How to Identify Hypertension in Ageing Parents

Blood pressure is the force your heart needs to use to pump blood through the arteries in your body. Thus, the narrower the arteries, the higher the blood pressure. Hypertension is a condition in which the long-term resistance of the artery walls against blood flow causes health concerns.

In the Long run, high blood pressure can result in heart attacks and strokes. A person can be hypertensive without their body showing any symptoms. But it can be detected easily, and necessary precautions can be taken accordingly to manage the condition.

Age and hypertension

Although hypertension is more prevalent in older people, people of all ages need to get their blood pressure checked regularly. Children generally get their blood pressure checked as a part of a routine medical check-up. It is recommended that people above the age of 18 check their blood pressure once every two years.

However, adults with a risk or family history of hypertension should check their blood pressure every year or more frequently if their doctors recommend it. After the age of 40, blood pressure should be checked every year without exception. 

It has been medically observed that blood pressure issues increase as you age. Up to the age of 64 years, it is primarily men who develop hypertension. Women fall into the high-risk hypertension age group after the age of 65 years. People with parents who are or soon-to-be senior citizens should take necessary precautions to monitor their blood pressure levels regularly.

It is always advisable to include senior members of your family in a health insurance cover. A mediclaim policy allows senior citizens to avail health insurance benefits as and when required. If inducted well in advance, the waiting period for pre-existing conditions may not be an issue, and your parents will be able to make health insurance claims sooner.

Niva Bupa’s Health Companion is one of the best health insurance policies when you want to ensure that your parents are as well protected from burdensome medical expenses as you are. They can enjoy cashless health insurance and avail the best medical care with easy insurance premiums. 

Signs and symptoms of hypertension

1. Severe headache

Headaches can be a symptom of many diseases and disorders. But very high blood pressure can cause a throbbing headache on both sides of the head. This is experienced particularly by older patients with hypertension.

2. Lightheadedness

Dizziness or lightheadedness, especially in the case of older people, can be a cause of concern and accidents too. In the case of hypertensive patients, dizziness can be an early indication of an incoming stroke.

3. Shortness of breath

A person with hypertension will face shortness of breath and possibly chest pain as well. Although often misunderstood to be a sign of other diseases like asthma, shortness of breath is one of the initial signs of high blood pressure.

4. Vision problems

Vision problems in the case of hypertensive patients generally occur due to damage to the retina. This damage can cause headaches, poorer vision and even loss of sight. The damage to the retina, also known as hypertensive retinopathy, can be controlled through lifestyle changes and medication. 

5. Heart rhythm disorders

Hypertension causes coronary artery disease that upsets the pattern of electrical impulses travelling through the heart. This causes irregular heart rhythms, also known as arrhythmia. The effect is quite similar to the heart rhythm disorders felt during stress or after excessive caffeine consumption.

Hypertensive patients may experience nose bleeds, fatigue, nausea, tendency to vomit, etc. Early morning headaches, confusion and anxiety, buzzing in the ears, and muscle tremors are also among symptoms noted in person who have high blood pressure. If you notice these symptoms in family members or yourself, make sure to get yourself checked out and choose the health insurance that includes hypertension coverage in it. 

Spot the signs and know the complications

If you have senior citizens in your family, you should regularly enquire about their state of health and be alert about symptoms and any discomfort. This will help you manage hypertension in ageing parents. Your parents should be encouraged to maintain a daily exercise regime and be encouraged to eat the right food. Apart from having a healthy lifestyle, they should reduce stress as it is the key to maintaining a healthy heart

Prolonged and uncontrolled hypertension hardens the arteries and decreases blood and oxygen flow perilously. Eventual hypertension symptoms can be life-threatening and include heart failure, heart attack, stroke and fatally irregular heartbeat. The long-time presence of the signs of hypertension can also have kidney failure. 

Therefore, apart from a healthy lifestyle and regular check-ups, every family should acknowledge the importance of health insurance and select health insurance plans that ensure protection from hypertension, which can be a silent killer. Plans like Niva Bupa Health Companion cover the hospitalisation expenses hypertension can require. Thus, when it comes to ageing parents, you can manage hypertension through a combination of regular care and attention, along with adequate health insurance coverage.