High blood pressure (hypertension) is the most common disease of the cardiovascular system.
Hypertension is rapidly "rejuvenating, " and today it is not only a disease of the elderly, but often occurs in pregnant women, and is becoming more common in adolescents.
What is arterial hypertension? The answer to this question can be found in determining the condition of the disease.
It is characterized by chronically elevated blood pressure when the highest value (systolic pressure) exceeds 140 mmHg and the lowest value (diastolic pressure) exceeds 90 mmHg. at least three measurements at different times should be performed on a person at rest.
Optimal blood pressure readings are 120-130 per 80-89 mmHg, if higher, active treatment of hypertension should be initiated. However, few people are diagnosed with this disease at an early stage: about 35% of men and 55% of women know about high blood pressure, only half of them are involved in the treatment of arterial hypertension, and only 6% of men, respectively. 20% of the female population controls pressure.
The sooner arterial hypertension is identified and controlled, the lower the risk of developing high blood pressure complications (ischemic disease, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, low blood testosterone, erectile dysfunction) in the future.
High blood pressure can be one of the causes of impotence in men.
It is useful to note
The main task of treating high blood pressure is to keep your blood pressure under control to avoid even more serious health problems, as this disease cannot be completely cured.
What is dangerous high blood pressure
With prolonged high blood pressure, the walls of the blood vessels thicken and lose their ability to relax, which prevents the normal blood supply and, consequently, the saturation of tissues and organs with oxygen and other nutrients, reducing their functional activity. Let's take a closer look at what is dangerous for high blood pressure:
- Hypertensive crisis- the most common exacerbation of arterial hypertension, may occur in a relatively satisfactory state of the patient, and may be caused by the patient's psychophysical stress. A high-speed hypertensive crisis dramatically raises blood pressure, causing severe headaches, dizziness, tachycardia or arrhythmias, nausea and vomiting. Those who are addicted to the weather are in the pre-climate period.
- myocardial infarction- High blood pressure complications can occur within a few minutes and lead to death. The main symptom is prolonged pain.
- Stroke- circulatory problems in the blood vessels of the brain, a stroke characterized by a sudden onset of a severe headache, which is quickly accompanied by other brain symptoms: speech problems, congestion of the mouth, paralysis of a part of the body. If emergency measures are taken and capillary blood sampling is performed in case of high blood pressure, this process can be reversed.
- angina pectoris- the disease is less temporary. Violation of the heart causes severe emotional overload, overload. Severe dull pain in the chest, malaise, may cause frequent vomiting.
- Heart failure- a chronic condition of the heart muscle in which it is unable to supply oxygen to the organs and tissues of the body. The patient is characterized by complete weakness in which he cannot tolerate elemental physical activity: self-lifting, walking, etc.
- Coronary heart disease- Insufficient blood supply to the coronary arteries, resulting in insufficient nutrition of the heart. With careful adherence to the prescribed treatment of hypertension, it is not difficult to avoid the development of coronary artery disease.
- renal failure- impaired kidney function, destruction of nerve cells, partial inability to remove toxins from the body. Arterial hypertension is the second leading cause of acute or chronic renal failure after diabetes mellitus.
- vision distortion- occurs due to a problem with the blood supply to the retina and optic nerve. A sharp rise in blood pressure can cause spasm of the artery that feeds the optic nerve and damage the integrity of the blood vessels in the retina. High blood pressure is dangerous with pathologies such as retinal or vitreous hemorrhage: the first leads to the formation of a black spot in the field of vision, the second leads to loss of vision in the affected eye.
To avoid the dangerous complications of high blood pressure, a doctor should be consulted in good time and a test should be performed to help determine the stage of the disease and prescribe the necessary treatment.
Degrees of hypertension: classification, forms
Due to the nature of the evaluation of one or more criteria, several classifications of hypertension are used.
Identify stages of development such as origin, form of leakage, level of blood pressure, degree of damage to target organs.
The primary task in making a diagnosis of arterial hypertension is to distinguish the nature of the disease. There are two major groups here:
- primary or essential hypertension - increased blood pressure is the cause;
- secondary or symptomatic arterial hypertension - high blood pressure is caused by diseases of other organs or systems: kidney, heart, endocrine glands, lungs, thyroid gland.
According to experts
Treatment of symptomatic hypertension is not possible without, and begins with, treatment of the underlying disease. In some cases, high blood pressure goes away with the onset of the underlying disease.
In addition, blood pressure, even to a hypertensive crisis, can rise due to improper intake of certain medications, neuroses, excessive caffeine, and other stimulants.
When diagnosing essential hypertension, doctors usually classify the disease according to the level of blood pressure in order to select the appropriate tactics for treating essential hypertension. In international practice, high blood pressure has three degrees:
- Hypertension 1 degree- systolic pressure 140-159 mmHg, diastolic pressure 90-99 mmHg. A mild form of the disease, characterized by a sudden change in blood pressure, can return to normal on its own.
- Hypertension 2 degrees- systolic 160-179 mmHg, diastolic 100-109 mmHg. Moderate form, pressure increase is more prolonged, rarely falls to normal values.
- Hypertension 3 degrees- systolic above 180 mmHg, diastolic above 110 mmHg. Severe form, pressure is stable at the level of pathological indicators, has serious complications and is difficult to correct with medication.
Systolic hypertension isolated separately occurs in approximately one-third of the elderly with arterial hypertension. This form is due to age-related loss of elasticity of large blood vessels, often accompanied by myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, and left ventricular hypertrophy. Blood pressure indicators: systolic up to 160 mmHg. and above, diastolic - below 90 mmHg.
Useful information
It is worth noting another smaller group - the so-called "white-clad hypertension, " when a person's blood pressure rises as a result of psycho-emotional factors only when the health care worker measures it. In such cases, repeated pressure measurements in a calm home environment clarify the diagnosis.
In addition to the degree of hypertension, risk factors that may lead to complications of the cardiovascular system and the stage of the clinical course of the disease are assessed:
- Transistor (initial stage) hypertension. The pressure increase is intermittent, returning to normal values; they do not use antihypertensive drugs.
- unstable hypertension. The increase in blood pressure is directly related to a provocative factor: stress, severe mental or physical stress. Medication is needed to stabilize the pressure.
- Stable arterial hypertension. Sustained pressure increase in which severe supportive therapy is used.
- Malicious form. By increasing the pressure to very high levels, the disease progresses rapidly and leads to serious complications.
- Form of crisis. Intermittent hypertensive crises with normal or mildly elevated pressures are common.
The severity of high blood pressure and the risk of possible complications can only be assessed on the basis of a thorough examination: general and biochemical examinations, ultrasound of the heart and other organs, examination of the fundus. A complete examination of a patient with arterial hypertension is usually performed during inpatient treatment.
High blood pressure is the main warning sign of high blood pressure in both men and women.
Symptoms of high blood pressure can be absent for a long time, and if a person does not use a tonometer all the time, they can find out about their illness once they have started treating the complications.
High blood pressure often has no manifestations except the main symptom - persistently high blood pressure.
In addition, the concept of "permanent" or "chronic" is key here, because in many situations (stress, fear, or anger) the pressure can increase and then return to normal on its own.
However, few regulate their pressure levels, so it is worth paying attention to the following symptoms that indicate the development of arterial hypertension:
- Headache. It most commonly occurs in the occipital, parietal region, or temples. It can occur at night and immediately after waking up. It usually increases with mental or physical effort. It is sometimes accompanied by swelling of the eyelids and face.
- Dizziness. Sometimes even with a little physical effort: coughing, turning or tilting your head, a sharp rise.
- Pain in the heart region. It can occur not only during emotional stress, but also at rest. Prolonged ache, tightness and short-term, stinging pain can occur. Do not disappear after taking nitroglycerin.
- Strong heartbeat.
- Noise in the ear.
- Visual impairment: veil, fog, "flies" in front of eyes.
- Arterial diseases: cold limbs, intermittent claudication.
- Swelling of the legs. Indicates impaired renal excretory function or heart failure.
- Shortness of breath. It occurs both during exercise and at rest.
It's important to know
Hypertensive crisis - an emergency caused by excessive blood pressure can also be classified as a symptom of high blood pressure of 2 and 3 degrees. However, patients with grade 1 arterial hypertension can achieve complete disappearance of the unpleasant symptoms of the disease by strictly following the doctor's recommendations and following the diet of patients with high blood pressure.
It cannot be said that the symptoms of high blood pressure would be significantly different in men and women, but in fact men are indeed more susceptible to this disease, especially between the ages of 40 and 55 years. This is partly due to the difference in physiological structure: men, unlike women, have a higher body weight and a significantly larger volume of blood circulating in their blood vessels, which creates favorable conditions for the development of high blood pressure.
Women, on the other hand, take more responsibility for their health and their right lifestyle. The number of stressful situations at work, alcohol consumed and cigarettes smoked is higher in men, but this no longer indicates the symptoms of high blood pressure, but the causes of its development.
Treatment of high blood pressure with medicinal and folk remedies
Treatment of high blood pressure and other conditions that are difficult to diagnose and require constant therapy (diabetes, allergies, prostatitis and impotence) should only be prescribed and prescribed by a specialist. If eating restrictions, avoiding salt intake, alcohol and smoking, avoiding stress, and avoiding other correctable causes of high blood pressure do not help normalize your blood pressure, take antihypertensive pills.
When treating high blood pressure with folk remedies, side effects are usually absent. You don’t have to rush to the pharmacy for expensive drugs and you don’t have to line up for the doctor to prescribe another prescription. All you have to do is take some time for yourself, change your diet, and learn to deal with stress.
Causes of high blood pressure and the development of high blood pressure
The causes of arterial hypertension are still not fully understood, and both the body's internal systems and external factors play an important role in the development of the disease.
The main causes of high blood pressure are damage to blood circulation through the blood vessels, limited flow to the left ventricle of the heart. In modern medicine, there is a completely logical explanation for this - structural changes in blood vessels with age, the formation of blood clots and atherosclerotic plaques in their cavities.
If in symptomatic hypertension the causes of high blood pressure are caused by other diseases, then in essential hypertension, ie in 85% of cases this form can be recorded, the exact causes of high blood pressure cannot be determined, it occurs independently.
There are a number of risk factors that contribute to persistent increases in blood pressure, which are generally considered to be the cause of high blood pressure. These include:
- Age, for men over 55, for women over 65. As you age, the walls of your blood vessels lose their elasticity, which increases their resistance to blood flow, resulting in increased pressure.
- hereditary predisposition.
- Floor. As mentioned, men are more likely to suffer from high blood pressure.
- Violation of fat metabolism, obesity (men with a waist greater than 102 cm, women greater than 88 cm).
- Diabetes.
- Smoking. It causes an immediate rise in blood pressure, and smokers with many years of experience are prone to vascular disease.
- Alcohol abuse. The blood pressure of the person who stops drinking drops by at least fifteen points.
- Excessive salt intake. Excessive intake of sodium, the main ingredient in table salt, is one of the most significant causes of high blood pressure in people with high blood pressure: sodium chloride prevents fluid from leaving the body, which increases the patient's already high vascular tone. Remember, the average person consumes three times as much salt as they need, learn not to add salt to food.
- Lack of exercise, sedentary lifestyle.
- Exposure to stress.
- Cholesterol metabolism disorder.
- Insufficient dietary potassium intake.
- Increased adrenaline levels in the blood.
- Congenital heart defects.
The causes of secondary high blood pressure can be attributed to various kidney diseases, late toxicosis in pregnant women, and regular use of certain medications, sometimes including oral contraceptives.
The above risk factors can be divided into two major groups:
- Which can be eliminated on their own or with medical help: treating obesity, lowering blood cholesterol, smoking cigarettes, drinking alcohol or salt, losing weight, etc.
- Avoid what is not possible: age and hereditary predisposition.
Therefore, those in the so-called second risk group should closely monitor their health, control and prevent high blood pressure. And anyone who has at least one of the above factors should keep their blood pressure levels under review and, of course, lead a normal and active lifestyle.