Unit II Blood Pressure Online Lab

Unit II Blood Pressure Online Lab

State a problem about the relationship of age and gender to blood pressure.
Hypertension will develop in men more often and at a younger age than women.
Use your knowledge about the heart and the circulatory system to make a hypothesis about how the average blood pressure for a group of people would be affected by manipulating the age and gender of the group members.
As we age, our arteries may harden or develop areas of plaque which increases resistance. The younger the sampling of people, the lower the average blood pressures would be. Men typically have higher blood pressure than women. This may be due partially to their mass. More mass means more capillaries and increased labor for the heart to move blood. That is also why being overweight is detrimental. Genetics, exercise, gender, family history, obesity, and smoking are all influencing factors. So if older, smoking, overweight men were to become non-smoking, average women, their blood pressure issues would nearly cease. Of course, then, there would be other issues . . .
How will you use the investigation screen to test your hypothesis? What steps will you follow? What data will you record?
I will average the readings for each group. I will read the chart/history of each person with an elevated blood pressure and note contributing factors. Then the data will be reviewed and compared between groups and evaluated for simularities and dissimularites.
Analyze the result of your experiment. Explain any patterns you observed.
Three out of ten males ages 35-44 have hypertension (HTN).
Factors are:
* Family history of HTN (2 out of 3)
* More than 40 pounds overweight (2 out of 3)
* One has a salty diet
If these men were ages 18-24, two of them would hypertensive. Factors for this age range are:
* Around 40 pounds or more overweight
* Family history of HTN
Remarkably, the statistics did not change much for such a young group. However, if these men were to become women, all their troubles would be cured (just kidding). Women seem to be influenced more by increased sodium chloride intake. There was only one hypertensive female in all of the gender sampling with a family history of HTN and elevated sodium chloride intake. A second subject also was overweight by 45 pounds. Seven out of 50 males were hypertensive, whereas 2 out of 50 females were hypertensive.
Did the result of your experiment support your hypothesis? Why or why not? Based on your experiment what conclusion can you draw about the relationship of age and gender to group blood pressure averages?
Men do indeed have higher blood pressure on average. They also develop it earlier. The blood pressures begin to climb in men as early as 18-24; in women, it begins to rise in the 35-44 age range. This rising trend continues as we age with obesity contributing as well. This confirms my hypothesis that being male, aging, and overweight can contribute to HTN.

During the course of your experiment, did you obtain any blood pressure reading that were outside of the normal range for the group being tested? What did you notice on the medical charts for these individuals that might explain their high reading?
7 out of 50 males had HTN. Of those 7, 5 had a positive family history of HTN and 5 were 40 pounds or more overweight. Two of the 7 had a salty diet. Three did not exercise regularly.
2 out of 50 females had HTN. Both had salty diets. One was 45 pounds overweight and the other subject had a family history of HTN.
All of these findings contribute to elevated blood pressures. Exercise, low sodium diets and calorie restriction would probably influence their readings to a more normal range.
List risk factors associated with the hypertension. Based on your observation, which risk factor do you think is most closely associated with hypertension?
My risk factors are listed on the previous question. I believe the most common risk factor is the family history of HTN.

What effect might obesity have on blood pressure? Does obesity alone cause a person to be at risk for high blood pressure? What other factors, in combination with obesity, might increase a person's risk for high blood pressure?
The American Heart Association states, "Comparing data from the four surveys, researchers found a trend between overweight and high blood pressure in children 8 to 17 years old. Obesity is one of the strongest predictors of hypertension in young adults" http://www.americanheart.org/presenter.jhtml?identifier=3019556 All of the previously mentioned factors, genetics, family history, smoking, salt consumption, exercise, will contribute negatively for HTN. The more strikes you have, the worse your situation will be. Fortunately, we are able to control many of these factors through personal life style choices. Annual check-ups would help to detect the need to impliment these changes or take medication early in the disease process. Hypertension is called "the Silent Killer" because it can go unchecked for years causing irreversable damage to kidneys, heart, brain, etc. and perhaps culminating in death.