Hypertension (arterial hypertension) is high blood pressure that occurs when blood circulation in the vessels is impaired.The disease is diagnosed in many adults and varies in severity.Why high blood pressure is dangerous, how to prevent the development of the disease and its negative consequences - further in the article.
Concept and causes
Hypertension or arterial hypertension refers to increased blood pressure that occurs due to changes in vascular tone.The disease affects men and women equally often, especially after the age of 40, but also occurs in younger people.High blood pressure is a fairly common condition that occurs in 40% of all adults.In addition, it is one of the leading causes of death and disability due to cardiovascular disease.
The main causes of high blood pressure are:
- Atherosclerosis – age-related changes in blood vessels and their blockage by atherosclerotic plaques;
- Excess weight, even in small amounts, can affect the condition of the blood vessels and heart and lead to high blood pressure.
- emotional stress, experienced tragic situations, depression;
- nervous tension, problems at work;
- head injuries, concussion, hypothermia;
- hereditary predisposition – high blood pressure can manifest itself at a young age;
- some viral diseases (sinusitis, meningitis);
- Menopause in women - hormonal changes in the body contribute to the manifestation of latent diseases, against the background of which hypertension develops;
- sharp increase in the level of adrenaline in the blood;
- prolonged stay in front of a computer monitor;
- sedentary and sedentary lifestyle;
- eating salt in large quantities;
- rare contact with fresh air;
- drinking large amounts of coffee;
- bad habits.
Symptoms
The main symptom is high blood pressure – 140/90 mmHg.Art.and higher.It is often accompanied by other symptoms.In the initial stages they are neurotic in nature and manifest themselves as follows:
- Headache;
- tinnitus;
- flying “flies” in front of the eyes or blurred vision;
- impaired sleep quality;
- Dizziness;
- feeling of heaviness in the head;
- rapid heartbeat;
- general weakness.
Further development of the disease leads to the following manifestations:
- nosebleeds;
- vomit;
- even with slight exertion the face turns red;
- a feeling of pressure in the eyes - often causes patients to lie with their eyes closed and wait for the attack to pass;
- Swelling;
- memory impairment;
- feeling tired;
- Potency problems (in men).
Stages and classification
Doctors define 3 stages of arterial hypertension:
- The pressure increases from time to time to 140/90 – 159/100 mm Hg. Art.It then automatically returns to normal levels.At this stage, the person is often unaware of the disease.This can only be detected by constantly measuring the pressure and drawing up a graph based on these indicators.In the initial stages, complications are usually not observed, but there is still a risk of their development.Pressure surges lead to insufficient blood supply to the organs, which can subsequently lead to necrosis and a stroke.Metabolic processes in the body are disrupted.Vasoconstriction leads to overloading of the heart and hypertrophy of the heart muscle.
- The pressure can rise to 160/100 – 179/109 mm Hg.Art.and now does not return to normal levels without the use of medication.In the second stage, accompanying symptoms appear.The risk of developing complications increases;it is assessed as medium (risk 2) and high (risk 3).This means that the risk of target organ damage in the next 10 years is 20-30%.
- The pressure increases to 180/110 and more and remains constantly high.At this stage, an independent decrease in pressure may indicate a malfunction in the functioning of the heart.The patient is very aware of the symptoms, prompting him to seek medical attention immediately.At this stage, damage to all internal organs and systems is observed.In advanced cases it ends in death.Stage 3 arterial hypertension often requires urgent hospitalization and the use of physiotherapeutic procedures in addition to medications.At this stage, the medication intake becomes constant and is not stopped even if the condition improves.
Hypertensive crisis often occurs in stages 2 and 3 of hypertension.
Depending on the causes of occurrence, there are:
- primary hypertension – when arterial hypertension develops as an independent disease;
- secondary hypertension – when high blood pressure is a result of another disease and also requires treatment of the underlying disease.
There are 4 levels of severity of hypertension:
- light or soft;
- moderate;
- severe, chronic;
- very difficult.
Depending on the clinical course, a distinction is made between:
- benign hypertension – the pressure does not rise to critically high values, hypertensive crises and target organ damage are rarely observed, treatment has a favorable outcome.
- malignant hypertension - the first manifestations are observed at a young age, are often accompanied by hypertensive crises and complications and are difficult to control with medication.
diagnosis
To make a diagnosis, a series of laboratory and instrumental tests are performed.On this basis, the doctor makes a statement about the degree of hypertension and the stage of its progression:
- The first and most important step in making a diagnosis is measuring your blood pressure.You can do it yourself using a tonometer.In some cases, the doctor recommends daily monitoring of pressure changes, the so-called ABPM method.A special cuff is placed on the patient's shoulder and a wearable device is placed on his belt.The device measures pressure every 15 minutes during the day and every 30 minutes at night.Diagnostics is carried out under conditions known to a person.
- Blood and urine tests.Based on the results, the doctor assesses the levels of cholesterol, hemoglobin, hematocrit, glucose, creatinine, potassium and calcium.
- Next, the condition of the target organs is assessed:
- Physical examination.Sounds are heard, cardiac arrhythmias are examined and the heart muscle is examined.
- ECG.In addition to the physical examination, an electrocardiogram is performed to more accurately assess the condition of the heart.
- Dopplerography.It is performed to assess the patency of blood vessels.
- Arteriography.An X-ray method for assessing the condition of arteries, defects in their walls and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques.
- Fundus examination.In the early stages of hypertension, narrowing of the arteries and dilation of the retinal veins can be seen.In the second stage, aneurysms become noticeable and bleeding can occur.In the third stage, vision decreases and the condition of the optic nerve deteriorates.
- Ultrasound diagnostics of the kidneys and adrenal glands.Damage to kidney tissue due to high blood pressure is detected.
Treatment and prevention
Based on the diagnostic results, the doctor selects drug treatment individually for each patient.In the early stages, lifestyle and weight adjustments are sufficient.Secondly: you cannot do without medication.In the third step, drug combinations are selected and comorbidities are also treated.
Drug therapy
High blood pressure is often treated by prescribing the following:
- Thiazide diuretics – by removing fluid from the body and thus lowering blood pressure.
- Sartans (angiotensin II receptor blockers) are new generation drugs that lower blood pressure throughout the day and require a single dose in the morning or evening.
- Calcium antagonists – should be used for concomitant cardiac diseases (arrhythmia, angina pectoris, cerebral arteriosclerosis).
- Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors – dilate blood vessels and arteries and prevent them from spasming.
- Beta blockers – normalize the rapid heart rate that occurs in response to increased blood pressure.
- Alpha-adrenergic receptor blockers – used to dilate peripheral blood vessels;The medication has a mild effect.
All medications have side effects, so self-medication is unacceptable.
lifestyle
Treating high blood pressure is not possible without lifestyle changes.First we advise:
- get rid of bad habits;
- avoid stress and emotional stress;
- Avoid excessive physical activity in the gym.
- Running, swimming, gymnastics, running training and cardio training should be preferred.
- Increase rest time, pay attention to sleep quality;
- Spend more time in the fresh air (long walks in a park, forest plantation or near water bodies are helpful).
Traditional methods
Folk remedies are often used to treat high blood pressure.However, you should not forget that you need to adhere to a healthy lifestyle and the recommendations of your doctor and use them additionally (do not replace drug treatment with them).
Traditional treatment should be used for a longer period of time.The effect can be expected after several courses of 2-3 months with breaks of 10 days each.
The best recipes and traditional methods for treating high blood pressure:
- Recipe 1. You need to take: 250 g of honey (preferably flower honey), 1 lemon, 2 glasses of beet juice, 1.5 glasses of cranberry juice, 1 glass of vodka.Mix all ingredients together.Take one tablespoon on an empty stomach.
- Recipe 2. To prepare the infusion you will need: juice from 3 kg of onions, 0.5 kg of honey, portions of 30 nuts, 0.5 liters of vodka.Mix the onion juice, add the nut slices with honey and pour in vodka.Let rest for 10 days.Take the infusion 1 tablespoon three times a day.
- Recipe 3. A mixture of 0.5 cups of chopped beets and the same amount of honey.Take a course of 3 months, 1 tablespoon before meals three times a day.
- Feverfew.It has a calming effect on the nervous system and relaxes the walls of blood vessels.The plant is brewed and taken as a tea.
- Mint.Helps with nervous tension.The leaves of the plant are added to tea.
- Chokeberry is often used to treat high blood pressure.You can make jelly, compotes, syrups, jams and fruit drinks from the berries.You can take the juice from the fruit three times a day 30 minutes before meals.
- Traditional medicine recommends using bee venom to normalize blood pressure.To do this, bees sting the limbs twice a week.Bee venom dilates blood vessels, blocks spasms in them and has diuretic properties.
People often have allergic reactions to bee venom or honey.In case of undesirable reactions, the use of folk remedies containing these components is contraindicated.
Folk remedies have a calming, diuretic, sedative and antispasmodic effect.They contain many vitamins and microelements, acids that have a positive effect on the body and promote healing from high blood pressure.
diet
In addition to the measures mentioned above, correct and balanced nutrition plays an important role.Patients with hypertension are recommended to exclude foods containing bad cholesterol from their diet:
- fatty meat;
- Salo;
- smoked meats;
- cucumbers;
- fried foods;
- freshly baked bread.
The products that the body needs for high blood pressure include:
- Vegetables;
- Fruit;
- berries;
- Green;
- dairy products;
- legumes;
- lean meat, dietary quality;
- Grain
Products whose consumption should be limited:
- Salt, it is better to buy salt with a reduced sodium content.And if possible replace with lemon juice, cranberries, cinnamon, coriander or dill.
- Fluid.The amount of fluid consumed daily should not exceed 1 liter.This includes not only water, but also compotes, soups, milk and tea.
- Drinks containing caffeine.The aim is to reduce the stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system.
- Animal fats.Up to 25 g can be consumed per day.
- Sugar.Limit yourself to 40g per day.An excess contributes to the development of arteriosclerosis.
- Bread.It is recommended to use crackers or bread baked a few days ago.
Prevention
People exposed to factors that promote the development of the disease should:
- adhere to a healthy lifestyle;
- Follow the recommended diet continuously.
- Take multivitamins containing iron;
- Measure your blood pressure yourself regularly;
- See a doctor regularly.
In the following video you will learn what high blood pressure is, what causes it, what complications there are and how to keep pressure under control using folk remedies:
Complications
High blood pressure is dangerous because it can cause illnesses that lead to disability and death.
Most often, a hypertensive crisis develops.This is a sharp increase in pressure, which is accompanied by a deterioration in the patient's well-being.The cause of a hypertensive crisis can be:
- severe psycho-emotional stress;
- one-time consumption of alcohol in large quantities;
- Discontinuation of high blood pressure medications or inadequate treatment;
- eat salt;
- meteorological factors.
During a hypertensive crisis, the patient experiences the following symptoms:
- lack of air;
- fear, fear;
- tachycardia;
- cold sweat;
- "Goose flesh";
- hand tremors and internal tremors;
- redness of the skin on the face;
- Dizziness;
- nausea and vomiting;
- numbness of lips, tongue;
- slurred speech;
- Signs of heart failure (in complex cases).
In the event of a hypertensive crisis, the patient requires urgent medical care in a hospital.
In addition, depending on the organ affected by the lack of blood circulation, the following diseases can occur:
- heart failure;
- kidney failure;
- coronary insufficiency;
- bleeding, strokes;
- myocardial infarction;
- Thrombosis;
- deterioration and loss of vision;
- decreased sensitivity of the limbs or paralysis.
Early hypertension can be completely cured.Then, as in the latter case, serious complications and even death occur.Therefore, at the first manifestations of the disease, you need to consult a doctor and not neglect treatment and prevention methods.