What is high blood pressure: basic concepts and why it is dangerous

Hypertension (hypertension) is the most common disease of the cardiovascular system.

Hypertension quickly "rejuvenates", today it is a disease not only of the elderly, but is common in pregnant women and is becoming more common in adolescents.

What is hypertension? The answer to this question can be found in the definition of the state of this disease.

It is characterized by chronically elevated blood pressure when the highest value (systolic pressure) exceeds 140 mm Hg and the lowest (diastolic pressure) is above 90 mm Hg. subjected to at least three measurements made at different times in a person who is at rest.

The optimal blood pressure is 120-130 at 80-89 mm Hg, if they are higher, then it is necessary to begin active treatment of hypertension. However, few diagnose this disease at an early stage: about 35% of men and 55% of women are aware of their high blood pressure, only half of them are involved in the treatment of hypertension, and only 6% of the male population and 20% of the female populationcontrol your pressure.

The earlier arterial hypertension is identified and controlled, the lower the risk of developing complications of hypertension (ischemic disease, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, low testosterone levels, erectile dysfunction) in the future.

Hypertension can be one of the causes of impotence in men.

It is useful to note

The main task of the treatment of hypertension is the constant monitoring of blood pressure in order to avoid even more serious health problems, as this disease cannot be completely cured.

What is dangerous hypertension

With prolonged high blood pressure, the walls of blood vessels thicken and lose their ability to relax, which prevents the normal blood supply and, as a result, saturation of tissues and organs with oxygen and other nutrients and reduce their functional activity. Let's take a closer look at what dangerous hypertension is:

• Hypertensive crisis- the most frequent exacerbation of arterial hypertension can occur both in a relatively satisfactory condition of the patient and be caused by the psychophysical stress of the patient. Developing at a high rate, the hypertensive crisis dramatically raises blood pressure, causes severe headaches, dizziness, tachycardia or arrhythmia, nausea and vomiting. At risk are those who suffer from meteorological dependence, are in the pre-climatic period.
• myocardial infarction- Complicated by hypertension can occur within minutes and lead to death. The main symptom is a prolonged attack of pain.
• Strike- circulatory disorders in the vessels of the brain, cerebral hemorrhage, characterized by sudden severe headache, which is quickly joined by other symptoms of the brain: impaired speech, crooked mouth, paralysis of one part of the body. If emergency measures are taken and capillary bleeding is performed in hypertension, then this process may be reversible.
• angina pectoris- the disease is less transient. Heart failure causes severe emotional overload, overload. Accompanied by severe dull chest pain, malaise, can cause frequent vomiting.
• Heart failure- a chronic condition of the heart muscle in which it is unable to provide oxygen to the organs and tissues of the body. It is characterized by the complete weakness of the patient, in which he is unable to withstand basic physical activity: lifting, walking, etc.
• Coronary artery disease- Insufficient blood supply to the coronary arteries, which leads to malnutrition of the heart. Careful adherence to the prescribed treatment of hypertension is not difficult to avoid the development of coronary heart disease.
• kidney failure- impaired renal function, destruction of neurons, partial inability to remove toxins from the body. Hypertension is the second leading cause of acute or chronic renal failure after diabetes.
• distortion of vision- occurs as a result of impaired blood supply to the retina and optic nerve. A sharp rise in blood pressure can cause a spasm of the artery that supplies the optic nerve, damaging the integrity of the retinal vessels. Hypertension is dangerous with pathologies such as retinal or vitreous hemorrhage: the first leads to the formation of a black spot in the visual field, the second leads to loss of vision in the affected eye.

To avoid any complications that are so dangerous in hypertension, it is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner and conduct an examination that will help determine the stage of development of the disease and prescribe the necessary treatment.

Degrees of hypertension: classification, forms

By the nature of the evaluation of one or more criteria, a number of classifications of hypertension are used.

Distribute such stages of development as the origin, the form of leakage, the level of blood pressure, the degree of damage to the target organs.

The main task in diagnosing hypertension is to differentiate the nature of the disease. There are two major groups here:

• primary or essential hypertension - high blood pressure is the root cause;
• secondary or symptomatic hypertension - high blood pressure is caused by diseases of other organs or systems: kidneys, heart, endocrine glands, lungs, thyroid gland.

According to experts

Treatment of symptomatic hypertension cannot be achieved without treatment of the disease that caused it and begins with it. In some cases, along with the elimination of the underlying disease, hypertension disappears.

Also, blood pressure, up to a hypertensive crisis, can rise due to improper intake of certain medications, with neurosis, excessive use of caffeine and other stimulants.

When diagnosing essential hypertension, doctors usually classify the disease according to the level of blood pressure in order to choose the right tactics for treating essential hypertension. In international practice there are three degrees of hypertension:

• Hypertension 1 degree- systolic pressure 140−159 mm Hg, diastolic pressure 90−99 mm Hg. The mild form of the disease, which is characterized by a sharp change in blood pressure, can either return to normal on its own or rise again.
• Hypertension 2 degrees- systolic 160-179 mm Hg, diastolic 100-109 mm Hg. Moderate form, the increase in pressure is longer, rarely falls to normal values.
• Hypertension 3 degrees- systolic above 180 mm Hg, diastolic above 110 mm Hg. Severe, the pressure is stable at the level of pathological indicators, proceeds with severe complications and is difficult to correct with medication.

Isolated systolic hypertension is isolated, occurring in about one third of elderly people with hypertension. This form is due to age-related loss of elasticity of large vessels, often accompanied by myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure and left ventricular hypertrophy. Blood pressure readings: systolic up to 160 mm Hg. and above, diastolic - below 90 mm Hg.

Useful information

It is worth noting another insignificant group - the so-called "white coat hypertension", when under the influence of psycho-emotional factors a person's blood pressure rises only at the time of measurement by a medical professional. In such cases, the diagnosis is clarified by repeatedly measuring the pressure in a quiet home environment.

In addition to the degree of hypertension, the diagnosis assesses the risk factors that can lead to complications of the cardiovascular system and the stage of the clinical course of the disease:

• Transistor (initial phase) hypertension. The increase in pressure is periodic, returning to normal values; no drugs that lower blood pressure are used.
• labile hypertension. The increase in blood pressure is directly related to a provoking factor: stress, severe psychological or physical stress. Medicines are needed to stabilize the pressure.
• Stable arterial hypertension. Steady increase in pressure with severe maintenance therapy.
• Malignant form. Increasing the pressure to very high levels, the disease progresses rapidly and leads to the development of serious complications.
• Crisis form. Periodic hypertensive crises on the background of normal or slightly elevated pressure are typical.

Assessment of the severity of hypertension and the risk of possible complications is possible only on the basis of a thorough examination: general and biochemical studies, ultrasound of the heart and other organs, ECG, fundus examination. A complete examination of a patient with hypertension is usually performed during inpatient treatment.

High blood pressure is the main warning symptom of hypertension in both men and women.

Symptoms of hypertension may be absent for a long time, and if a person does not use a tonometer constantly, he can find out about his disease after he has already started treating its complications.

Often, hypertension has no symptoms, except for its main symptom - persistent high blood pressure.

Furthermore, the concept of "permanent" or "chronic" is the key here, as in a number of situations (stress, fear or anger) the pressure may increase and then return to normal on its own.

However, few control their blood pressure levels, so you should pay attention to the following symptoms that indicate the development of hypertension:

• headache. It most often occurs in the occipital, parietal or temples. It can appear both at night and immediately after waking up. As a rule, it increases with mental or physical exertion. Sometimes it is accompanied by swelling of the eyelids and face.
• Dizziness. Sometimes even with a little physical effort: coughing, turning or tilting the head, a sharp rise.
• Pain in the heart. They occur not only during emotional stress, but also at rest. Both prolonged, squeezing pain and short-term stabbing pain are possible. Do not disappear after taking nitroglycerin.
• Strong pulse.
• Noise in the ears.
• Visual impairment: veil, fog, "flies" in front of the eyes.
• Arterial disease: cold limbs, intermittent claudication.
• Swelling of the legs. Indicates impaired renal function or heart failure.
• dyspnea. It appears both during physical activity and at rest.

It is important to know

Hypertensive crisis - an emergency caused by excessive high blood pressure, can also be classified as symptoms of hypertension 2 and 3 degrees. At the same time, patients with grade 1 hypertension, strictly following the doctor's recommendations and following a diet for patients with hypertension, can achieve the complete disappearance of the unpleasant symptoms of the disease.

It cannot be said that the symptoms of hypertension in men and women are significantly different, but in fact men are indeed more susceptible to this disease, especially in the age group of 40 to 55 years. This is partly due to the difference in physiological structure: men, unlike women, have a correspondingly higher body weight and the volume of blood circulating in their vessels is significantly higher, which creates favorable conditions for high blood pressure.

On the other hand, women are more responsible for their health, for the right way of life. The number of stressful situations at work, alcohol consumption and cigarettes smoked is higher in men, but this no longer refers to the symptoms of hypertension, but to the reasons for its development.

Treatment of hypertension with drugs and folk remedies

The treatment of hypertension, as well as other diseases that are difficult to diagnose and require constant therapy (diabetes, allergies, prostatitis and impotence), should be compiled and prescribed only by a specialist. If dietary restrictions, salt intake, avoidance of alcohol and smoking, avoidance of stress and other corrective causes of hypertension do not help to normalize blood pressure, high blood pressure pills will be prescribed.

In the treatment of hypertension with folk remedies side effects are usually absent. You don't have to run to the pharmacy for expensive drugs and stand in line to get another prescription. All you have to do is take some time for yourself, change your diet and learn how to manage stress.

Causes of high blood pressure and the development of hypertension

The causes of high blood pressure are still unclear, and both the body's internal systems and external factors play an important role in the development of the disease.

The main causes of hypertension are impaired blood circulation through the vessels, limited flow in the left ventricle of the heart. In modern medicine there is a completely logical explanation for this - structural changes in blood vessels with age, the formation of blood clots and atherosclerotic plaques in their cavities.

If in symptomatic hypertension the causes of high blood pressure are caused by other diseases, then in essential hypertension, namely this form is recorded in 85% of cases, the exact causes of high blood pressure can not be determined, it proceeds independently.

There are many risk factors that contribute to a steady rise in blood pressure, they are generally considered to be the causes of hypertension. They include:

• Age, for men over 55, for women over 65. With age, the walls of blood vessels lose their elasticity, which increases their resistance to blood flow, resulting in increased pressure.
• hereditary predisposition.
• floor. As already mentioned, men are more likely to suffer from hypertension.
• Disorder of fat metabolism, obesity (men with a waist circumference over 102 cm, women - more than 88 cm).
• Diabetes.
• Smoking. It causes an immediate increase in blood pressure, and smokers with many years of experience are prone to vascular disease.
• Alcohol abuse. The blood pressure of a person who has refused to drink is reduced by at least fifteen points.
• Excessive salt intake. Excessive sodium intake, the main component of table salt, is one of the most significant causes of high blood pressure in patients with hypertension: sodium chloride prevents the removal of fluid from the body, which increases the already high vascular tone of the patient. Remember that the average person consumes three times the amount of salt he needs, learn not to add salt to your diet.
• Lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle.
• Exposure to stress.
• Impaired cholesterol metabolism.
• Insufficient dietary potassium intake.
• Increased level of adrenaline in the blood.
• Congenital heart defects.

Various kidney diseases, late toxicosis of pregnant women, regular use of certain drugs, in some cases this also applies to oral contraceptives, should address the causes of secondary hypertension.

The above risk factors can be divided into two major groups:

• Which can be eliminated on their own or with the help of doctors: treatment of obesity, lowering blood cholesterol levels, the number of cigarettes smoked, alcohol or salt consumed, weight loss, etc.
• Avoid what is not possible: age and hereditary predisposition.

Therefore, those who are in the so-called second risk group should carefully monitor their health, control and prevent hypertension. And for anyone who has at least one of the above factors, constantly monitor your blood pressure level and, of course, lead a normal and active lifestyle.