A Hearty Life

Q&A about resistant hypertension

by Kendra James, RN on April 15th, 2008

I received a lot of feedback on my last post about new guidelines for resistant hypertension. And I thank you for that! So this morning I am going to take a few of the simpler questions that came across, tie them together and do a little Dear Hearty Life of sorts.

Is resistant high blood pressure resistant to exercise and diet regimens and can it be genetic?

Resistant hypertension is high blood pressure that does not respond to treatment. It is defined as blood pressure that remains elevated above treatment goals despite administration of a three drug regimen usually including a diuretic. It can not be diagnosed in full until the treatment has failed.

The most common cause of resistant hypertension, and the most difficult to treat is non- compliance of the patient. The term ‘patient noncompliance’ refers to situations where the patient did not adhere to the treatment for whatever reason, and some are out of the control of the patient.

It is important to figure out the underlying reason behind the resistant hypertension. Is it overactive adrenal glands, secondary hypertension? Is it kidney insufficiency or fluid build up? The physician needs to explore all options and situations before finding a regimen hat would be acceptable for the patient.

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POSTED IN: Dear Doctor, Heart-to-Heart, Hearty Blogging