Hypertension: symptoms, causes, treatment.How dangerous is the disease?

Hypertension (arterial hypertension) is high blood pressure that develops when blood circulation in the vessels is impaired.The disease is diagnosed in many adults and occurs with varying degrees of severity.Why hypertension is dangerous, how to prevent the development of the disease and negative consequences - later in the article.

Concept and causes

Hypertension or arterial hypertension is the name given to the increase in blood pressure that occurs as a result of changes in vascular tone.The disease affects men and women equally frequently, mainly after the age of 40, but it also occurs in younger people.Hypertension is a very common disease, occurring in 40% of all adults.It is also one of the leading causes of death and disability due to cardiovascular disease.

The main reasons leading to hypertension are considered:

• atherosclerosis – age-related changes in blood vessels and their blockage with atherosclerotic plaques;
• excess weight, even in small amounts, can affect the condition of blood vessels and the heart, which will cause hypertension;
• emotional stress, tragic situations experienced, depression;
• nervous tension, problems at work;
• head injuries, concussion, hypothermia;
• hereditary predisposition - hypertension 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 increases in adrenaline in the blood;
• prolonged stay in front of a computer monitor;
• sedentary and sedentary lifestyle;
• eat salt in large quantities;
• rare exposure to fresh air;
• drinking large amounts of coffee;
• bad habits.

Symptoms

The main symptom is hypertension - 140/90 mmHg.Art.and higher.It is often accompanied by other symptoms.At the initial stage they are neurotic in nature and manifest themselves:

• headache;
• tinnitus;
• flying “flies” in front of the eyes or blurred vision;
• impaired sleep quality;
• dizziness;
• feeling of heaviness in the head;
• accelerated heartbeat;
• general weakness.

Further development of the disease leads to the following manifestations:

• nosebleeds;
• vomit;
• even with little effort the face turns red;
• feeling of pressure in the eyes - often causes patients to lie down with their eyes closed and wait for the attack to pass;
• swelling;
• memory impairment;
• feel tired;
• potency problems (in men).

Stages and classification

Doctors define 3 stages of high blood pressure:

1. The pressure increases from time to time to 140/90 – 159/100 mm Hg.Art.After that, it independently returns to normal levels.Often, at this stage, the person is unaware of the disease.It can only be detected by constantly measuring pressure and maintaining a graph based on these indicators.At the initial stage, complications are usually not observed, but there is still a risk of their development.Pressure spikes lead to insufficient blood supply to organs, which can subsequently result in necrosis and cause stroke.The body's metabolic processes are disrupted.Vasoconstriction leads to overload of the heart and hypertrophy of the heart muscle.
2. Pressure may 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 begin to appear.The risk of developing complications increases;is assessed as medium (risk 2) and high (risk 3).This means that the risk of target organ damage over the next 10 years is 20-30%.
3. Pressure rises to 180/110 and above and remains constantly high.At this stage, an independent decrease in pressure may indicate a malfunction in cardiac function.The patient is fully aware of the symptoms, which leads him to seek medical help immediately.At this stage, damage to all internal organs and systems is observed.In advanced cases, it ends in death.Stage 3 high blood pressure often requires urgent hospitalization and the use of physiotherapeutic procedures in addition to medications.At this stage, medication intake becomes constant and is not canceled even if the condition improves.

In stages 2 and 3 of hypertension, a hypertensive crisis often occurs.

Depending on the causes of the occurrence, there are:

• primary hypertension – when high blood pressure develops as an independent disease;
• secondary hypertension – when hypertension is a consequence of another disease and also requires treatment of the primary disease.

There are 4 degrees of severity of hypertension:

• light or mild;
• moderate;
• severe, chronic;
• very heavy.

According to the clinical course, the following are distinguished:

• benign hypertension - pressure does not rise to critically high levels, 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, often accompanied by hypertensive crises and complications, and are poorly controlled with medication.

Diagnosis

To make a diagnosis, various laboratory and instrumental tests are carried out.Based on them, the doctor concludes about the degree of hypertension and the stage of its course:

1. The first and most important step in making a diagnosis is measuring blood pressure.You can do this yourself using a tonometer.In some cases, the doctor recommends daily monitoring of pressure changes, the so-called ABPM method.The patient puts on a special brace on the shoulder and a portable device on the belt.During the day, the device measures pressure every 15 minutes, at night - every 30 minutes.Diagnoses are performed under normal human conditions.
2. Blood and urine tests.Based on the results, the doctor evaluates the levels of cholesterol, hemoglobin, hematocrit, glucose, creatinine, potassium and calcium.
3. Next, the condition of the target organs is assessed:
• Physical examination.Noises are heard, heart rhythm disturbances are examined, and the heart muscle is examined.
• ECG.An electrocardiogram is performed as a complement to the physical exam to more accurately assess the condition of the heart.
• Dopplerography.It is carried out to assess the patency of blood vessels.
• Arteriography.X-ray method for assessing the condition of arteries, defects in their walls and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques.
• Fundus examination.In the early stage of hypertension, narrowing of the arteries and dilation of the retinal veins will be noticeable.In the second stage, aneurysms are visible and hemorrhage may occur.In the third stage, vision decreases and the condition of the optic nerve worsens.
• Ultrasound diagnosis of the kidneys and adrenal glands.Damage to kidney tissue due to hypertension is detected.

Treatment and prevention

Based on the diagnostic results, the doctor individually selects drug treatment for each patient.In the initial phase, lifestyle and weight adjustments are sufficient.In the second, you cannot do without medication.In the third stage, combinations of medications are selected and concomitant diseases are also treated.

Drug therapy

Hypertension is often treated by prescribing:

• Thiazide diuretics – removing fluid from the body, thereby reducing blood pressure.
• Sartans (angiotensin II receptor blockers) are a new generation of medications 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 disorders (arrhythmia, angina, cerebral atherosclerosis).
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors - dilate blood vessels and arteries, preventing their spasm.
• Beta blockers - normalize the increase in heart rate, which occurs as a reaction to an increase in blood pressure.
• Alpha-adrenergic receptor blockers – used to dilate peripheral blood vessels;the drugs have a moderate effect.

All medicines have side effects, so self-medication is unacceptable.

Lifestyle

Treating hypertension is impossible without lifestyle changes.Firstly, we advise:

• get rid of bad habits;
• avoid stress and emotional stress;
• avoid excessive physical activity in the gym;
• preference should be given to running, swimming, gymnastics, race walking and cardiovascular training;
• increase rest time, pay attention to the quality of sleep;
• spend more time outdoors (long walks in a park, forest plantations, near bodies of water will be useful).

Traditional methods

Folk remedies are widely used to treat hypertension.But do not forget that it is necessary to follow a healthy lifestyle, your doctor's recommendations and use them as additional ones (do not replace drug treatment with them).

Traditional treatment must be used for a long time.The effect can be expected after several courses lasting 2 to 3 months, with breaks of 10 days between them.

The best traditional recipes and methods for treating hypertension:

• Recipe 1. You need to take: 250 g of honey (preferably flower honey), 1 lemon, 2 glasses of beetroot juice, 1.5 glasses of cranberry juice, 1 glass of vodka.Mix all ingredients.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, partitions from 30 walnuts, 0.5 liters of vodka.Mix onion juice and add walnut partitions with honey and pour in vodka.Leave for 10 days.Take the infusion 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
• Recipe 3. A mixture of 0.5 cups of chopped beets and the same amount of honey.Take a course for 3 months, 1 tablespoon before meals, 3 times a day.
• Mother-mother.It has a calming effect on the nervous system and relaxes the walls of blood vessels.The plant is prepared and taken as tea.
• Mint.Helps to deal with nervous tension.The leaves of the plant are added to tea.
• Chokeberry is widely used in the treatment of hypertension.You can use its fruits to make jellies, compotes, syrups, jellies and prepare fruit juices.You can drink fruit juice 3 times a day, 30 minutes before meals.
• Traditional medicine recommends using bee venom to normalize blood pressure.To do this, bees sting limbs 2 times a week.Bee venom dilates blood vessels, blocks spasms and has diuretic properties.

People often have an allergic reaction to bee venom or honey.In case of undesirable reactions, the use of folk remedies with these components is contraindicated.

Folk remedies have sedative, diuretic, sedative and antispasmodic effects.They contain many vitamins and microelements, acids, which have a beneficial effect on the body and promote the cure of hypertension.

Diet

In addition to the measures above, an adequate and balanced diet plays an important role.Hypertension patients are advised to exclude foods containing bad cholesterol from their diet:

• fatty meat;
• salt;
• smoked meats;
• pickles;
• fried foods;
• freshly baked bread.

Among the products necessary for the body for hypertension are:

• vegetables;
• fruits;
• berries;
• green;
• dairy products;
• legumes;
• lean meat, dietary qualities;
• cereals

Products whose consumption should be limited:

• Salt, it is best to buy salt with reduced sodium content.And if possible, replace with lemon juice, cranberries, cinnamon, coriander or dill.
• Liquid.The volume of liquid consumed per day should not exceed 1 liter.This includes not only water, but also jams, soups, milk and tea.
• Caffeinated drinks.The aim is to reduce the stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system.
• Animal fats.It is allowed to consume up to 25 g per day.
• Sugar.Limit to 40 g per day.An excess contributes to the development of atherosclerosis.
• Bread.It is recommended to use crackers or bread baked a few days ago.

Prevention

People exposed to factors predisposing to the development of the disease should:

• adhere to a healthy lifestyle;
• continuously follow the recommended diet;
• take multivitamin preparations containing iron;
• regularly measure your blood pressure;
• Consult a doctor periodically.

You can learn about what hypertension is, the reasons for its development, possible complications and how to keep pressure under control with folk remedies and much more in the following video:

Complications

Hypertension 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, accompanied by a deterioration in the patient's well-being.The cause of a hypertensive crisis can be:

• strong psycho-emotional stress;
• single consumption of alcohol in large quantities;
• suspension of medication for hypertension or inadequate treatment;
• eat salt;
• meteorological factors.

During a hypertensive crisis, the patient experiences the following symptoms:

• shortness of breathe;
• fear, anxiety;
• tachycardia;
• cold sweat;
• "shiver";
• hand tremors and internal tremors;
• redness of the skin of the face;
• dizziness;
• nausea and vomiting;
• numbness of the lips, tongue;
• slurred speech;
• signs of heart failure (in complex cases).

In the case of a hypertensive crisis, the patient requires urgent medical care in a hospital setting.

Furthermore, depending on the organ affected by the lack of blood circulation, the following diseases may occur:

• heart failure;
• kidney failure;
• coronary insufficiency;
• hemorrhages, strokes;
• myocardial infarction;
• thrombosis;
• deterioration and loss of vision;
• decreased sensitivity in the limbs or paralysis.

Hypertension in its early stages can be completely cured.Then, as in the latter case, it leads to serious complications and even death.Therefore, at the first manifestations of the disease, it is necessary to consult a doctor and not neglect treatment and preventive methods.