Hypertension or arterial hypertension is a cardiovascular disease characterized by a persistently high, at a rate of 120/80, blood pressure recorded in three dimensions. Hypertension is one of the most common diseases, up to 40% of the population aged 16 to 65 suffers from high blood pressure. The effects of high blood pressure can be very dire. Arterial hypertension is observed in 70% of people over 55 years old.
The danger of high blood pressure is that hypertension is accompanied by the development of complications - atherosclerosis (damage to the walls of the arteries), heart failure (dysfunction of the heart), myocardial infarction (blockage of the blood supply artery), stroke (impaired blood flow to the brain), renal failure (impaired kidney function), decreased vision, increased body weight, impotence. The effects of high blood pressure in old age are especially dangerous. Some of these diseases pose a life threat, so it is important to diagnose arterial hypertension on time and start treatment.
Symptoms of Hypertension
The first symptoms of the disease manifest themselves as chronic fatigue, frequent headaches, nausea, dots in front of the eyes - this is the first stage of the disease, which often goes unnoticed, but if you go to the doctor during this period, then there is every chance to do without medication. In the second stage, hypertension causes severe dizziness and pain in the heart area - medical intervention is required, as internal organs, especially cerebral vessels, begin to suffer. In the third stage, hypertension is already causing heavy damage to health. Due to the fact that the systolic pressure (the upper numbers on the tonometer) rises - 180-200, the vessels are subjected to the heaviest load, the heart works for wear, angina pectoris, arrhythmia develops. There is a threat of a hypertensive crisis, which requires emergency medical care, and sometimes hospitalization.
High blood pressure is the result of nervous overload, stress, insomnia, overweight, high cholesterol, a sedentary lifestyle, diseases of the thyroid gland and kidneys, and smoking. Hypertension is caused by drug treatment with certain types of drugs. Many are looking for, for example, the cause of nosebleeds in adults. The most common answer is the same high blood pressure. There is also a hereditary factor - hypertension is not transmitted from parents to children, but the predisposition to hypertension is genetic in nature. It is necessary to remember about the age norms of blood pressure. By old age, it rises.
Ways to combat hypertension
The number of hypertensive patients is growing every year around the world. This disease has no racial, national or even age preference. Due to frequent stresses, overloads and an incorrect lifestyle, many diseases “get younger”, including arterial hypertension. Therefore, it is worth taking some measures to prevent hypertension, because the consequences of high blood pressure can be very deplorable. This is what WHO experts advise.
Weight Loss
- The loss of even five kilograms will have a positive effect on the state of health, while health and appearance will improve. An indicator is the waist circumference. The first degree of obesity occurs with numbers - in men 90 cm, in women 82 cm.
- Connecting physical activity is enough for a half-hour light workout to lower blood pressure by 5-10 points. It is not necessary to run to the gym, daily walks, swimming, jogging are suitable.
- Change the diet - fatty, salty and spicy foods do not benefit anyone, especially hypertensives. The consumption of harmful foods should be reduced by replacing fried pork with whole grains, chocolate sweets with fruits, fast food with vegetables. It is useful for people with high blood pressure to consume foods containing potassium - garlic, parsley, bananas, apples, nuts, and legumes.
- Limit salt intake - you should not completely abandon sodium, but reducing it to a minimum will help lower blood pressure.
Quitting Alcohol and Caffeine
Hypertension can be caused by a hangover or alcohol withdrawal syndrome, which accompanies the second and third stages of alcoholism. The daily dose of strong alcohol for a middle-aged person should not exceed 50-70 ml. Coffee is the most controversial drink. Scientists have not yet fully decided on the degree of its influence on increasing pressure, coming to the conclusion that everything is very individual. But if after drinking coffee the pressure rises by 8-10 points, it is better to switch to green tea.
Stress control
The modern pace of life leaves no chance to avoid stressful situations, but you should strive for this - to change your attitude to life and the world as a whole, and to devote time to rest. Do not neglect your health - on the principle of “self-pass”, considering hypertension a bit of a cold. Visiting a doctor, buying a blood pressure monitor and daily pressure monitoring will save you from more serious problems.
Stress effect
Stress in itself, of physical or emotional origin, leads to a short-term increase in pressure. Anxiety and tension are aggravated, for example, before public speaking, visiting a hospital. From the point of view of physiology, this is normal, but if stress lasts a long time, then the brain does not have time to relax. Constant vascular spasm is observed, which ultimately fixes the pressure at a dangerously high level. Inability to cope with a stressful situation eventually becomes a factor in the occurrence of hypertension. Among other things, this may be accompanied by existing diseases of various organs or organ systems. Usually there is enough good rest to get rid of a temporary increase in pressure. With prolonged high blood pressure, you can try to resort to natural remedies using appropriate diets, phyto- and aromatherapy, psychological and physical exercises. Medicines for hypertension are usually heavily tolerated by the body, expensive and have a number of negative side effects, so their use is carried out strictly in agreement with the attending physician. The effects of high blood pressure on the body in the form of heart disease can be the result of prolonged stress.
Thus, many factors influence the development of hypertension. Compliance with preventive measures and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can significantly reduce the likelihood of developing this unpleasant disease.
Few numbers
This disease is detected in 430000 people annually. Almost 20-25% of the entire adult population has high blood pressure (an indicator greater than 140/90 mm). In our country, about 12-13 million patients with arterial hypertension. To identify the disease, it is necessary to control blood pressure - check it twice a day for four weeks. Even young people need to control blood pressure. This is best done using holter monitoring.
The concept of holter monitoring
This is a method that allows you to evaluate the patient’s cardiac activity in the conditions of a usual lifestyle. Also, in order to diagnose blood pressure, it is necessary to do a blood test and an electrocardiogram, ultrasound of the heart and kidneys, dopplerography of the neck vessels and consult a cardiologist, ophthalmologist and endocrinologist. How to treat hypertension? An important component of the treatment of hypertension is the selection and continuous use of antihypertensive drugs, as well as preparation for ultrasound of the heart.
Hypertension is a chronic disease that requires constant use of drugs, the dose of which can be adjusted depending on the stage of the disease. Patients should be registered with a cardiologist or a family doctor with a mandatory annual examination.
The main causes of hypertensive crisis
Refusal to take antihypertensive drugs or incorrect doses, stressful situations and endocrine disorders. Its symptoms are:
- Intense pain or discomfort behind the sternum or in the heart.
- Speech impairment, weakness of one arm, facial asymmetry.
- Intense headache.
- Visual impairment.
- Suffocation.
- Cramps.
- Loss of consciousness.
In such cases, you need to immediately call an ambulance. The process of lowering blood pressure should be gradual (no more than 25%).
Complications of Hypertension
It is traditionally believed that the norm for an ordinary adult is blood pressure, the numbers of which do not exceed 140 and 90. Two of these numbers, which can be found on the dial of any tonometer, show systolic and diastolic pressure - moments when the heart muscle contracts and is relaxed, respectively. Indicators that exceed this threshold are life threatening. Then they talk about hypertensive pressure, which seriously increases the risk of developing various heart diseases, as well as the likelihood of stroke and heart attacks. You should know that modern electronics tend to show numbers that are slightly higher in comparison with conventional devices with an arrow. This is due to the fact that electronic tonometers use the oscillometric principle in measuring pressure, which makes them more sensitive.
It is also important to remember that automatic devices attached to a finger or wrist have a very high measurement error and cannot be used in case of hypertension. Only the shoulder cuffs should be used here. An important factor in the development of hypertensive disorders is advanced age. People who are over 60-65 years old should know that in old age the walls of blood vessels become thicker, and the lumen through which blood flows is narrower. This often leads to primary hypertension. Pressure 180 at this age is a very common phenomenon that must be fought.
Hypertension at an early age
However, hypertension can be obtained at an earlier age. An increase in blood viscosity occurs with improper nutrition, fatty deposits appear on the walls of blood vessels, cholesterol grows. As a result, blood pressure is stably increased, and the consequences of high blood pressure are known to us. In the treatment of such a disease, you can arrange a general cleansing of the body with days of fasting or even fasting, and from the diet exclude dairy products, eggs and any fatty foods. The benefits will bring the fruits of red pepper, garlic, hawthorn, tincture of motherwort. Hypertension can cause disorders of the nervous system, especially in people of melancholic temperament. Pressure and pulse surges will accompany insomnia, overwork, overstrain, and this is practically the main cause of nosebleeds in adults.