MiCardium Official site
Share this

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 appears with varying degrees of severity.Why hypertension is dangerous, how to prevent the development of the disease and negative consequences - further 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 both men and women equally often, mainly after the age of 40, but it also appears in young people.Hypertension is a fairly 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 to be:

  • 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, experienced tragic situations, depression;
  • nervous tension, problems at work;
  • head injuries, shock, hypothermia;
  • hereditary predisposition - hypertension can appear at a young age;
  • some viral diseases (sinusitis, meningitis);
  • menopause in women - hormonal changes in the body contribute to the appearance of latent diseases, against the background of which hypertension develops;
  • sharp increase in adrenaline in the blood;
  • long stay in front of a computer monitor;
  • sedentary and sedentary lifestyle;
  • eating salt in large quantities;
  • rare exposure to fresh air;
  • drinking large amounts of coffee;
  • bad habits.
Blood pressure measurement for hypertension

Symptoms

The main symptom is high blood pressure - 140/90 mmHg.Art.and above.It is often accompanied by other symptoms.At the initial stage, they are neurotic in nature and manifest:

  • headache;
  • tinnitus;
  • flight "flies" before the eyes or blurred vision;
  • impaired quality of sleep;
  • dizziness;
  • feeling of heaviness in the head;
  • rapid heartbeat;
  • general weakness.

Further development of the disease leads to the following manifestations:

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

Phases and classification

Doctors define 3 stages of arterial hypertension:

  1. The pressure occasionally rises to 140/90 – 159/100 mm Hg.Art.After which it independently returns to normal levels.Often, at this stage, a person is not aware of the disease.It can only be detected by constantly measuring the pressure and keeping a chart based on these indicators.In the initial stage, complications are usually not noticed, but there is still a risk of their development.Pressure increases lead to insufficient blood supply to the organs, which can then result in necrosis and cause a stroke.Metabolic processes in the body are interrupted.Vasoconstriction leads to cardiac overload and cardiac muscle hypertrophy.
  2. The pressure can increase to 160/100 – 179/109 mm Hg.Art.and now does not return to normal levels without the use of medications.In the second stage, accompanying symptoms begin to appear.The risk of developing complications increases;it is rated as medium (risk 2) and high (risk 3).This means that the risk of damage to the target organ during the next 10 years is 20-30%.
  3. The pressure rises to 180/110 and above, and remains constantly high.At this stage, an independent decrease in pressure may indicate a malfunction in the function of the heart.The patient is very aware of the symptoms, which prompts them to seek medical help immediately.At this stage, damage to all internal organs and systems is observed.In advanced cases, it ends in death.Often, stage 3 arterial hypertension requires urgent hospitalization and the use of physiotherapeutic procedures in addition to medications.At this stage, taking medications 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 appearance, they are distinguished:

  • primary hypertension - when arterial hypertension develops as an independent disease;
  • secondary hypertension – when hypertension is a consequence of another disease and requires treatment of the primary disease as well.

There are 4 degrees of severity of hypertension:

  • mild 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 damage to target organs are rarely observed, treatment has a favorable result.
  • malignant hypertension - the first manifestations are observed at a young age, often associated with crises and hypertensive complications and poorly controlled with medications.

Diagnosing

To establish a diagnosis, a series of laboratory and instrumental tests are performed.Based on them, the doctor makes a conclusion about the degree of hypertension and the stage of its course:

  1. The first and most important step in establishing the diagnosis is the measurement of 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.The patient is placed in a special cuff on the shoulder and a portable device on his belt.During the day, the device measures the pressure every 15 minutes, at night - every 30 minutes.Diagnostics is carried out under normal human conditions.
  2. Blood and urine tests.Based on their results, the doctor evaluates the level of cholesterol, hemoglobin, hematocrit, glucose, creatinine, potassium and calcium.
  3. Then, the condition of the target organs is assessed:
    • Physical examination.Murmurs are heard, heart rhythm disorders are examined, and the heart muscle is examined.
    • EKG.An electrocardiogram is performed in addition to a physical examination 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.
    • Examination of the fundus.In the initial stage of hypertension, the narrowing of the arteries and the expansion of the retinal veins will be observed.In the second stage, aneurysms are visible and hemorrhages may occur.In the third stage, vision decreases and the condition of the optic nerve worsens.
    • Ultrasound diagnosis of kidneys and adrenal glands.Kidney tissue damage 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 stage, adjusting lifestyle and weight is sufficient.In the second, you can not do without medicine.In the third phase, combinations of drugs are selected and concomitant diseases are treated.

Drug therapy

Hypertension is often treated by prescribing:

  • Thiazide diuretics – removing fluids from the body, thus lowering blood pressure.
  • Sartans (angiotensin II receptor blockers) are a new generation of 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 heart disorders (arrhythmia, angina, cerebral atherosclerosis).
  • Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors - expand blood vessels and arteries, preventing their spasm.
  • Beta-blockers - normalize the rapid heartbeat, which occurs in response to increased blood pressure.
  • Blockers of alpha-adrenergic receptors - used to expand peripheral blood vessels;Medicines have a mild effect.
taking pills for arterial hypertension

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

Way of life

Treatment of hypertension is impossible without lifestyle changes.First of all, we advise:

  • give up bad habits;
  • avoid stress and emotional stress;
  • avoid excessive physical activity in the gym;
  • priority should be given to running, swimming, gymnastics, race walking and cardio training;
  • increase rest time, pay attention to sleep quality;
  • spend more time in the fresh air (long walks in the park, forest plantations, near water bodies will be useful).

Traditional methods

Folk remedies are widely used in the treatment of hypertension.But you should not forget that you should adhere to a healthy lifestyle, your doctor's recommendations and use them as a supplement (do not replace drug treatment with them).

Traditional treatment should be used for a long time.The effect can be expected after several courses that last 2-3 months with a 10-day break between them.

The best recipes and traditional methods for treating hypertension:

  • 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 the 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, 30 walnuts split, 0.5 liters of vodka.Mix the onion juice and add the splits of walnuts with honey and pour vodka.Leave it for 10 days.Take the infusion 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
  • Recipe 3. A mixture of 0.5 cups of grated beets and the same amount of honey.Take a course of 3 months, 1 tablespoon before meals 3 times a day.
  • Motherwort.It has a calming effect on the nervous system and relaxes the walls of blood vessels.The plant is boiled and taken as a tea.
  • Mint.It helps to cope with nervous tension.The leaves of the plant are added to tea.
  • Aronia is widely used for the treatment of hypertension.You can use its berries to make jellies, compotes, syrups, jams and to prepare fruit drinks.You can take fruit juice 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.
  • Traditional medicine recommends the use of bee venom to normalize blood pressure.To do this, the bees sting the limbs 2 times a week.Bee venom dilates blood vessels, blocks spasms in them and has diuretic properties.

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

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

herbs for arterial hypertension

diets

In addition to the above measures, proper and balanced nutrition plays an important role.Patients with hypertension are advised to exclude foods containing bad cholesterol from their diet:

  • fatty meat;
  • lard;
  • smoked meat;
  • 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 grade;
  • CROPS

Products whose consumption should be limited:

  • Salt, it is better to buy salt with a reduced sodium content.And if possible, replace it with lemon juice, cranberry, cinnamon, cilantro or fennel.
  • Liquid.The volume of liquid consumed per day should not exceed 1 liter.This includes not only water, but also compote, soup, milk and tea.
  • Caffeinated drinks.The goal is to reduce the stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system.
  • Animal fats.It is allowed to consume up to 25 g per day.
  • Sugar.It is limited to 40 g per day.An excess contributes to the development of atherosclerosis.
  • Bread.It is recommended to use crusts or bread baked a few days before.

Preventing

Persons exposed to predisposing factors for the development of the disease must:

  • follow a healthy lifestyle;
  • follow the recommended diet consistently;
  • take multivitamin preparations containing iron;
  • regularly measure your own blood pressure;
  • See a doctor periodically.

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

Complications

Hypertension is dangerous because it can cause diseases that lead to disability and death.

More 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 hypertensive crisis can be:

  • strong psycho-emotional stress;
  • one-time consumption of alcohol in large quantities;
  • discontinuation of hypertension drugs or inadequate treatment;
  • eating salt;
  • meteorological factors.

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

  • lack of air;
  • fear, anxiety;
  • tachycardia;
  • cold sweat;
  • "goose bumps";
  • 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 case of hypertensive crisis, the patient needs urgent medical care in a hospital setting.

Also, depending on the organ affected by the lack of blood circulation, the following diseases may develop:

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

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