Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Part I Medicine and Disease: An Overview
- Part II Changing Concepts of Health and Disease
- Part III Medical Specialties and Disease Prevention
- Part IV Measuring Health
- Part V The History of Human Disease in the World Outside Asia
- Part VI The History of Human Disease in Asia
- Part VII The Geography of Human Disease
- Part VIII Major Human Diseases Past and Present
- VIII.1 Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
- VIII.2 African Trypanosomiasis (Sleeping Sickness)
- VIII.3 Ainhum
- VIII.4 Alzheimer’s Disease
- VIII.5 Amebic Dysentery
- VIII.6 Anemia
- VIII.7 Anorexia Nervosa
- VIII.8 Anthrax
- VIII.9 Apoplexy and Stroke
- VIII.10 Arboviruses
- VIII.11 Arenaviruses
- VIII.12 Arthritis (Rheumatoid)
- VIII.13 Ascariasis
- VIII.14 Bacillary Dysentery
- VIII.15 Beriberi
- VIII.16 Black Death
- VIII.17 Black and Brown Lung Disease
- VIII.18 Bleeding Disorders
- VIII.19 Botulism
- VIII.20 Brucellosis
- VIII.21 Bubonic Plague
- VIII.22 Carrión’s Disease
- VIII.23 Catarrh
- VIII.24 Cestode Infections
- VIII.25 Chagas’ Disease
- VIII.26 Chlorosis
- VIII.27 Cholera
- VIII.28 Cirrhosis
- VIII.29 Clonorchiasis
- VIII.30 Croup
- VIII.31 Cystic Fibrosis
- VIII.32 Cytomegalovirus Infection
- VIII.33 Dengue
- VIII.34 Diabetes
- VIII.35 Diarrheal Diseases (Acute)
- VIII.36 Diphtheria
- VIII.37 Down Syndrome
- VIII.38 Dracunculiasis
- VIII.39 Dropsy
- VIII.40 Dysentery
- VIII.41 Dyspepsia
- VIII.42 Ebola Virus Disease
- VIII.43 Echinococcosis (Hydatidosis)
- VIII.44 Eclampsia
- VIII.45 Emphysema
- VIII.46 Encephalitis Lethargica
- VIII.47 Enterobiasis
- VIII.48 Epilepsy
- VIII.49 Ergotism
- VIII.50 Erysipelas
- VIII.51 Fascioliasis
- VIII.52 Fasciolopsiasis
- VIII.53 Favism
- VIII.54 Filariasis
- VIII.55 Fungus Infections (Mycoses)
- VIII.56 Fungus Poisoning
- VIII.57 Gallstones (Cholelithiasis)
- VIII.58 Gangrene
- VIII.59 Giardiasis
- VIII.60 Glomerulonephritis (Bright’s Disease)
- VIII.61 Goiter
- VIII.62 Gonorrhea
- VIII.63 Gout
- VIII.64 Herpes Simplex
- VIII.65 Herpesviruses
- VIII.66 Histoplasmosis
- VIII.67 Hookworm Disease
- VIII.68 Huntington’s Disease (Chorea)
- VIII.69 Hypertension
- VIII.70 Infectious Hepatitis
- VIII.71 Infectious Mononucleosis
- VIII.72 Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- VIII.73 Influenza
- VIII.74 Japanese B Encephalitis
- VIII.75 Lactose Intolerance and Malabsorption
- VIII.76 Lassa Fever
- VIII.77 Lead Poisoning
- VIII.78 Legionnaires’ Disease
- VIII.79 Leishmaniasis
- VIII.80 Leprosy
- VIII.81 Leptospirosis
- VIII.82 Leukemia
- VIII.83 Lupus Erythematosus
- VIII.84 Lyme Borreliosis (Lyme Disease)
- VIII.85 Malaria
- VIII.86 Marburg Virus Disease
- VIII.87 Mastoiditis
- VIII.88 Measles
- VIII.89 Meningitis
- VIII.90 Milk Sickness (Tremetol Poisoning)
- VIII.91 Multiple Sclerosis
- VIII.92 Mumps
- VIII.93 Muscular Dystrophy
- VIII.94 Myasthenia Gravis
- VIII.95 Nematode Infections
- VIII.96 Onchocerciasis
- VIII.97 Ophthalmia (Conjunctivitis and Trachoma)
- VIII.98 Osteoarthritis
- VIII.99 Osteoporosis
- VIII.100 Paget’s Disease of Bone
- VIII.101 Paragonimiasis
- VIII.102 Parkinson’s Disease
- VIII.103 Pellagra
- VIII.104 Periodontal Disease (Pyorrhea)
- VIII.105 Pica
- VIII.106 Pinta
- VIII.107 Plague of Athens
- VIII.108 Pneumocystis Pneumonia (Interstitial Plasma Cell Pneumonia, Pneumocystosis)
- VIII.109 Pneumonia
- VIII.110 Poliomyelitis
- VIII.111 Protein-Energy Malnutrition
- VIII.112 Protozoan Infections
- VIII.113 Puerperal Fever
- VIII.114 Q Fever
- VIII.115 Rabies
- VIII.116 Relapsing Fever
- VIII.117 Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease
- VIII.118 Rickets and Osteomalacia
- VIII.119 Rickettsial Diseases
- VIII.120 Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and the Spotted Fever Group Diseases
- VIII.121 Rubella
- VIII.122 St. Anthony’s Fire
- VIII.123 Scarlet Fever
- VIII.124 Schistosomiasis
- VIII.125 Scrofula (Scrophula)
- VIII.126 Scurvy
- VIII.127 Sickle-Cell Anemia
- VIII.128 Smallpox
- VIII.129 Streptococcal Diseases
- VIII.130 Strongyloidiasis
- VIII.131 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- VIII.132 Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome (Asian)
- VIII.133 Sweating Sickness
- VIII.134 Syphilis
- VIII.135 Syphilis, Nonvenereal
- VIII.136 Tapeworm
- VIII.137 Tay-Sachs Disease
- VIII.138 Tetanus
- VIII.139 Tetanus, Neonatal
- VIII.140 Tetany
- VIII.141 Toxoplasmosis
- VIII.142 Trematode Infections
- VIII.143 Trench Fever
- VIII.144 The Treponematoses
- VIII.145 Trichinosis
- VIII.146 Trichuriasis
- VIII.147 Tuberculosis
- VIII.148 Tularemia
- VIII.149 Typhoid Fever
- VIII.150 Typhomalarial Fever
- VIII.151 Typhus, Epidemic
- VIII.152 Typhus, Murine
- VIII.153 Typhus, Scrub (Tsutsugamushi)
- VIII.154 Urolithiasis (Renal and Urinary Bladder Stone Disease)
- VIII.155 Varicella Zoster
- VIII.156 Whooping Cough
- VIII.157 Yaws
- VIII.158 Yellow Fever
- Indexes
- References
VIII.69 - Hypertension
from Part VIII - Major Human Diseases Past and Present
Published online by Cambridge University Press: 28 March 2008
Edited by
Book contents
- Frontmatter
- Introduction
- Part I Medicine and Disease: An Overview
- Part II Changing Concepts of Health and Disease
- Part III Medical Specialties and Disease Prevention
- Part IV Measuring Health
- Part V The History of Human Disease in the World Outside Asia
- Part VI The History of Human Disease in Asia
- Part VII The Geography of Human Disease
- Part VIII Major Human Diseases Past and Present
- VIII.1 Acquired Immune Deficiency Syndrome (AIDS)
- VIII.2 African Trypanosomiasis (Sleeping Sickness)
- VIII.3 Ainhum
- VIII.4 Alzheimer’s Disease
- VIII.5 Amebic Dysentery
- VIII.6 Anemia
- VIII.7 Anorexia Nervosa
- VIII.8 Anthrax
- VIII.9 Apoplexy and Stroke
- VIII.10 Arboviruses
- VIII.11 Arenaviruses
- VIII.12 Arthritis (Rheumatoid)
- VIII.13 Ascariasis
- VIII.14 Bacillary Dysentery
- VIII.15 Beriberi
- VIII.16 Black Death
- VIII.17 Black and Brown Lung Disease
- VIII.18 Bleeding Disorders
- VIII.19 Botulism
- VIII.20 Brucellosis
- VIII.21 Bubonic Plague
- VIII.22 Carrión’s Disease
- VIII.23 Catarrh
- VIII.24 Cestode Infections
- VIII.25 Chagas’ Disease
- VIII.26 Chlorosis
- VIII.27 Cholera
- VIII.28 Cirrhosis
- VIII.29 Clonorchiasis
- VIII.30 Croup
- VIII.31 Cystic Fibrosis
- VIII.32 Cytomegalovirus Infection
- VIII.33 Dengue
- VIII.34 Diabetes
- VIII.35 Diarrheal Diseases (Acute)
- VIII.36 Diphtheria
- VIII.37 Down Syndrome
- VIII.38 Dracunculiasis
- VIII.39 Dropsy
- VIII.40 Dysentery
- VIII.41 Dyspepsia
- VIII.42 Ebola Virus Disease
- VIII.43 Echinococcosis (Hydatidosis)
- VIII.44 Eclampsia
- VIII.45 Emphysema
- VIII.46 Encephalitis Lethargica
- VIII.47 Enterobiasis
- VIII.48 Epilepsy
- VIII.49 Ergotism
- VIII.50 Erysipelas
- VIII.51 Fascioliasis
- VIII.52 Fasciolopsiasis
- VIII.53 Favism
- VIII.54 Filariasis
- VIII.55 Fungus Infections (Mycoses)
- VIII.56 Fungus Poisoning
- VIII.57 Gallstones (Cholelithiasis)
- VIII.58 Gangrene
- VIII.59 Giardiasis
- VIII.60 Glomerulonephritis (Bright’s Disease)
- VIII.61 Goiter
- VIII.62 Gonorrhea
- VIII.63 Gout
- VIII.64 Herpes Simplex
- VIII.65 Herpesviruses
- VIII.66 Histoplasmosis
- VIII.67 Hookworm Disease
- VIII.68 Huntington’s Disease (Chorea)
- VIII.69 Hypertension
- VIII.70 Infectious Hepatitis
- VIII.71 Infectious Mononucleosis
- VIII.72 Inflammatory Bowel Disease
- VIII.73 Influenza
- VIII.74 Japanese B Encephalitis
- VIII.75 Lactose Intolerance and Malabsorption
- VIII.76 Lassa Fever
- VIII.77 Lead Poisoning
- VIII.78 Legionnaires’ Disease
- VIII.79 Leishmaniasis
- VIII.80 Leprosy
- VIII.81 Leptospirosis
- VIII.82 Leukemia
- VIII.83 Lupus Erythematosus
- VIII.84 Lyme Borreliosis (Lyme Disease)
- VIII.85 Malaria
- VIII.86 Marburg Virus Disease
- VIII.87 Mastoiditis
- VIII.88 Measles
- VIII.89 Meningitis
- VIII.90 Milk Sickness (Tremetol Poisoning)
- VIII.91 Multiple Sclerosis
- VIII.92 Mumps
- VIII.93 Muscular Dystrophy
- VIII.94 Myasthenia Gravis
- VIII.95 Nematode Infections
- VIII.96 Onchocerciasis
- VIII.97 Ophthalmia (Conjunctivitis and Trachoma)
- VIII.98 Osteoarthritis
- VIII.99 Osteoporosis
- VIII.100 Paget’s Disease of Bone
- VIII.101 Paragonimiasis
- VIII.102 Parkinson’s Disease
- VIII.103 Pellagra
- VIII.104 Periodontal Disease (Pyorrhea)
- VIII.105 Pica
- VIII.106 Pinta
- VIII.107 Plague of Athens
- VIII.108 Pneumocystis Pneumonia (Interstitial Plasma Cell Pneumonia, Pneumocystosis)
- VIII.109 Pneumonia
- VIII.110 Poliomyelitis
- VIII.111 Protein-Energy Malnutrition
- VIII.112 Protozoan Infections
- VIII.113 Puerperal Fever
- VIII.114 Q Fever
- VIII.115 Rabies
- VIII.116 Relapsing Fever
- VIII.117 Rheumatic Fever and Rheumatic Heart Disease
- VIII.118 Rickets and Osteomalacia
- VIII.119 Rickettsial Diseases
- VIII.120 Rocky Mountain Spotted Fever and the Spotted Fever Group Diseases
- VIII.121 Rubella
- VIII.122 St. Anthony’s Fire
- VIII.123 Scarlet Fever
- VIII.124 Schistosomiasis
- VIII.125 Scrofula (Scrophula)
- VIII.126 Scurvy
- VIII.127 Sickle-Cell Anemia
- VIII.128 Smallpox
- VIII.129 Streptococcal Diseases
- VIII.130 Strongyloidiasis
- VIII.131 Sudden Infant Death Syndrome
- VIII.132 Sudden Unexplained Death Syndrome (Asian)
- VIII.133 Sweating Sickness
- VIII.134 Syphilis
- VIII.135 Syphilis, Nonvenereal
- VIII.136 Tapeworm
- VIII.137 Tay-Sachs Disease
- VIII.138 Tetanus
- VIII.139 Tetanus, Neonatal
- VIII.140 Tetany
- VIII.141 Toxoplasmosis
- VIII.142 Trematode Infections
- VIII.143 Trench Fever
- VIII.144 The Treponematoses
- VIII.145 Trichinosis
- VIII.146 Trichuriasis
- VIII.147 Tuberculosis
- VIII.148 Tularemia
- VIII.149 Typhoid Fever
- VIII.150 Typhomalarial Fever
- VIII.151 Typhus, Epidemic
- VIII.152 Typhus, Murine
- VIII.153 Typhus, Scrub (Tsutsugamushi)
- VIII.154 Urolithiasis (Renal and Urinary Bladder Stone Disease)
- VIII.155 Varicella Zoster
- VIII.156 Whooping Cough
- VIII.157 Yaws
- VIII.158 Yellow Fever
- Indexes
- References
Summary
Arterial hypertension is a condition characterized by abnormally high systolic and/or diastolic blood pressure levels. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure levels are usually estimated indirectly by use of an inflatable rubber bladder to compress the artery in the upper arm. The pressure exerted on the artery by the bladder is registered by a device called a manometer. The level of the blood pressure is a measure of the force exerted against the walls of the artery during each heart beat or pulse. The peak of the pressure wave occurs when the heart beats or contracts (systole) and is called the systolic pressure. The valley of the pressure wave occurs when the heart relaxes (diastole) and is termed the diastolic pressure. Blood pressure is recorded as systolic over diastolic.
Although longitudinal research studies such as the one in Framingham, Massachusetts, and the life insurance industry have noted that even slight elevations of blood pressure are associated with increased risk of premature death, the World Health Organization has recommended that the following blood pressure levels be used to classify adults (blood pressure levels defining juvenile hypertension are under review):
Hypertensive: Greater than or equal to 160 millimeters of mercury (mmHg) systolic and/or greater than or equal to 95 mmHg diastolic.
Normotensive: Less than or equal to 140 mmHg systolic and less than or equal to 90 mmHg diastolic.
Borderline Hypertensive: Between hypertensive and normotensive. The condition is also divided etiologically into two types: secondary and primary or essential hypertension. Secondary hypertension, resulting from some known cause (including diseases of the kidney or the adrenal glands), represents less than 10 percent of all the cases of the disease.
- Type
- Chapter
- Information
- The Cambridge World History of Human Disease , pp. 789 - 794Publisher: Cambridge University PressPrint publication year: 1993
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