“Healthy Weight - Healthy Blood Pressure"

The arteries carry blood out of heart to all organs . Healthy arteries are flexible, strong , supple and elastic.”

Why control blood pressure ?

High blood pressure can quietly damage body for years before symptoms develop. Left uncontrolled, it leads to disability, a poor quality of life or even a fatal heart attack. Fortunately, with treatment and lifestyle changes, one can control high blood pressure and reduce risk of life-threatening complications.

What is Hypertension ?

Pressure on the wall of blood vessels is called as blood pressure . Blood is carried in blood vessels ( calelastic. Their inner lining is smooth so that blood flows freely, supplying vital organs and tissues with adequate nutrients and oxygen. If you have high blood pressure, the increased pressure of blood flowing through your arteries gradually can cause a variety of problems .

When do we call it as hypertension ?

In an adult , Blood pressure less than 120 / 80 is considered normal . Between 120-139 systolic and 80-89 diastolic is prehypertension , systolic 140 – 159 and diastolic 90 – 99 is grade I hypertension, above 160 systolic and 100 diastolic is grade II hypertension .
The Seventh Report of the Joint National Committee on Prevention, Detection, Evaluation and Treatment of High Blood Pressure (JNC 7) has recommended that clinicians reduce blood pressure to 140/90 mm Hg or even lower if tolerated. In high-risk populations such as those with diabetes mellitus or renal disease, a treatment goal of lower than 130/80 mm Hg is recommended.

How hypertension harms ?

High blood pressure can damage the cells of inner lining of arteries . This make artery walls thick and stiff, a disease called arteriosclerosis . Fats from diet enter bloodstream, pass through the damaged cells and collect to start atherosclerosis . These changes affect arteries throughout the body, blocking blood flow to heart, kidneys, brain, arms and legs. The damage can cause many problems like heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, peripheral arterial disease , bleeding inside eyes and blindness .

Heart disease.

Coronary artery are the blood vessels which supply heart muscles . Arteries narrowed by atherosclerosis do not allow blood to flow freely , which can cause chest pain (angina). People with high blood pressure are more likely to die of heart attack than are people who do not have high blood pressure.

Heart failure.

Over time, the strain on heart caused by high blood pressure cause heart muscle to weaken and work less efficiently. Eventually, overwhelmed heart simply begins to wear out and fails .

Transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Also called a mini stroke, a transient ischemic attack is a brief, temporary disruption of blood supply to brain. It is often caused by atherosclerosis or a blood clot - both of which can arise from high blood pressure. A transient ischemic attack is often a warning that the person is at risk of a full-blown stroke.


Stroke.

A stroke occurs when part of brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, causing brain cells to die. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke by damaging and weakening brain's blood vessels, causing them to narrow, rupture or leak. High blood pressure can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries blocking blood flow and potentially causing a stroke. High blood pressure can also cause an aneurysm — a bulge in the blood vessel wall that can burst, causing life-threatening bleeding in the brain.

Dementia.

Dementia is a brain disease resulting in impaired thinking, speaking, reasoning, memory, vision and movement. There are a number of causes of dementia. One cause, vascular dementia, can result from narrowing and blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the brain. It can also result from strokes caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain. In either case, high blood pressure may be the culprit. High blood pressure that occurs even as early as middle age can increase the risk of dementia in later years.

Eyes .

Uncontrolled high blood pressure affects vision irreversibly . Blood vessel in the eye can rupture leading to bleeding inside eyes and sudden blindness . High blood pressure over long period causes narrowing of blood vessels , so the blood supply to inner layer of eyes called retina and also to optic nerve is affected leading to gradual onset of blindness .

Kidney failure.

High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of kidney failure. That's because it can damage both the large arteries leading to kidneys and the tiny blood vessels (glomeruli) within the kidneys. Having diabetes in addition to high blood pressure can worsen the damage. Damaged kidneys can not effectively filter waste from blood. As a result, dangerous levels of fluid and waste can accumulate. Person affected might ultimately require dialysis or kidney transplantation.

What causes high blood pressure ?

Besides genetic causes , obesity , smoking , constant stress , high salt intake , taking some drugs especially pleasure drugs like cocaine , pain killers and steroids can cause rise in blood pressure .

Obesity specially among children is a cause for concern . Television culture , lack of socialization , junk food , lack of physical exercise lead to obesity . In obese people , body fat gets deposited in blood vessel wall making them stiff and hard leading to hypertension .

Reducing salt intake , healthy food habits , physical exercise , controlling obesity , relaxation techniques like yoga and avoidance of smoking are some ways to control blood pressure .

However in most cases medicines to lower blood pressure are a must . Once blood pressure has developed , diet control and yoga by themselves are not enough to control blood pressure .

Why discourage unrelated kidney transplantation ?

It is inhuman and cruel to sell God gifted organ

Disadvantages of unrelated kidney transplantation

Less chance of matching
Who cares !
Least post op careChances of neglect in pre-op evaluation
Even tissue typing reports have been tampered
Definitely a deal
Money exchanges hands
Donor has a guilt complex
Middle man gets the money
Inhuman , cruel , selling of a God gifted organ
None of the organ sellers have benefited in long term , utilized money for alcohol or gambling
Unknown history , chances of disease transmission
Donor never expresses himself
A whole village in South India has people with single kidney !
Legal hassles Only rich person gains
The donor is always a poor man
Worse than prostitution
Rarely altruistic
Will hamper cadaver program

Advantage of Live related donor kidney transplantation

1.Better match
2.Could be even 100% match
3.Emotional bond4.Good post operative care
5.Detailed pre-op evaluation
6.Usually no dealings
7.Even if there is a deal , the property remains in the family
8.Donor has gratifying effect9.No middle man
10.Love and humanity
11.Long term care of donor
12.The donor is known , no chance of disease transmission
13.Donor enlightens others and acts as an ambassador for organ donation campaign

14.Equal social and economic status of donor and recipient
15.Godly gift

How to define death ?

Defining death can be difficult because of differing concepts based on context; namely religious, cultural, legal or scientific. For Brain stem death ( BSD ) , the context is scientific. Defining death as the biological event that marks the transition from being alive to being dead is hard to argue against but is unhelpful because it does not provide criteria that describe what is meant by being alive or being dead. Death is the permanent cessation of the critical functions of the organism as whole'.

In the United Kingdom (UK), BSD is defined as irreversible loss of consciousness, irreversible loss of the capacity to breathe and irreversible loss of integrated functioning. The UK definition has merit because it permits criteria to be derived that are not only explicit but also testable. The inclusion of irreversible loss of integrated functioning implies death of the organism as a whole, not the whole organism. It is important to recognise that currently, whatever criteria and tests are chosen, we are only able to diagnose the state of being dead, not the event of death.

Worldwide, two distinct mechanisms of death are recognised; namely irreversible cardiopulmonary arrest and Brain stem death (BSD) or Brain death (BD). Scientifically, this distinction is artificial. Cardiopulmonary arrest only causes inevitable death if the brain stem is irreparably damaged due to lack of perfusion with oxygenated blood. Thus, the key feature of both mechanisms is irreparable brain damage. The two mechanisms differ only because death is diagnosed in the presence or absence of a beating heart.

Unfortunately, the general public normally associates death with cardiac standstill. This is an emotive issue and is most easily discussed in the context of heart-lung transplantation patients receiving extracorporeal membrane oxygenator support. These patients are alive despite the fact that the diseased heart and lungs have been removed. Their brains are capable of integrated function and the patient would be fully conscious were it not for the fact that anaesthesia is administered.

Many relatives find brain death easier to accept if it is explained that although the brain relies on the heart to circulate oxygenated blood, this function can be replicated by machines. In contrast brain function cannot be artificially replaced and the heart always stops within days or weeks of the brain stem dying.

By diagnosing BSD, we have not changed the nature of death. We have, however, improved our diagnostic skills and moved the time that we diagnose the state of being dead closer to the time when death actually occurred.

Tips for patients with Diabetic Kidney Disease

• Round the clock blood sugar control
• Blood pressure control (below 130/80)
• Give up smoking / tobacco chewing
• Urine test for micro-albumin
• Eye test for retinal damage , laser treatment if needed
• Heart check up
• Care of feet
• Diet control of sugar ,salt ,fat and protein ( under doctors’ supervision )
• Avoid pain killer drugs
• Occasional appropriate blood and urine tests

symptoms of diabetes

• Frequent urination
• Increased thirst
• Unexplained weight loss
• Weakness and fatigue
• Numbness or tingling in the limbs
• Blurred vision
• Dry, itchy skin
• Frequent infections
• Slow healing of cuts and bruises
• Swelling of feet and frothing of urine may indicate kidney disease.