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

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

Concept and causes

Hypertension or high blood pressure 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, mainly after the age of 40, but it also occurs in younger people.Hypertension is a fairly common disease that affects 40% of all adults.It is also one of the leading causes of death and disability from cardiovascular diseases.

The main reasons leading 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 state of the blood vessels and heart, which will lead to hypertension;
• emotional stress, tragic situations experienced, depression;
• nervous tension, problems at work;
• head injuries, concussion, hypothermia;
• hereditary predisposition - hypertension can manifest itself at an early 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;
• sudden 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;
• drink large amounts of coffee;
• bad habits.

Symptoms

The main symptom is high blood pressure: 140/90 mmHg.Art.and higher.It is usually accompanied by other symptoms.In the initial stage they are neurotic in nature and manifest themselves:

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

Further development of the disease leads to the following manifestations:

• nosebleeds;
• vomit;
• even with little effort the face turns red;
• a 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;
• Problems with potency (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 which 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 the 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.Sudden increases in pressure cause insufficient blood supply to the organs, which can subsequently lead to necrosis and lead to a stroke.The body's metabolic processes are altered.Vasoconstriction causes overstrain of the heart and hypertrophy of the heart muscle.
2. The pressure can increase up 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.Increases the risk of developing complications;It is evaluated as medium (risk 2) and high (risk 3).This means that the risk of target organ damage in the next 10 years is 20 to 30%.
3. The pressure rises to 180/110 and higher and remains constantly high.At this stage, an independent decrease in pressure may indicate a malfunction in cardiac function.The patient is very aware of the symptoms, prompting 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.Often, stage 3 high blood pressure requires urgent hospitalization in a hospital and the use of physiotherapy 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 appearance, there are:

• primary hypertension - when high blood pressure 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.

Depending on the clinical course, they are distinguished:

• benign hypertension - pressure does not increase 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 accompanied by hypertensive crises and complications, and are not well controlled with medications.

Diagnosis

To make a diagnosis, a series of instrumental and laboratory 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 making a diagnosis is to measure blood pressure.You can do it yourself using a tonometer.In some cases, the doctor recommends monitoring pressure changes daily, the so-called ABPM method.The patient is put on a special bracelet 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.Diagnostics are carried out in conditions familiar to a person.
2. Blood and urine tests.Based on its results, the doctor evaluates the level of cholesterol, hemoglobin, hematocrit, glucose, creatinine, potassium and calcium.
3. Next, the state of the target organs is evaluated:
• Physical examination.Noises are listened to, heart rhythm disturbances are examined, and the heart muscle is examined.
• ECG.An electrocardiogram is performed as a complement to the physical examination to more accurately evaluate the condition of the heart.
• Dopplerography.It is carried out to evaluate the permeability of blood vessels.
• Arteriography.An X-ray method for assessing the condition of the arteries, defects in their walls and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques.
• Fundus examination.In the initial stage of hypertension, narrowing of the arteries and dilation of the retinal veins will be noted.In the second stage, aneurysms are noticeable and hemorrhage may occur.In the third stage, vision decreases and the condition of the optic nerve worsens.
• Ultrasound diagnosis of kidneys and adrenal glands.Damage to kidney tissue is detected due to hypertension.

Treatment and prevention

Based on the results of the diagnosis, the doctor individually selects drug treatment for each patient.At the initial stage, it is enough to adjust your lifestyle and weight.In the second, you cannot do without medications.In the third stage, drug combinations are selected and concomitant diseases are also treated.

Drug therapy

Hypertension is often treated by prescribing:

• Thiazide diuretics: remove fluid from the body and thus reduce 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 cardiac disorders (arrhythmia, angina, cerebral atherosclerosis).
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors: dilate blood vessels and arteries, preventing their spasms.
• Beta blockers - normalize rapid heart rate, which occurs in reaction to increased blood pressure.
• Alpha-adrenergic receptor blockers: used to dilate peripheral blood vessels;The drugs have a mild effect.

All medications 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;
• preference should be given to running, swimming, gymnastics, walking and cardiovascular training;
• increase rest time, pay attention to sleep quality;
• spend more time outdoors (long walks in a park, forest plantation, near water bodies will be useful).

Traditional methods

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

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

The best recipes and traditional methods to treat hypertension:

• Recipe 1. You should 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 a tablespoon on an empty stomach.
• Recipe 2. To prepare the infusion you will need: juice from 3 kg of onion, 0.5 kg of honey, partitions from 30 walnuts, 0.5 liters of vodka.Mix the onion juice and add the walnut partitions with honey and pour in the 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 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 made and taken in the form of tea.
• Mint.Helps cope with nervous tension.The leaves of the plant are added to tea.
• Chokeberry is widely used to treat hypertension.You can use its berries to make jellies, compotes, syrups, jams and prepare fruit drinks.You can drink the 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 undesirable reactions, the use of home remedies with these components is contraindicated.

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

Diet

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

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

Among the products necessary for the body for hypertension are:

• vegetables;
• fruit;
• berries;
• green;
• milk products;
• legumes;
• lean meat, dietary grades;
• cereals

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, cranberries, cinnamon, cilantro or dill.
• Liquid.The volume of liquid 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.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 that predispose to the development of the disease should:

• follow a healthy lifestyle;
• follow the recommended diet continuously;
• take multivitamin preparations containing iron;
• periodically measure your blood pressure yourself;
• Visit a doctor periodically.

You can learn about what hypertension is, the causes of its development, possible complications and how to keep pressure under control using home remedies and more in the following video:

Complications

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

Very 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 a hypertensive crisis can be:

• strong psycho-emotional stress;
• single consumption of alcohol in large quantities;
• discontinuation of hypertension medications or inappropriate treatment;
• eat salt;
• meteorological factors.

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

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

In the event of a hypertensive crisis, the patient needs urgent medical attention in a hospital.

Additionally, depending on the organ affected by the lack of blood circulation, the following diseases can develop:

• heart failure;
• kidney failure;
• coronary insufficiency;
• hemorrhages, cerebrovascular accidents;
• myocardial infarction;
• thrombosis;
• vision impairment and loss;
• decreased sensation in the extremities or paralysis.

Hypertension in its early stages can be completely cured.Then, as in the latter, it causes 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.