Dr. Motameni - Internal Medicine Practice Primary Care

High blood pressure, also called hypertension, is blood pressure that is higher than normal. Your blood pressure changes throughout the day based on your activities. Having blood pressure measures consistently above normal may result in a diagnosis of high blood pressure (or hypertension).

The higher your blood pressure levels, the more risk you have for other health problems, such as heart disease, heart attack, and stroke. Blood pressure is the pressure of blood pushing against the walls of your arteries. Arteries carry blood from your heart to other parts of your body. Your blood pressure normally rises and falls throughout the day.

High blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them less elastic, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart and leads to heart disease. In addition, decreased blood flow to the heart can cause:

Chest pain, also called angina.

Heart attack, which happens when the blood supply to your heart is blocked and heart muscle begins to die without enough oxygen. The longer the blood flow is blocked, the greater the damage to the heart. Heart failure, a condition that means your heart can’t pump enough blood and oxygen to your other organs.

What do blood pressure numbers mean?

Blood pressure is measured using two numbers:

The first number, called systolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart beats.
The second number, called diastolic blood pressure, measures the pressure in your arteries when your heart rests between beats. If the measurement reads 120 systolic and 80 diastolic, you would say, “120 over 80,” or write, “120/80 mmHg.”

What are normal blood pressure numbers?

A normal blood pressure level is less than 120/80 mmHg. No matter your age, you can take steps each day to keep your blood pressure in a healthy range. High blood pressure usually develops over time. Dr Motameni indicates that high blood pressure can happen because of unhealthy lifestyle choices, such as not getting enough regular physical activity. Certain health conditions, such as diabetes and having obesity, can also increase the risk for developing high blood pressure. High blood pressure can also happen during pregnancy.

Dr Motameni recommends you take the initiative and help us to manage and diagnose high blood pressure and make treatment decisions by reviewing your systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels and comparing them to levels found in certain guidelines regularly.

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The floodgates have opened on the flu, with millions of people across the U.S. reporting an estimated 6.2 million flu illnesses logged, and nearly 3,000 deaths from influenza since the beginning of October 2022, according to the CDC.

Holiday season is here and lots of gatherings and family visits are on the horizon. We are likely to see an increase in number of Flu and COVID cases on the upcoming weeks ,” Dr. Motameni says.

Dr. Motameni further noted that ” People don’t have a good understanding on how severe flu can be”. Several years of limited viral activity have resulted in few people with immune systems capable of fighting off the most virulent infectious diseases. This years Flu, Respiratory Syncytial Virus (RSV) and COVID numbers could be very high.

“We are dealing with three very contagious respiratory viruses, our expectation is we are likely to see an increase in the upcoming weeks, particularly with influenza and Covid” said Dr. Ashish Jha, coordinator for the White House Covid-19 Task Force.

Typical flu seasons ramp up in December, peaking in January or February. With the early start to the flu season this year, many people were infected before they had a chance to get vaccinated, making it easier for the virus to spread.

The latest CDC data on flu activity shows spread “very high” across much of the nation, especially in Washington, Virginia, D.C. Arkansas, California, Colorado, Kentucky, Mississippi, New Mexico, South Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Washington, as well as New York City.

Majority of insurances cover your Flu vaccine. If you have symptoms of flu, please keep your distance, cover your mouth and nose and schedule your visit to our clinic to be tested and treated.

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The latest data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC’s) Flu View report show extraordinarily high numbers of positive flu tests reported to the agency from labs around the US. As of November 5, nearly 14,000 positive flu tests had been reported.

This year’s early and meteoric rise in flu transmission is at least somewhat related to the fact that more people are being tested for the flu than during previous years. Over the past five weeks, nearly twice as many flu tests were done at clinical labs nationwide as during the same period last year.

More than five times as many people have been hospitalized for the flu so far this season than at the same point in any of the last 10 years. And unlike RSV, which poses the biggest threat to the youngest and oldest, the severe disease flu causes is more evenly spread across age groups. About one-third of the people who’ve been hospitalized for flu this year were 65 or older, while another quarter were ages 18 to 49.

Dr. Motameni, Highly recommends to use the basics of Hygiene, wash your hands, keep your safe distance, Cover your mouth and nose and your insurance usually covers the fees and so take your flu vaccine sooner.

flu

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Watch your health numbers and take action. It’s motivating and It works.

How many steps you take per day
Moving a lot improves every other heart-health measure and disease risk. We urge you walking up to 10,000 steps a day, or almost five miles. Another rule of thumb is to exercise 150 minutes per week.

Your blood pressure
High blood pressure, or hypertension, has no symptoms; it can only be detected by being measured. A score of 120/80 is optimal, and 140/90 is normal for most people. Higher readings mean that arteries aren’t responding right to the force of blood pushing against artery walls (blood pressure), directly raising the risk of heart attack or stroke.

Your non-HDL cholesterol
That’s your total cholesterol reading minus your HDL (high-density lipoprotein) cholesterol, a measure of fats in the blood that can narrow and clog arteries to the heart. Lower is better: Aim for a score lower than 130 mg/dL or, if you’re at a high risk of heart disease, lower than 70–100 mg/dL.

Your blood sugar
High blood sugar ups your risk of diabetes, which damages arteries. In fact, type 1 and type 2 diabetes are among the most harmful risk factors for cardiovascular disease.

How many hours of sleep a night you get
Although there’s no one “right” answer for all, consistently getting the number of hours that works for you helps lower the risk of heart disease. Most people need to sleep six to eight hours a night.

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Dr. Motameni - Internal Medicine Practice Primary Care

What is high blood pressure (hypertension)?

Christmas alert: flu and Covid-19

Flu season is here

5 keys to watch your health numbers and take action

Watch your health numbers and take action. It’s motivating and It works.

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