Diseases of the cardiovascular system are among the most common health problems facing humanity. Studies have been conducted showing that they are much more common among city dwellers than among those who spend most of their time in rural areas. In addition, diseases in this category become "younger" and develop in people under 40 years of age. One of the most common diseases of this type is hypertension. It is a regular, above-average increase in blood pressure.
Hypertension symptoms (signs)
The manifestations of the disease depend on what stage of development it is at. Normally blood pressure is between 110 and 130 per 70 and 90 mmHg. Depending on the severity of the disease, it can rise to values of 260 to 110 in critical cases. This condition threatens people's health and lives. At the same time, high blood pressure in the initial stages can only manifest itself as mild malaise, increased fatigue and headaches. As the pathology progresses, its course also becomes more complicated. The most dangerous condition is hypertensive crisis - a sharp increase in blood pressure. The general symptoms of the disease are:
- Headache, feeling of tension, especially in the back of the head and temples;
- noise and ringing in the ears;
- "spots", spots, a veil before the eyes;
- reduced visual acuity;
- Deterioration of spatial coordination and fine motor skills;
- tremors, numbness in arms and legs;
- Nausea and vomiting.
The signs of hypertension vary in severity depending on the stage of the disease. The condition worsens gradually, often over the course of life. There are three stages of disease development:
- I - with blood pressure values of 140-160 per 90-100 mmHg;
- II - at a pressure of 160-180 per 100-110 mmHg;
- III – if the upper limits of the second stage are exceeded.
A constant increase in pressure leads to heart failure - the most common consequence of which is the development of coronary heart disease. There is also a risk of developing a heart attack or stroke.
Causes of high blood pressure
The nature of diseases of the cardiovascular system has not been fully studied by specialists. A particular difficulty is that such disorders often develop during intrauterine development and only appear much later. At the same time, it is not always possible to detect and investigate the onset of the disease. High blood pressure most often occurs in combination with the following diseases:
- kidney disease;
- vascular pathologies;
- Renal artery obstruction;
- pathologies of the thyroid gland;
- Adrenal gland dysfunction;
- smoking and drinking alcohol;
- insufficient or excessive physical activity.
Such causes cause a secondary form of the disease, which develops under the influence of provoking factors. Signs of hypertension usually appear after the age of 35 to 40. The primary subtype of the disease is directly caused by congenital pathologies of blood vessels or heart. The following factors also increase the risk of developing high blood pressure:
- age over 55 years;
- Obesity;
- increased cholesterol levels;
- genetic predisposition;
- diabetes mellitus;
- hormonal disorders;
- frequent stress and depression.
Blood pressure is directly influenced by diet. Some foods – dark chocolate, coffee, alcohol – can increase blood pressure. Saturated fats, spices and sugar affect the condition of blood vessels and the chemical composition of the blood, which also indirectly affects the increase in blood pressure. It has been proven that smoking often leads to the disease.
Which doctor should I contact?
The appearance of hypertension symptoms requires mandatory medical intervention in the early stages. Delay can provoke the development of complications and lead to such serious diseases as stroke and heart attack in the future. A timely diagnosis will significantly reduce the risk. The doctor will help you solve the problem:
One of the most important points in detecting a disease is identifying its root causes, especially when high blood pressure is secondary. In this case, the effectiveness of treatment will not be high without eliminating the prerequisites for the pathology. To cope with this, the doctor must clarify the clinical picture as accurately as possible. He will ask the following questions:
- What symptoms are you worried about?
- How long has it been since they showed up?
- How common are hypertensive attacks?
- Are they related to external factors?
- Does the patient have a heart, kidney or endocrine disease?
- What kind of life does he lead?
- What symptomatic treatment does he use for seizures?
An external examination is then carried out including listening to the heart and measuring blood pressure. In addition, laboratory tests of urine and blood, hardware tests are prescribed and differential diagnostic instruments are used.
Methods of treating the disease
The scheme for influencing the pathology depends on the causes of hypertension in each individual case. It is also important to consider whether it is primary or secondary, as the main purpose of the effect depends on this. The totality of this information allows the specialist to create an optimal individual treatment plan. Most often it includes the following steps:
- Control of body weight through diet;
- performing physical exercises of varying intensity;
- taking diuretics;
- use of anti-tachycardia medications;
- taking adrenergic blockers;
- use of antispasmodics and painkillers;
- Taking medicines containing potassium.
The therapy regimen is strongly influenced by the stage of the disease. In the first stage, medication can sometimes even be avoided, while in the second and third stages, larger doses or strong medications are required. Only conservative therapy is used to treat high blood pressure.
Diagnosis of high blood pressure
Detection of pathologies requires observations over a certain period of time with constant monitoring of the results. This makes it possible to determine whether it is a primary disease and whether there are associated disorders. In this case, the method of differential diagnosis is used. It consists of the following phases:
- Repeated blood pressure measurements. Depending on your age, it is carried out on both arms while sitting or standing. The accuracy is around 85%.
- Daily pressure monitoring is a procedure that allows continuous monitoring over a set period of time using portable devices. The costs depend on the required monitoring period. The accuracy is over 95%.
- Laboratory tests of urine and blood. Determine the quantitative and qualitative composition of liquids and the rate of chemical reactions in the body. The accuracy is around 75%.
- Chest x-ray. Allows you to visually assess the condition of the heart. Accuracy – less than 70%.
If there is possible heart disease, an electrocardiogram is prescribed. In addition, an ultrasound examination of the abdominal cavity can be carried out to determine the condition of the kidneys and fundus diagnostics in case of deterioration in vision.
Possible complications
Hypertension symptoms affect a significant part of organs and systems that are not directly related to blood circulation. However, overall health depends on the amount and quality of nutrients and oxygen transported in the fluid stream. Severe attacks of high blood pressure can cause the following problems:
- vascular deformations;
- coronary heart disease;
- kidney disease;
- risk of stroke and heart attack;
- blurred vision due to damage to the eye vessels;
- development of the "pulmonary heart";
- Exercise intolerance.
The possibility of complications of varying severity depends on the stage of the disease. In the early and middle stages, attacks can be accompanied by nosebleeds, vomiting and tachycardia. If the situation worsens significantly, loss of consciousness, heart failure and violation of the integrity of blood vessels are possible. The most serious illnesses are crisis, heart attack and stroke.
risk groups
Many people ask the question of what kind of disease high blood pressure is, since the prevalence of this problem is very widespread. At the same time, the pathology tends to affect people of working age - between 20 and 45 years old, although a few decades ago the threshold was much higher. Not everyone has the same risk of developing this disorder. The following groups are particularly at risk:
- people with increased body weight and obesity;
- those whose activities are associated with vigorous physical activity or, conversely, with a lack of it;
- People with a genetic predisposition to high blood pressure;
- living in polluted areas;
- smokers and alcohol addicts;
- People who do not monitor the content of fats and carbohydrates in their food;
- those who have been diagnosed with serious heart, liver or kidney disease.
Pathology does not make preferences between men and women - the statistics are about the same for both sexes. However, the risk for the stronger sex is slightly higher due to more frequent alcohol consumption and harsh working conditions. In women, the disease usually develops between the ages of 55 and 60, and in men between the ages of 65 and 70.
Prevention of high blood pressure
Protecting yourself from cardiovascular diseases is not always easy, since many of them are caused by congenital characteristics of the body or age. However, preventive measures will still have a positive effect on the situation and health in general. High blood pressure can develop due to poor lifestyle choices, so it is beneficial to correct some aspects of it. The recommendations are:
- Promptly treat all diseases that cause hypertension - heart, blood vessels, blood, kidneys;
- Stick to a daily routine.
- avoid lack of sleep and overwork;
- Maintain a healthy diet – avoid foods high in fat and cholesterol, alcoholic drinks, strong tea and coffee;
- Perform moderate physical activity and avoid a sedentary lifestyle.
- undergo regular check-ups;
- To maintain your health, take the vitamin and mineral complexes recommended by your doctor.
Only by maintaining the general well-being of the body can high blood pressure be prevented. Several systems influence the development of this disease, so prevention with pills or exercise alone is not effective. An important step in the implementation is the timely diagnosis of accompanying and provoking factors.