Every tenth person in the world to one degree or another suffers from high blood pressure. But, despite this prevalence, this disease, unfortunately, is not well understood. For example, regardless of the fact that the main causes of the appearance of the pathology are known, doctors still cannot predict whether this syndrome will occur in a particular person or not.
And therefore, in order not to miss the onset of the aforementioned disease, you need to know the signs of high blood pressure leading to hypertension, as this will help you start treatment on time and prevent the development of severe forms of this disease.
What pressure can be considered normal at different ages
As you know, the numbers showing blood pressure are two. The upper, systolic pressure shows the strength of the contractions of the heart, and the lower, diastolic - the tone of the vessels during the relaxation of the heart muscle. The norm for people under 40 is considered a pressure of 120 by 80 or 130 by 85 mmHg. But even any small fluctuations in one direction or another are not a reason to define them as signs of high pressure (or low). Indeed, for each person these figures are individual.
The pressure in the arteries can respond by increasing or decreasing to a change in weather (more precisely, to changes in atmospheric pressure), stress, unrest, physical activity, etc.
With age, tonometer readings also change. If a person after 40 years of age, normal indicators can grow to 145 by 90, then in older people, after 60 it is already 150 by 90 mm p. with. By the way, an increase in pressure with age is observed even in hypotensive patients.
To conclude that there is hypertension, you should not focus on a single precedent. Pressure needs to be measured repeatedly for several days, and only by the results of these observations can a disease be assumed.
How does beginning hypertension manifest itself?
If along with the alarming numbers of arterial pressure that you have now and you have symptoms that will now be listed, you should consult a doctor for help, since hypertension is a push to start the development of heart or kidney failure, impaired blood circulation of the brain, heart attack and others dangerous pathologies.
Signs of high blood pressure (hypertension):
- periodically occurring headaches, disturbing, as a rule, in the morning;
- nausea, tinnitus, dizziness;
- fatigue and irritability;
- development of insomnia;
- feeling of a strong heartbeat ;
- the emergence of a sense of pulsation in the temples;
- redness of the face, a person at this time can throw in sweat or, conversely, shiver;
- there is swelling, puffiness of the face caused by fluid retention in the body;
- on the skin periodically there are sensations of numbness or “creeping goosebumps”.
How is increased pressure in the initial stage
At the initial stage, the disease can develop quietly and slowly over many years. It is defined in medicine as symptomatic arterial hypertension. And the main danger of this condition is that in most cases the increased pressure, unfortunately, is not felt at all.
Quite often, sleep disturbances appear as signs of high blood pressure in a person. The patient falls asleep with difficulty, long experiencing everything that happened during the day. And the dream at the same time becomes sensitive, now and then interrupted, after which the person wakes up broken and lethargic.
At this stage of the disease, headaches can occur that most often appear at night or in the morning. During physical or emotional stress, they usually increase. In addition, heaviness is usually felt in the frontal and temporal parts of the head, and pulsation is felt in the crown of the head.
What are the most dangerous signs of high blood pressure
From the very beginning of the development of pathology, very dangerous symptoms for the human condition begin to manifest (they will be given special attention here).
Especially serious should be taken to the well-known headache that occurs with high pressure. It is vascular in nature, as it is caused by stretching the walls of blood vessels. And especially dangerous in this situation is that at any moment a break in one of them may occur, leading to a stroke.
This is usually signaled by pain - acute and throbbing, which may be a harbinger of the fact that the vessel is ready to burst, and blood from it can enter the brain tissue and disrupt their functioning. By the way, this condition in medicine is defined as a hemorrhagic stroke.
With vasospasm, the blood supply to some parts of the brain is disturbed, which causes their death. This pathology is diagnosed as ischemic stroke.
Therefore, in order to prevent a stroke, do not ignore the headache against a background of high pressure, trying to just drown it out with painkillers.
Symptoms of a hypertensive crisis
But the main harbinger of a critical state of blood vessels is a hypertensive crisis. Its main symptoms, as a rule, are nausea, vomiting, dizziness, and aching pains in the heart that nitroglycerin cannot relieve. They are often joined by:
- state of nervous excitement;
- heart palpitations;
- feelings of anxiety, anxiety and lack of air;
- the body is covered with cold sweat and "goosebumps."
At the same time, the patient's face turns red, his hands tremble, and vision problems may also occur. This condition requires compulsory medical care. Do not try to eliminate the crisis yourself - this can lead to serious consequences!
And in general, despite the fact that the patient has, as it seems to him, obvious signs of low and high pressure, he should regularly monitor it with a tonometer and visit a doctor in a timely manner to prevent a critical condition and not risk his life.
How is high intracranial pressure manifested?
An increase in intracranial pressure is also associated with hypertension. But it should be noted right away that there is practically no connection between them. These are two separately existing diseases.
Moreover, if hypertension is an independent disease, then an increase in intracranial pressure, as a rule, is a symptom of some kind of pathology. It is usually triggered by injuries of the skull, tumors, encephalomeningitis, intracranial hemorrhage, etc.
As a result of these pathologies, an increase in the volume of fluid (cerebrospinal fluid) in the cranial cavity occurs, which can disrupt cerebral circulation and, accordingly, brain function.
The main signs of high intracranial pressure are a headache, which intensifies when turning the head, as well as coughing or sneezing, nausea, dizziness, sweating and the occurrence of papilloedema. The last symptom is bilateral edema of the optic disc, which initially leads to a violation of color perception, and then to a deterioration of vision in the patient.
With a suspicion of an increase in intracranial pressure, you should consult a doctor, since this diagnosis usually has one more pathology, the elimination of which normalizes the pressure.
Why does hypertension occur in pregnant women?
Separately, it is worth considering the increase in pressure in pregnant women, which has recently become a serious problem in bearing a fetus.
With the development of medicine, women giving birth for the first time at 30, or even at 40, do not surprise anyone. And since hypertension begins to develop, as was mentioned, around the age of 40, expectant mothers who have signs of high blood pressure during pregnancy are also not uncommon.
But even those women who before pregnancy had no problems with pressure, it can increase after 20 weeks of gestation. This pathology is defined as gestational hypertension.
High blood pressure in pregnant women
By the way, many pregnant women do not even suspect that they have increased pressure, since they do not observe any alarming signs. Therefore, at every examination, the expectant mother must measure it, because this pathology can lead to circulatory disorders in the placenta and, as a result, to the birth of a small and sick child.
But in most pregnant women, the signs of high blood pressure are clearly manifested: in the form of severe headaches, visual impairment, abdominal pain, nausea, vomiting and decreased urine output.
Doctors during the examination may ask for the presence of these symptoms in order to determine the degree of hypertension and determine the causes of its occurrence for maximum treatment effectiveness.
Are the signs of high blood pressure different for women and men
Hypertension, as already mentioned, is still not fully understood. For example, the researchers found that the development and appearance of certain symptoms of increased pressure depend not only on the health status of a particular person, but also on his age and gender.
So, young women under 40 are not at all prone to hypertension, and men can be struck by it at any age. But women in the menopause take this dubious "palm" from the stronger sex, since at the age of fifty and older they become hypertensive much more often. And for men, this disease often has a fatal outcome.
Signs of high blood pressure are similar in men and women, but in women there is a tendency to more hypertensive crises during the course of the disease (the ratio is about 1/6).
A few tips to conclude.
You probably already understood that increased pressure is a serious symptom that, once it appears, can become a lifelong companion. In order to reduce the risk of the dangerous consequences of hypertension, a person should adhere to certain rules:
- regular monitoring of blood pressure;
- strict implementation of recommendations given by a specialist;
- reduction in the amount of salt and drinks containing caffeine;
- quitting alcohol and smoking;
- fight against excess weight;
- avoidance of stressful situations;
- adequate physical activity.
All of the above will allow a patient with hypertension to minimize signs of high blood pressure and feel completely healthy. Good luck