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The biggest health danger to men

Health & Science

By Catherine Kamunde

Research says most men have a potentially life-threatening disease — and they do not even know it.

According to a new study from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, more adults have high blood pressure.

In fact, it is now the leading risk factor for heart disease and stroke worldwide. And here’s the scariest part: Because it doesn’t usually cause symptoms, by the time some people realise they have high blood pressure (hypertension), it already may have caused significant damage in the form of heart disease, stroke, vision or kidney problems, or, in men, erectile dysfunction.

High blood pressure often has no signs or symptoms. But the impact on your sex life may be obvious. Although sexual activity is unlikely to pose an immediate threat to your health — such as a heart attack — high blood pressure can affect your overall satisfaction with sex.

Killer disease

A link between high blood pressure and sexual problems is — so far — only proved in men.

Over time, high blood pressure damages the lining of your blood vessels and causes your arteries to harden and narrow (atherosclerosis), limiting blood flow.

This means less blood is able to flow to the sexual organs. For some men, the decreased blood flow makes it difficult to achieve and maintain erections — often referred to as erectile dysfunction. The problem is fairly common, especially among men who are not treating their high blood pressure.

High blood pressure can also interfere with ejaculation and reduce sexual desire.

Men are most at risk to go untreated. Young to middle-aged men are the most likely to be unaware of the problem, since many don’t go to a doctor unless they feel sick.

"Because it’s not associated with any specific symptoms early in its course, high blood pressure is not something that typically takes someone to a physician’s office," says the research done in the US and published in a medical journal.

Doctors say it just doesn’t get attention, but it should. There’s a reason high blood pressure is called ‘the silent killer.’

Young men are less likely than older men to believe they have hypertension and less likely to go back to the doctor.

Risk of hypertension

Often, according to doctors, these are patients whose blood pressure would respond to weight management and other lifestyle changes, but they are less likely to seek treatment.

Untreated hypertension damages the heart and other organs and can lead to life-threatening conditions that include heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease. It’s called "the silent killer" because symptoms generally appear only after the disease has caused damage to vital organs.

As people live longer, their risk of developing hypertension –– defined as blood pressure of 140/90 or higher increases, particularly after age 45. Overweight and obesity are a big part of the increasing prevalence, conditions said to be common in men in Kenya.

Rising obesity

Part of the problem with young men is increased body mass, doctors say. Teens and men in their 20s are getting hypertension increasing along with rising obesity rates.

High blood pressure is more common in younger men, and should be taken just as serious as in their older counterparts.

Sadly, the doctor says, many Kenyan men opt not to go for frequent medical checkups.

"The excuse is always the expenses and time involved. What people need to bear in mind is the fact that things can get a lot more expensive if the disease is advanced. Its management has been known to bleed households dry," Dr Vincent Mary who is the programme officer at Diabetes Management Information said last year during an interview.

Since the beginning of the year, the Diabetes Management Information centre has recorded 575 new cases of hypertension. But health officials say the number is much higher than what exists on record.

The increasing consumption of salt in our diets may be a factor too, because obesity raises a person’s sensitivity to the blood-pressure-raising effects of salt.

There are steps you can take to reduce your risk, though, no matter what your age or current health. A healthy lifestyle can prevent hypertension.

A study at the University of Padua in Italy found that overweight people who lost between 9 per cent and 13 per cent of their body weight experienced on average a 6.2-point drop in their systolic blood pressure - --––-- the top number and a 3.6-point drop in their diastolic pressure –– the bottom number —improvements that were sustained six years later.

Some people appear to be more sensitive to salt than others, putting them at higher risk for developing hypertension. Nevertheless, doctors recommend that most people lower their salt intake and increase their potassium.

Regular exercise can improve your aerobic conditioning, which will result in a healthy drop in blood pressure.

Doctors say it doesn’t have to be vigorous. In a recent review of 26 studies, researchers at the Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School’s Osher Institute concluded that low-impact exercises such as tai chi can reduce blood pressure.

Meanwhile, a study at Syracuse University found that resistance training can lower blood pressure in those who have pre- or stage-1 hypertension.

 

 

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