way to work, taking the stairs instead of the lift/elevator, things like that. Ideally, you should be walking briskly for about an hour on at least five days per week. It doesn't need to be all in one go - a couple of periods of half an hour is fine too. Cycling and swimming are also good forms of exercise too.
Gentle exercise like this won't harm your heart and may well bring down your blood pressure a little more. However, it usually takes at least six months of sustained effort to bring about any improvement.
jx41870 funkykristi
Posted
150/110 is high, but if a small dose of an ACE inhibitor takes it back that low, you're OK. I wonder if you even need the drug. Do you have your own BP meter at home?
?I've got that "slightly thickened heart" business too, but I've been fighting high BP for ten years now. For that matter high BP definitely runs in my family, my brother was on at a younger age then I was.
?Sounds like you're OK, but it's always good to learn more.
funkykristi jx41870
Posted
The cardiologist reckons i must have had high bp for a while for my heart to be thickened like at least from the age of 30/32 it must have been high. My mum passed away in her 50's. It wasnt sure what she died of but the doctors at the time told us it could have been heart related. I guess i go back for another echo in 6 months to make sure my heart isnt getting bigger due to a heart condition. Thats what my cardiologist said