A man continues to live until his heart beats. This organ distills blood in blood vessels, contributing to the formation of blood pressure, the parameters of which should normally correspond to 120/80 mm RT. Art. When the indicators are above the norm, they talk about the development of such a pathology as hypertension, which can be dangerous to human health. Today, hypertension is one of the main causes of disability in people around the world. According to statistics, it often leads to death in patients who later sought medical help.
Description of the problem
Hypertension or hypertension is a pathology in which high blood pressure develops as a result of neuro-functional disorders of vascular tone. The disease often leads to organic and functional disorders of the heart, kidneys and organs of the central nervous system. The main feature of hypertension is persistent high blood pressure, the indicators of which do not come to normal on their own, but require medication to reduce them.
Hypertension, the risk of developing which is high primarily in elderly people, suggests the presence of blood pressure above 140/90 mm RT. Art., which is fixed in a calm state of a person for several medical methods.
With hypertension, the numbers of both indicators of blood pressure increase. The upper high pressure indicates a violation of the contractile function of the left heart ventricle, and the lower one shows the force of the expulsion of blood from the organ. When a person has constantly high blood pressure, this indicates that he has a violation in the functioning of the cardiovascular system.
Hypertension, the risk of developing which increases with age, contributes to an increase in blood viscosity. This leads to a decrease in the speed of its movement and metabolism in the tissues. As a result, the vascular walls become thicker, their lumen narrows, and this leads to a high vascular resistance force, provoking the development of irreversible processes in the body. Over time, the walls of the vessels become permeable, changes in organs and tissues occur. At the same time, the degree of their damage can be different, therefore, several variants of the disease are distinguished in medicine.
Epidemiology
Hypertension is equally diagnosed in women and men, this happens in 20% of cases. Usually the disease begins to develop after forty years, sometimes pathology occurs in adolescent children.
This disease provokes the development of serious complications. Hypertension today is one of the common causes of death in young people around the world. In the developed countries of Europe, the disease occurs in half of the population. According to statistics in the economically developed world countries, about 65% of people know about their illness, while only half of them receive effective treatment.
Forms of hypertension
In medicine, several forms of the disease are distinguished:
- A drug form in which an increase in blood pressure occurs due to prolonged use of steroids or contraceptives.
- Essential or primary hypertension develops for unknown reasons, often inherited.
- Symptomatic or secondary hypertension is characterized by the appearance against the background of diseases of the brain, adrenal glands, heart, blood vessels, kidneys and other things.
- False hypertension is diagnosed in those who are afraid of doctors.
Degrees of hypertension
There are three degrees of disease severity:
- Hypertension of the 1st degree is a mild form of the disease. In this case, there are abnormalities in the work of the heart, which appear spasmodically. Attacks pass without complications. This pathology is referred to the preclinical form of hypertension, when periods of exacerbations are replaced by the disappearance of symptoms, and pressure returns to normal.
- Hypertension of the 2nd degree proceeds in a moderate form. In this case, usually a person's pressure is within 160/110 mm Hg. Art. Sometimes the upper levels can increase to 179 mm Hg. Art. Hypertension is characterized by long periods of increased blood pressure, it returns to normal quite rarely.
- Hypertension of the 3rd degree is a dangerous form of the disease, when the pressure increases to 190/115 mm RT. Art. These indicators never decrease, since the body has irreversible consequences. With an unexpected decrease in pressure, they speak of a violation in the work of the heart, therefore, it is recommended to immediately consult a doctor. People often develop hypertensive crises, and a fatal outcome is also possible. With this disease, blood vessels, kidneys, brain and heart are affected.
Degree of risk of the disease
The degrees of hypertension also imply the development of complications from the vessels and heart over a period of ten years. It is accepted to distinguish four risk groups:
- Risk 1, when the chances of complications are less than 15%.
- Hypertension, risk 2. At this degree, the formation of pathologies occurs with a frequency of 15 to 20%.
- Hypertension, risk 3. The incidence of adverse effects reaches 30%.
- The risk of developing serious pathologies is above 30%.
Hypertension of the 3rd degree (risk 3 and 4) involves the development of irreversible changes in several organs at once, which are accompanied by serious complications, for example, a heart attack.
Causes of the disease
One of the causes of the onset of the disease is a hereditary predisposition (in 50% of cases). This is due to a mutation in certain genes.
Other possible causes of the development of any stage of hypertension include:
- Metabolic disorder in the body, obesity. In obese people, pathology is observed in 85% of cases.
- Long-term emotional stress, stress and depression.
- Head injuries from accidents, falls, and so on.
- Diseases of the cardiovascular and endocrine systems of a chronic nature.
- Diseases of viral and infectious ontogenesis.
- Age features of the body. In people after forty years, sclerotic kidney damage is often observed, provoking an increase in pressure.
- Disorders of the hormonal system in women.
- High blood cholesterol.
- Abuse of addictions, coffee.
- Improper diet, which includes a high intake of salt and sodium.
- A sedentary lifestyle, lack of exercise, a rare presence in the fresh air, sitting in front of a computer for a long period of time.
- Disorder of sleep and wakefulness, change of climate and weather.
- A sharp release of adrenaline into the blood.
Risk factors
In addition to the known causes of the development of hypertension, there are risk factors, which include the following pathologies:
- pregnancy;
- menopause in women;
- atherosclerosis;
- age from forty to sixty years;
- narrowing of the spinal canals;
- diabetes;
- renal or heart failure;
- pathology of the hypothalamus;
- disorders of the adrenal gland, pituitary or thyroid gland;
- taking steroids, contraceptives for a long time.
Symptoms of the disease
There are many options for the manifestation of the disease, it all depends on the stage of hypertension. The risk of developing pathology, in turn, depends on the organs that are affected.
At an early stage of development, hypertension manifests itself in the form of headache, dizziness, tinnitus and pulsation in the head. In this case, increased palpitations, fatigue and nausea may be observed.
Hypertension of the 2nd degree is characterized by the presence of shortness of breath during physical exertion, sweating, numbness of the fingers of the upper and lower extremities, pain in the region of the heart, swelling of the hands. Often patients complain of the appearance of dots in front of the eyes as a result of spasms of the eye vessels, decreased vision, short-term loss of consciousness. At this stage of the development of the disease, the functioning of the internal organs occurs, hypertensive crises often occur that provoke cerebral and pulmonary edema, heart attack or stroke, paralysis, and the development of thrombosis.
Hypertension of the 3rd degree is characterized by the presence of the same symptoms, but the pathology of the internal organs joins them. The disease affects the brain, eyes, kidneys, blood vessels, and heart. In humans, coordination of movement is impaired, the skin acquires a red tint, limbs lose sensitivity, shortness of breath and blurred consciousness appear. In severe cases, a person does not have the ability to move and service himself, so he needs constant care.
Hypertensive crisis
Hypertension in severe cases often leads to hypertensive crises, which is characterized by a sudden increase in blood pressure and the manifestation of all of the above symptoms. The duration of the crisis can be several hours. At the same time, a person feels the fear of death. With hypertension in a person of grade 2 or 3, crises are accompanied by speech impairment, convulsions, loss of limb susceptibility, confusion, severe pain in the heart, and loss of consciousness. The chronic course of the disease leads to the development of a hypertensive crisis lasting up to several days.
Complications
Hypertension leads to a devastating effect for the whole organism. The larger the stage of development of the pathology, the more severe the consequences of the disease will be. With circulatory disorders, a stroke develops in the brain. Heart pathologies also develop, a person has a heart rhythm disorder, angina pectoris, and myocardial infarction appears. With hypertension, kidney activity is gradually impaired.
The complications of hypertension include:
- heart attack;
- stroke;
- cerebral thrombosis;
- pulmonary edema;
- complete loss of vision;
- atherosclerosis;
- aortic aneurysm, angina pectoris;
- encephalopathy;
- nephropathy;
- renal failure.
Diagnosis of hypertension
Diagnosis of the disease should be comprehensive. The doctor prescribes laboratory and hardware tests. The main task of diagnosis is to identify the stage of the disease and the causes of its development. To establish the causes of ill health, it is necessary to measure blood pressure two weeks twice a day to obtain data in dynamics. It is the measurement of pressure that acts as the main method for diagnosing hypertension, which allows you to assess the state of the cardiovascular system. In each case, diagnostic methods such as ultrasound, ECG, CT or MRI, urography and aortography are also prescribed.
Laboratory tests involve the study of blood, glucose, creatine and potassium, cholesterol. Urine tests and a Reberg test, an examination of the fundus using ophthalmoscopy are also prescribed.
Hypertension therapy
Treatment of hypertension involves the selection of medications in each case, which are aimed not only at lowering blood pressure, but also at preventing the development of complications. In most cases, these drugs are prescribed:
- Sartans - provide an opportunity to lower blood pressure by twenty-four hours after a single dose.
- Diuretic thiazide preparations aimed at reducing the amount of fluid in the patient's body.
- Beta-blockers provide normalization of heart rate.
- Alpha blockers allow vessels to expand.
- Calcium antagonists in disorders of the heart, arrhythmias, angina pectoris or atherosclerosis.
- ATP inhibitors, which expand the cavity of blood vessels and arteries, preventing the development of spasms of blood vessels, normalizing the activity of the heart.
Prescribed drugs should be taken daily, while the patient is advised to avoid stressful situations, emotional overloads, nervous experiences.
In the third degree of hypertension, the same groups of drugs are prescribed as in the remaining stages of the disease, but their dosage is increased. The effect of drug treatment at this stage of the disease is small, so patients should drink tablets for life. In severe hypertension, surgery is required. In this case, a stem cell therapy technique is often used.
In the treatment of hypertension, the doctor should jointly treat concomitant diseases and complications of the main ailment. Therefore, it is recommended to regularly visit a doctor for possible adjustment of treatment, as well as to monitor the patient's condition.
Nutrition for hypertension
An integral part of the treatment is a diet in which salt and fatty foods are limited. It also requires moderate physical activity, physical activity.
It is necessary to include low-fat cottage cheese, whey or yogurt, boiled beef, lemons, and legumes in the diet. These products tend to remove harmful substances from the body. You can’t eat salty, spicy, smoked and spicy dishes, caffeine, alcohol, as they contribute to high blood pressure.
Salt is especially harmful to the body with hypertension. It is recommended to completely remove the salt shaker from the table and not add food to the meal. The finished products already contain the amount of salt that we need per day.
Some doctors recommend the use of ginger, which is endowed with many medicinal properties. This product is added to tea, desserts, it helps to thin the blood and relax the muscles near the vessels.
It is also recommended to spend most of the time in the fresh air, take walks, monitor your weight, and exercise.
Forecast and Prevention
The prognosis of hypertension depends on the stage of its development and course. Grade 3 hypertension, which occurs with complications, has poor prognosis. In this case, the risk of heart attack, stroke, heart failure and death is very high. Poor prognosis is given to patients who develop hypertension at a young age. The regular use of medicines and compliance with all the recommendations of a doctor can slow the progression of the disease. In some cases, a person is assigned a disability, he will be forced to use medicines all his life.
For the purpose of prevention, it is necessary to exclude provoking factors, this is especially true for those who have a hereditary predisposition to the disease. It is important to monitor your blood pressure, with an increase in its indicators for a long period of time, it is recommended to consult a doctor.
Often with severe forms of hypertension, a person is assigned a disability, in which labor is contraindicated. With a mild form of the disease, the patient is under the supervision of a doctor.
Preventive measures should include moderate physical activity to maintain vascular tone, adherence to diet, sleep and wakefulness, control of one’s weight, elimination of addictions, regular tests for glucose levels, self-measurement of blood pressure, ECG twice a year.
The right approach to prevention methods can reduce the risk of negative consequences, as well as save the patient's life.