How your family medicine doctor in San Antonio, TX, can help with high blood pressure.

High blood pressure matters. It’s a measure of how hard your heart is working, and it’s also a warning sign of potential heart disease. High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is known as the “silent killer” because there are often no signs or symptoms you have it, and it can shorten your life.

Fortunately, your doctor can treat high blood pressure, to help prevent heart disease. Dr. Dan Hoyumpa at Texan Family Clinic in San Antonio, TX, provides a wide variety of medical services, including treatment for high blood pressure.

High blood pressure is a measurement of the pressure caused when blood flows through your arteries. If you have high blood pressure, it means the blood is encountering resistance as it flows through your arteries.

This resistance is often in the form of fat deposits, known as fatty plaque, coating the walls of your arteries. The fatty plaque can be caused by diet, heredity, and other factors. The plaque causes your arteries to narrow, increasing the pressure.

High blood pressure comes in two types:

Primary, which has no known cause

Secondary, which can be caused by medical conditions including:

• Sleep apnea
• Thyroid issues
• Drug and alcohol use
• Medications

Eventually, uncontrolled high blood pressure damages blood vessels, which can cause a stroke or a heart attack.

You can do a lot to prevent high blood pressure. You need to:

• Quit smoking
• Get regular exercise
• Limit alcohol consumption
• Stay at a healthy weight

If you have high blood pressure, you need to visit your doctor. Medication is often the first line of treatment for high blood pressure. Your doctor may recommend:

• Diuretics, to get rid of excess water
• ACE inhibitors, to relax blood vessels
• Beta Blockers, to open blood vessels and lower the cardiac workload
• Calcium channel blockers, which slow down the heart rate

High blood pressure matters to your heart health. Treatment of high blood pressure can help you live a healthy, long life. To learn more about the causes, signs, symptoms, and treatment of high blood pressure, call Dr. Dan Hoyumpa at Texan Family Clinic in San Antonio, TX. You can reach him at (210) 562-3125, so call today.