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

Hypertension (arterial hypertension) is high blood pressure that occurs when blood circulation in blood vessels is disturbed.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 its negative consequences - further in the article.

Concept and causes

Hypertension or arterial hypertension is the name for elevated blood pressure that occurs as a result of a change in vascular tone.The disease affects both men and women equally often, mostly after the age of 40, but it also occurs in younger 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 that lead to hypertension are considered to be:

• atherosclerosis - age-related changes in blood vessels and their clogging 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, 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, on the background of which hypertension develops;
• sudden increase of adrenaline in the blood;
• prolonged stay in front of a computer monitor;
• sedentary and sedentary lifestyle;
• consuming salt in large quantities;
• rare exposure to fresh air;
• drinking large amounts of coffee;
• bad habits.

Symptoms

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

• headache;
• tinnitus;
• flying "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;
• to throw up;
• even with little effort the face turns red;
• a feeling of pressure on the eyes - often makes patients lie with their eyes closed and wait for the attack to pass;
• swelling;
• memory impairment;
• feeling tired;
• problems with potency (in men).

Phases and classification

Doctors define 3 stages of arterial hypertension:

1. The pressure rises from time to time to 140/90 – 159/100 mm Hg.Art.After that, it returns to normal levels on its own.Often, at this stage, the 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.Increased pressure leads to insufficient blood supply to organs, which can lead to necrosis and stroke.Metabolic processes in the body are disturbed.Vasoconstriction leads to overstrain of the heart and cardiac muscle hypertrophy.
2. The pressure can rise to 160/100 – 179/109 mm Hg.Art.and now it does not return to normal levels without medication.In the second phase, 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 target organs in 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 cardiac function.The patient is acutely aware of the symptoms, which prompts them to seek medical attention immediately.In this phase, damage to all internal organs and systems is observed.In advanced cases, it ends in death.Often, the 3rd stage of arterial hypertension requires urgent hospitalization in a hospital and the use of physiotherapeutic procedures in addition to drugs.At this stage, taking the medication becomes constant and does not stop even if the condition improves.

Hypertensive crisis often occurs in stage 2 and 3 hypertension.

Depending on the causes of their occurrence, they differ:

• 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:

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

According to the clinical course, they differ:

• benign hypertension - pressure does not rise to critically high levels, hypertensive crises and damage to target organs are rarely observed, treatment has a favorable outcome.
• malignant hypertension - the first manifestations are observed at a young age, often followed by hypertensive crises and complications, and are poorly controlled by drugs.

Diagnostics

In order to make a diagnosis, a series of laboratory and instrumental tests are carried out.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 a diagnosis is measuring blood pressure.You can do it yourself with a tonometer.In some cases, the doctor recommends daily monitoring of pressure changes, the so-called ABPM method.A special cuff is placed on the patient's shoulder and a portable device is placed on the belt.During the day, the device measures the pressure every 15 minutes, at night - every 30 minutes.Diagnostics is performed under normal human conditions.
2. Blood and urine tests.Based on their results, the doctor assesses the level of cholesterol, hemoglobin, hematocrit, glucose, creatinine, potassium and calcium.
3. Then the state of the target organs is assessed:
• Physical examination.Murmurs are heard, heart rhythm disorders and heart muscle are examined.
• EKG.An electrocardiogram is performed in addition to a physical examination 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 on their walls and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques.
• Fund review.In the initial phase of hypertension, narrowing of arteries and dilation of retinal veins will be noticeable.In the second stage, aneurysms are visible and bleeding may occur.In the third stage, vision decreases and the condition of the optic nerve deteriorates.
• Ultrasound diagnostics of 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.On the other hand, you cannot do without medication.In the third phase, drug combinations are selected, and concomitant diseases are treated.

Drug therapy

Hypertension is often treated by prescribing:

• Thiazide diuretics – by removing fluid from the body, reducing 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 in accompanying cardiac disorders (arrhythmia, angina pectoris, cerebral atherosclerosis).
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors - expand blood vessels and arteries, preventing their spasm.
• Beta blockers - normalize accelerated heart rate, which occurs as a reaction to increased blood pressure.
• Blockers of alpha-adrenergic receptors - used to expand peripheral blood vessels;drugs have a mild effect.

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

Lifestyle

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

• get rid of bad habits;
• avoid stress and emotional stress;
• avoid excessive physical activity in the gym;
• priority should be given to running, swimming, gymnastics, jogging 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 must adhere to a healthy lifestyle, your doctor's recommendations and use them as supplements (do not replace drug treatment with them).

Traditional treatment should be used for quite a long time.The effect can be expected after several courses lasting 2-3 months with breaks of 10 days.

The best recipes and traditional methods for treating hypertension:

• Recipe 1. It is necessary to take: 250 g of honey (preferably floral), 1 lemon, 2 glasses of beetroot 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, partitions of 30 nuts, 0.5 liters of vodka.Mix onion juice and add nuts with honey and pour vodka.Allow 10 days.Take the infusion 1 tablespoon 3 times a day.
• Recipe 3. A mixture of 0.5 cup of chopped beets and the same amount of honey.Take in 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 deal with nervous tension.The leaves of the plant are added to tea.
• Aronia is widely used to treat hypertension.You can make jellies, compotes, syrups, jams and fruit drinks from its berries.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 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 treatment of hypertension.

Diet

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

• fatty meat;
• fat;
• smoked meat;
• pickles;
• fried food;
• freshly baked bread.

Among the products needed by the body for hypertension are:

• vegetables;
• fruit;
• berries;
• green;
• dairy products;
• legumes;
• lean meat, dietary categories;
• cereals

Products whose consumption should be limited:

• Salt, it is better to buy salt with reduced sodium content.And if possible, replace it with lemon juice, cranberries, cinnamon, cilantro or dill.
• Liquid.The amount of fluid consumed per day should not exceed 1 liter.This includes not only water, but also compotes, soups, milk and tea.
• Caffeinated drinks.The goal is to reduce the stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system.
• Animal fats.Consuming up to 25 g per day is allowed.
• Sugar.Limit to 40g per day.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 that predispose to the onset of the disease should:

• adhere to a healthy lifestyle;
• continuously adhere to the recommended diet;
• take multivitamin preparations containing iron;
• measure your own blood pressure regularly;
• Visit the 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 from the following video:

Complications

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

Most often, a hypertensive crisis develops.This is a sudden increase in pressure, which is accompanied by a deterioration of the patient's well-being.The cause of a hypertensive crisis can be:

• strong psychoemotional stress;
• one-time consumption of alcohol in large quantities;
• discontinuation of hypertension medication or inadequate treatment;
• salt consumption;
• meteorological factors.

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

• lack of air;
• fear, anxiety;
• tachycardia;
• cold sweat;
• "goosebumps";
• 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 a hypertensive crisis, the patient needs emergency medical assistance in a hospital environment.

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

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

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