Hypertension is one of the most common heart pathologies, currently diagnosed in every third inhabitant of our planet over 45 years of age.In recent years, this disease has become significantly younger and now quite often among hypertensive patients one can see very young people with high blood pressure.The main danger of the medical condition lies in its complications.High blood pressure can lead to heart attacks and strokes, cause the rupture of large aneurysms, cause severe deterioration of kidney function and serious deterioration in the quality of vision.
A person's blood pressure has an upper, cardiac or systolic value, as well as a lower diastolic or renal level.According to WHO standards, the norm for these indicators is no more than 139/89 mmHg.Art., otherwise people often talk about hypertension.Early diagnosis and timely treatment of hypertension is an opportunity for a person to prevent the occurrence of pathological changes in many internal organs, helping them maintain health and enjoy a full life for many years.
Reason
Unfortunately, modern medicine is still not able to fully elucidate all possible causes of hypertension, but most of them are known to doctors.Only an experienced specialist can determine what factors lead to the development of the disease, who uses not only his knowledge, but also the results of numerous studies that confirm or refute the presence of signs of hypertension in a person during the diagnostic process.
The main cause of increased blood pressure is a violation of the activity of the human sympathetic-adrenal system, that is, constant stimulation of the center responsible for narrowing blood vessels in the brain.
This can occur under the influence of many exogenous as well as endogenous factors that contribute to sudden blood vessel spasm.
Symptoms of hypertension may appear in people with so-called exogenous risk factors for the development of the pathological condition:
- frequent stress and severe nervous tension;
- poor nutrition;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- working long hours, working night shifts;
- regular consumption of large amounts of strong alcoholic beverages and smoking;
- drug;
- high intensity sports activities.
Among endogenous factors, age and poor heredity prevail, when the disease can be transmitted from parents to children.The development of hypertension is also promoted by:
- vascular damage due to atherosclerosis;
- obesity;
- metabolic diseases, especially diabetes and hyperthyroidism;
- kidney disease;
- increased calcium and sodium levels in the blood;
- Hormonal changes, which are the most common cause of high blood pressure in women during pregnancy and menopause.
Classify
Currently, there is more than one way to classify hypertension.The disease is often distinguished by the nature of its course, the presence of complications, the cause of development, pressure indicators, etc.
Modern cardiologists distinguish several degrees of hypertension (depending on high blood pressure indicators):
- Grade 1 – pressure increases to 159-140/99-90 mm Hg.Art.;
- 2nd level - on the needle of a mechanical sphygmomanometer, the diagnostic indicator is 179-160/109-100 mm Hg.Art.;
- Grade 3 – persistent or periodic increase in pressure more than 180/110 mm Hg.Art.
According to the classification generally accepted by WHO, the disease has the following stages:
- Stage 1 – transient increase in pressure without damage to target organs;
- Stage 2 – signs of damage to internal organs appear, in which the main targets are the heart, blood vessels, eye structures, brain and kidneys;
- Stage 3 – stable increase in blood pressure against the background of the development of complications, from the manifestations of which a person can die.
Hypertension of course has its own types, including:
- benign type of hypertension or indolent variant, when pathological symptoms develop very slowly, over decades and the risk of complications is assessed as minimal;
- a malignant disease in which a sudden increase in pressure, damage to target organs and frequent hypertensive attacks are noted (this variant of the disease is difficult to treat with drugs).
Symptom
In the early stages of development, the disease is practically asymptomatic, which complicates early detection.In these patients, high blood pressure may be discovered incidentally during a health check-up or during a routine check-up at the clinic.
A more complex type of hypertension is characterized by a number of signs that significantly impair a person's quality of life and are a reason for the person to see a specialist.The main symptom of the disease is increased blood pressure above 140/90 mm Hg.Art.This condition causes the development of headaches, which are the result of reflex narrowing of blood vessels in the brain.As a rule, people prone to hypertension complain of the appearance of pain in the back of the head and temples, of a pulsatile nature, characterized by its severity and sudden development.Such pain and soreness do not go away after taking painkillers.
Often, hypertensive patients experience dizziness alone, which can occur after performing a simple task.This symptom is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, as well as general malaise due to increased intracranial pressure.Constriction of the vessels of the hearing aid causes tinnitus when a person feels that his ears are clogged and practically loses the ability to normally perceive surrounding sounds.
Violation of coronary blood flow leads to the development of myocardial ischemia.Such patients suffer from shortness of breath and chest pain, which can be easily remedied with nitrates.At this time, this organ operates in enhanced mode to be able to push some blood into the narrowed main vessels.Each angina attack is accompanied by a rapid pulse, marked palpitations and the risk of serious complications of a medical condition such as myocardial infarction.
In cases of hypertension, ocular dysfunction is determined by a pronounced deterioration of visual acuity and the development of hypertensive retinal vasculopathy.The pathological process also involves the fundus of the eye, swelling and compression of the optic nerve.At this time, the person notices "goosebumps", dark circles, etc. in front of his eyes.
Complications of high blood pressure symptoms in women most often occur during menopause, when menopause occurs.During this period, hormonal changes occur in the body of the fairer sex, disrupting the production of biologically active substances that help control normal blood pressure levels.That's why high blood pressure is the most common consequence of menopause in women.
complications
HD is one of the insidious diseases that progresses slowly and is often diagnosed at the stage of the first complications of the pathological process.With a continuous increase in blood pressure, dystrophic and sclerotic changes occur in target organs, leading to severe functional impairment.First of all, the kidneys, brain, heart, visual analyzer and blood vessels are affected by arterial hypertension.
There are several risk factors that influence the rate at which complications in hypertension develop and their severity:
- bad habits, especially smoking;
- sedentary lifestyle and increased body mass index;
- increased blood cholesterol and increased blood sugar;
- frequent stress;
- lack of potassium and magnesium in the body;
- age-related changes;
- genetic tendency.
With hypertension, the heart is forced to work under increased stress, which leads to the need to push blood into narrowed vessels.Over time, the myocardial wall thickens and the patient experiences left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial hypoxia.
On the heart side, there are several types of complications of hypertension:
- ischemic disease;
- angina;
- coronary atherosclerosis;
- acute form of heart failure in the form of myocardial infarction;
- chronic heart failure.
High blood pressure causes the appearance of brain disorders in a person, which in fact manifest themselves as severe dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, memory loss, etc.There are several options for complicating brain complications of hypertension:
- encephalopathy with vestibular disorders;
- ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke;
- cognitive impairment of brain activity.
As you know, the kidneys control the amount of water and salt in the body.But when blood pressure increases, they can completely perform their main work.This contributes to a number of complications, including:
- kidney failure;
- dysfunction of filtration and fluid excretion;
- kidney sclerosis.
Such disorders lead to the development of certain symptoms in hypertensive patients that indicate kidney pathology.A sick person begins to complain of general weakness, malaise, swelling and causeless nausea.
Eye damage is manifested by the appearance of hemorrhages in the retina, swelling of the optic nerve head and gradual loss of vision.As for the peripheral vessels in arterial hypertension, the most dangerous complication is dissection of their wall, especially the famous aortic aneurysm, which forms and is asymptomatic, often causing sudden death.
Diagnose
Diagnosing hypertension by determining the stage and extent of the disease is an important step in prescribing appropriate treatment for the condition.That is why when the first signs of high blood pressure appear, you should immediately contact a medical facility to find out the cause of high blood pressure and methods of adjustment.
The set of diagnostic measures for suspected hypertension includes several laboratory and instrumental studies, including:
- laboratory blood tests to determine the levels of potassium and magnesium, creatinine, bad cholesterol, glucose, etc.;
- Biochemical study of urine with determination of protein content;
- electrocardiogram (ECG);
- echocardiographic examination;
- Doppler flow measurement;
- fundus examination.
The procedure for diagnosing hypertension, which allows us to determine the degree of impairment, consists of two stages:
- The first stage is to determine the clinical manifestations of the disease according to hypertensive patients and obtain the results of additional studies;
- The second stage is a special study that allows you to determine the exact severity of the disease and the presence of complications in the patient using magnetic resonance therapy (MRI) or X-ray examination.
Daily blood pressure monitoring allows you to get an accurate picture of the progression of the disease.Thanks to it, you can establish the range of pressure fluctuations during the day and determine its average, which will characterize the degree of hypertension.The main disadvantage of such research is its high cost.
Treatment
Treatment of severe hypertensive episodes should be carried out in a cardiovascular hospital, where blood pressure levels can be continuously monitored.In addition, if necessary, the doctor can modify the patient's treatment plan and prescribe more effective medications in each specific clinical case.
Treatment of the disease begins with the appointment of a special diet, strictly limiting table salt, fatty and fried foods, as well as offal products, smoked meats and flour products.Nutrition for hypertensive patients is aimed at improving general condition, preventing the development of edema, normalizing weight, etc.
According to new European recommendations, the treatment of hypertension must be comprehensive and must necessarily include several drugs, the operation of which is aimed at reducing blood pressure and eliminating the risk of turning into a malignant version of the disease or developing complications of the pathological condition.Among the most commonly used groups of antihypertensive drugs are:
- alpha blockers;
- lymph node blocking drugs;
- ACE inhibitors;
- beta blockers;
- calcium channel blockers;
- diuretics.
Doctors pay special attention to the prescription of diuretics.The fact is that not every diuretic is safe for the body of hypertensive patients due to its potassium-leaching properties.That is why the use of these drugs should be combined with the use of potassium supplements under control of the biochemical composition of the blood.In addition, diuretics not only reduce blood pressure, but also eliminate tissue swelling by removing excess sodium.
Self-treatment of hypertension is strictly prohibited.
You should also not use traditional blood pressure medications without your doctor's approval.Prohibited actions, as main contraindications, can cause a hypertensive emergency and require immediate admission of the patient to a specialized hospital to determine the cause of complications and decide on further tactics to eliminate them.
prevent
To prevent hypertension, it is necessary to carry out a series of measures aimed at promptly identifying and eliminating the risks of developing a pathological condition, as well as stabilizing already high blood pressure.To prevent the appearance of the first signs of the disease, a person should normalize lifestyle, give up bad habits and salt consumption, increase physical activity and lose excess weight.Particular attention should be paid to the health of potential patients at risk of hereditary hypertension.This type of person must always have a pressure measuring device at hand so that they can monitor its condition.
Blood pressure problems can be prevented by:
- lead an active lifestyle (physical therapy, gymnastics, massage, walking in the fresh air, skiing, swimming in the pool) and regularly train in the gym;
- give up junk food, smoking and drinking alcohol;
- reduce salt intake to 3-4 g per day;
- prohibit yourself from eating foods high in animal fats, preservatives and cholesterol;
- maintain a clear daily routine and get enough sleep;
- Prevents the appearance of excess fat, causing obesity;
- prevent stressful situations;
- regularly undergo preventive examinations with a cardiologist and carry out the necessary tests;
- When the first signs of increased blood pressure appear, seek medical help immediately.
People with a genetic tendency to high blood pressure should pay attention to their health, exercise and have regular medical examinations.Diagnosis of ready hypertension includes clinical observation of the patient and, if necessary, referral to the commission to determine disability.