Hypertension is one of the most common heart diseases, which is currently diagnosed in every third inhabitant of our planet over 45 years old.In recent years, the disease has become significantly younger and it is now not uncommon to find very young people with high blood pressure among high blood pressure patients.The main danger of the pathological condition lies in its complications.Hypertension can lead to heart attack and stroke, lead to rupture of large vessel aneurysms, provoke the development of severe impairment of kidney function and a sharp deterioration in the quality of vision.
A person's blood pressure has an upper, cardiac or systolic value and a diastolic pressure or its lower, renal value.According to WHO standards, the norm for these indicators should be no more than 139/89 mmHg.Art., otherwise it is common to speak of high blood pressure.Early diagnosis and timely treatment of hypertension is a chance for a person to prevent the occurrence of pathological changes in many internal organs, thereby preserving health and enjoying a full life for many years.
Reasons
Unfortunately, modern medicine has not yet managed to fully decipher all the likely causes of high blood pressure, but most of them are known to doctors.Which factor led to the development of the disease can only be identified by an experienced specialist who, in the diagnostic process, 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.
The main reason for the increase in blood pressure is a violation of the activity of the human sympathetic-adrenal system, that is, constant irritation of the center responsible for the narrowing of blood vessels in the brain.
This can occur under the influence of numerous exo- and endogenous factors that contribute to sudden vasospasm.
Symptoms of hypertension can occur in people with so-called exogenous risk factors for the development of the pathological condition:
- frequent stress and strong nervous tension;
- poor diet;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- long working hours, night shift work;
- regular consumption of large quantities of strong alcoholic beverages and smoking;
- drugs;
- intensive sporting activities.
Among endogenous factors, age and poor heredity come to the fore when the disease can be transmitted from parent to child.The development of high blood pressure is also promoted by:
- vascular damage caused by arteriosclerosis;
- Obesity;
- Metabolic diseases, especially diabetes mellitus, 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.
Classification
There is currently more than one classification of high blood pressure.The disease is usually characterized by the nature of its course, the presence of complications, causes of development, pressure indicators and much more.
Modern cardiologists distinguish different degrees of hypertension (depending on the indicators of hypertension):
- 1st degree - pressure rises to 159-140/99-90 mm Hg. Art.;
- 2nd degree – a value of 179-160/109-100 mm Hg is diagnosed on the needles of a mechanical tonometer.Art.;
- Grade 3 – persistent or periodic increase in pressure above 180/110 mm Hg. Art.
According to the generally accepted WHO classification, there are the following stages of the disease:
- Stage 1 – temporary increase in pressure without damage to target organs;
- Stage 2 – the presence of signs of damage to internal organs, including the heart, blood vessels, eye structures, brain and kidneys;
- Stage 3 – a stable increase in blood pressure against the background of the development of complications, from the manifestations of which a person can die.
Of course, hypertensive diseases have their own forms, including:
- benign type or indolent variant of hypertension, when the symptoms of the pathology develop very slowly over decades and the risk of complications is assessed as minimal;
- a malignant disease in which sudden increases in pressure, damage to target organs and frequent hypertensive crises occur (this variant of the disease is difficult to treat with medication).
Symptoms
At the initial stage of its development, the disease is practically asymptomatic, which makes it difficult to detect early.In such patients, high blood pressure may be discovered accidentally during a medical examination or during a routine clinic appointment.
A more complex type of hypertension is characterized by a number of signs that significantly worsen a person's quality of life and are a reason for referral to a specialist.The main symptom of the disease is an increase in blood pressure above 140/90 mm Hg. Art.This condition leads to the development of headaches, which are due to a reflex narrowing of blood vessels in the brain.People prone to hypertension usually complain of the appearance of pain in the back of the head and temples, which are of a pulsating nature and are characterized by their severity and suddenness.Such pain and throbbing do not go away even after taking painkillers.
Hypertension patients often experience solo dizziness, which can occur after simple work.The symptom is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting as well as a general malaise due to increased intracranial pressure.Narrowing of the vessels of the hearing aid causes tinnitus, when a person feels that his ears are severely blocked and he practically loses the ability to normally perceive the sounds of his surroundings.
Violation of coronary blood flow leads to the development of myocardial ischemia.Such patients experience shortness of breath and chest pain, which can be easily resolved with the help of nitrates.At this point, the organ works harder to push a lot of blood into the narrowed main vessels.Each attack of angina is accompanied by a rapid pulse, pronounced heart palpitations and the risk of developing such a serious complication of a pathological condition as myocardial infarction.
With hypertension, eye dysfunction is noted with a sharp deterioration in vision and the development of hypertensive angiopathy of retinal vessels.The pathological process also affects the fundus of the eye, which swells and compresses the optic nerve.At this time, the person notices “goosebumps” in front of his eyes, dark circles under the eyes, and the like.
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 regulate normal blood pressure.This is why high blood pressure is the most common consequence of menopause in women.
Complications
HD is one of the insidious diseases that progress slowly and are very often diagnosed already at the stage of the appearance of the first complications of the pathological process.With a constant increase in blood pressure, dystrophic and sclerotic changes occur in the target organs, which lead to severe functional impairments.Arterial hypertension primarily affects the kidneys, brain, heart, visual analyzer and blood vessels.
There are several risk factors that influence the rate of development of hypertension complications and their severity:
- bad habits, especially smoking;
- lack of exercise and increased body mass index;
- increased blood cholesterol and hyperglycemia;
- frequent stress;
- Lack of potassium and magnesium in the body;
- age-related changes;
- hereditary predisposition.
With hypertension, the heart is forced to work under increased stress, which is accompanied by the need to push blood into narrowed vessels.Over time, the myocardial wall thickens, resulting in left ventricular hypertrophy and oxygen deprivation in the heart muscle.
On the cardiac side, there are different types of complications of high blood pressure:
- ischemic disease;
- angina pectoris;
- arteriosclerosis of the coronary arteries;
- acute form of heart failure in the form of myocardial infarction;
- chronic heart failure.
High blood pressure leads to the appearance of brain disorders in a person, which in practice are manifested by severe dizziness, headaches, tinnitus, memory loss and more.There are several options for complex cerebral 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 rises, they can fully carry out their main task.This contributes to a number of complications including:
- kidney failure;
- dysfunction of filtration and fluid secretion;
- Nephrosclerosis.
Such disorders lead to the development of a number of symptoms in hypertensive patients that indicate kidney disease.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 progressive loss of vision.The most dangerous complication from the peripheral vessels in arterial hypertension is the dissection of their walls, in particular the well-known aortic aneurysm, which forms asymptomatically and often leads to sudden death.
diagnosis
Diagnosis of hypertension with determination of the stage and degree of development of the disease is an important step in prescribing appropriate treatment of the pathological condition.That is why, at the first signs of hypertensive disease, you should immediately contact a medical institution to find out the causes of high blood pressure and methods for correcting it.
Diagnostic measures for suspected hypertension include a number of laboratory and instrumental studies, including:
- Laboratory blood test to determine potassium and magnesium levels, creatinine, bad cholesterol, glucose, etc.;
- biochemical examination of urine with determination of the amount of protein;
- electrocardiography (ECG);
- Ultrasound examination of the heart;
- Doppler flowmetry;
- Fundus examination.
The diagnostic procedure for high blood pressure, which allows us to determine the degree of impairment, consists of two steps:
- The first step is to determine the clinical manifestations of the disease based on the words of the hypertensive patient and obtain the results of additional studies.
- The second stage is a special study that allows you to determine the exact extent of the disease and the presence of its complications in the patient using magnetic resonance therapy (MRI) or an X-ray examination.
By checking your blood pressure daily, you can get an accurate picture of the progression of the disease.This allows you to determine the range of pressure fluctuations throughout the day and determine the average that characterizes the degree of hypertension.The main disadvantage of such research is its high cost.
Treatment
Treatment of hypertension exacerbations should be carried out in a cardiology hospital, where constant monitoring of blood pressure is possible.In addition, if necessary, the doctor can change the patient's treatment plan and prescribe more effective medications in each individual clinical case.
Treatment of the disease begins with the appointment of a special diet that strictly limits table salt, fatty and fried foods, as well as offal, smoked meats and flour products.The diet of hypertensive patients is aimed at improving the general condition, preventing the development of edema, normalizing weight, and the like.
According to new European recommendations, the treatment of hypertension should be comprehensive and necessarily include a set of drugs, the action of which is aimed at reducing blood pressure and eliminating the risk of transforming the disease into a malignant course or developing complications of the pathological condition.The most commonly used groups of medications for high blood pressure include:
- alpha blockers;
- ganglion blockers;
- ACE inhibitors;
- beta blockers;
- calcium channel blockers;
- Diuretics.
The doctor pays particular attention to the prescription of diuretics.The fact is that not every diuretic is safe for the body of a hypertensive patient due to its potassium-leaching effect.That is why taking such drugs should be combined with taking potassium preparations under control of the biochemical composition of the blood.In addition, diuretics not only lower blood pressure, but also eliminate tissue swelling by removing excess sodium.
Self-treatment of high blood pressure is strictly prohibited.
It is also not recommended to use antihypertensive traditional medicines without your doctor's approval.Prohibited actions can provoke an acute hypertensive crisis as the main contraindication and necessitate the need for immediate placement of the patient in a specialized hospital to identify the causes of complications and determine further tactics to eliminate them.
Prevention
To prevent hypertension, it is necessary to take a number of measures aimed at identifying and eliminating the risks of a pathological disease in a timely manner, as well as stabilizing already high blood pressure.To prevent the appearance of the first signs of the disease, a person should normalize his lifestyle, give up bad habits and salt consumption, increase physical activity, and also lose excess weight.Particular attention should be paid to the health of potential patients whose risk of developing hypertension is hereditary.This group of people should always have a pressure measuring device with which they can monitor the condition.
Blood pressure problems can be prevented by:
- lead an active lifestyle (physiotherapy, fitness, massage, walks in the fresh air, skiing, swimming in the pool) and regularly exercise in the gym;
- Give up junk food, smoking and alcohol;
- Reduce salt intake to 3-4 g per day;
- prohibit yourself from eating foods high in animal fats, preservatives and cholesterol.
- keep a clear daily routine and get enough sleep;
- prevent the appearance of excess fat deposits that provoke obesity;
- prevent stressful situations;
- undergo regular preventive examinations with a cardiologist and take the necessary tests;
- If the first signs of increased blood pressure appear, see a doctor immediately.
People with an inherited tendency to high blood pressure should take care of their health, exercise and undergo regular examinations.A ready-made diagnosis of hypertension includes clinical observation of patients and, if necessary, referral to a commission to determine disability.