BENGALURU: The National Family Health Survey 4 has found that men are more susceptible to hypertension than women, and that in Karnataka, 12 per cent of the men surveyed suffer from hypertension, compared to seven per cent of women.“Genetically, men are more prone to stress. Environmental factors like job and family pressures trigger stress in them,” said Dr Parwaiz Alam, senior consultant cardiologist.
WHO defines hypertension — also known as high or raised blood pressure — as a condition in which blood vessels have persistently raised pressure, putting them under increased stress. Each time the heart beats, it pumps blood into the vessels that carry it throughout the body. Blood pressure is created by the force of blood pushing against the walls of blood vessels (arteries) as it is pumped by the heart. The higher the pressure, the harder the heart has to pump. Most people with hypertension have no symptoms at all; which is why it is known as the “silent killer”.
Experts say that biologically, women are more tolerant to hypertension than men. Tolerance level determines the amount of stress a person can endure. They explain that the stereotype culture of our society aggravates the low endurance level in men. “From a very early age, men are taught to take responsibility, and ‘not to cry’, this creates an illusion among them about perfection. In their process of attaining that perfection, they often land up in extremely stressed situations, which forms the basis of hypertension,” explained Dr Rajesh Bharati, psychiatrist, Ranchi Institute of Neuro-Psychiatry and Allied Sciences.
Dr Alam said that hormonal changes in the body after the age of 40 was a major cause of hypertension among men. “They become more vulnerable to stress and increase the risk of cardiovascular diseases,” he said. Hypertension is the single most dangerous risk factor for cardiovascular diseases, strokes and deaths. It is defined as blood pressure higher than 130 over 80 millimetres of mercury (mmHg). Acute causes of high blood pressure include stress, but it could also result from an underlying condition, such as a kidney disorder, say experts.
Maintaining healthy weight, regularly monitoring blood pressure, physical exercise and avoiding a sedentary lifestyle can help prevent hypertension, they say.