Essay - Uncontrolled High Blood Pressure, Hypertension, is One of the Leading...

Uncontrolled high blood pressure, hypertension, is one of the leading causes of d*****ability or death due to stroke, heart attack, heart failure and kidney failure. High blood pressure has been described as "the silent killer" because it often occurs without symptoms. Headaches, blurred vision, nosebleeds, or dizziness may occur, but these symptoms are not specific to high blood pressure. Everybody h*****, and needs ***** pressure. Without it, blood cannot circulate through the body. And without circulating *****, vital organs cannot get the oxygen and food that they need ***** work. So it's important to know the role of blood pressure, ***** ***** organs and systems that help regulate it. The explanation ***** blood ***** begins with the cardiovascular system, the system responsible for circulating blood through ***** heart ***** blood vessels. When the ***** beats, a surge of blood is rele*****sed from the left ventricle, which is the heart's main pumping chamber, in***** an intricate web ***** blood vessels that spread *****out the body. The arteries are the blood vessels that carry nutrients ********** oxygenated blood ***** the heart to ***** body's tissues and organs. The largest artery, aorta, is connected to the ***** ventricle ***** serves as the ***** channel for blood leaving the heart. The aorta branches off into smaller *****, ***** turn into even ***** arteries, called arterioles. (Williams) Within the ***** tissues and organs are microscopic blood ***** called capillaries. The ***** exchange nutrients and fresh oxygen from the arterioles ***** carbon dioxide and other waste products produced by our cells. This "used" blood is sent back to the heart through a system of blood vessels called veins. When it reaches the *****, blood ***** ***** veins is routed to the lungs, where it releases carbon dioxide and picks up a new supply of oxygen. This *****ly oxygenated blood is sent back ***** the heart, ready to begin a ***** journey. O*****r waste products are removed as blood passes through the kidneys. (Williams) To keep this process ********** and all ***** the 11 pints of blood in our body moving, a certain amount of pressure is required. Blood pressure is ***** force that's exerted on the artery w*****s as ***** passes through. ***** ***** helps keep blood in the arteries flow*****g smoothly. Several factors help control blood pressure and keep ***** from increasing too high or decreasing too low. They include three major ********** heart, arteries, and *****. When the heart releases blood ***** ***** aorta, a certain amount of force is created by the pumping action of the heart muscle. The harder the ***** muscle has to work ***** release blood, ***** greater the force exerted on the *****. ***** assist the surge of blood coming from the heart, the arteries are lined ***** smooth muscles that allow them to expand and c*****tract as blood flows *****. ***** more "elastic" the ***** are, ***** less resistant they ***** to the flow of ***** and the ***** ***** exerted on their walls. When arteries lose their