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

Hypertension (arterial hypertension) is high blood pressure that develops with impaired blood circulation in the vessels.The disease is diagnosed in many adults and proceeds 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 reasons

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

The main causes leading to hypertension are considered to be:

• atherosclerosis - age-related changes in blood vessels and their blockage with atherosclerotic plaques;
• overweight, 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 appear 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;
• a sharp increase in adrenaline in the blood;
• prolonged stay in front of a computer monitor;
• a sedentary and sedentary lifestyle;
• eating 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 higher.It is often 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;
• poor quality of sleep;
• vertigo;
• feeling of heaviness in the head;
• rapid heart rate;
• general weakness.

Further development of the disease leads to the following manifestations:

• nosebleeds;
• vomiting;
• even with a 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;
• potency problems (in men).

Stages 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 which it independently returns to normal levels.Often at this stage a person does not know about the disease.It can only be detected by constantly measuring the pressure and keeping a graph based on these indicators.In the initial stage, complications are usually not observed, but there is still a risk of their development.Pressure surges lead to insufficient blood supply to the organs, which can subsequently lead to necrosis and cause a stroke.Metabolic processes in the body are disturbed.Vasoconstriction leads to cardiac strain 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 the use of medication.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 target organ damage 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 aware of the symptoms, which prompts him to seek medical attention immediately.At this stage, damage to all internal organs and systems is observed.In advanced cases, it ends in death.Often, arterial hypertension in stage 3 requires urgent hospitalization in a hospital and the application of physical therapy procedures in addition to drugs.At this stage, the medication becomes permanent and is not canceled even if the condition improves.

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

Depending on the causes of the appearance, there are:

• 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, 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 outcome.
• malignant hypertension - the first manifestations are observed at a young age, are often accompanied by hypertensive crises and complications, and are poorly controlled with medication.

Diagnosis

A number of laboratory and instrumental tests are performed to make the diagnosis.Based on them, the doctor draws 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 measuring 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.A special cuff and a portable belt device are placed on the patient's shoulder.During the day, the device measures the pressure every 15 minutes, at night - every 30 minutes.The diagnosis 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. The condition of the target organs is then assessed:
• Physical examination.Noises are heard, disturbances in the heart rhythm and heart muscle are examined.
• EKG.The electrocardiogram is performed as an adjunct to the physical examination for a more accurate assessment of the condition of the heart.
• Dopplerography.It is performed to assess the patency of blood vessels.
• Arteriography.X-ray method for assessing the state of the arteries, defects in their walls and the presence of atherosclerotic plaques.
• Examination of the fundus.In the initial stage of hypertension, narrowing of the arteries and dilation of the retinal veins will be noticeable.In the second stage, aneurysms are seen 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.Kidney tissue damage due to hypertension is detected.

Treatment and prevention

Based on the results of the diagnosis, the doctor selects an individual treatment for each patient.In the initial stage, lifestyle and weight adjustments are sufficient.Secondly, you can not do without drugs.At the third stage, combinations of drugs are selected and concomitant diseases are treated.

Drug therapy

Hypertension is often treated by prescribing:

• Thiazide diuretics – by removing fluid from the body, thereby 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 concomitant heart diseases (arrhythmia, angina pectoris, cerebral atherosclerosis).
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors - expand blood vessels and arteries, preventing their spasm.
• Beta blockers - normalize the accelerated heart rate that occurs as a reaction to increased blood pressure.
• Blockers of alpha-adrenergic receptors - used to dilate peripheral blood vessels;the 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;
• preference should be given to running, swimming, gymnastics, competitive walking and cardio training;
• increase rest time, pay attention to sleep quality;
• spend more time in the fresh air (long walks in a park, forest plantation, 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 additional (do not replace drug treatment with them).

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

The best recipes and traditional methods for treating hypertension:

• Recipe 1. You need to take: 250 g of honey (preferably honey from flowers), 1 lemon, 2 cups of beet juice, 1.5 cups of cranberry juice, 1 cup 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 onions, 0.5 kg of honey, partitions from 30 nuts, 0.5 l of vodka.Mix the onion juice and add the walnut partitions with honey and pour vodka.Leave for 10 days.Take 1 tablespoon of the infusion 3 times a day.
• Recipe 3. A mixture of 0.5 cups of chopped beets and the same amount of honey.Take a 3-month course of 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 brewed and taken as a tea.
• Mint.Helps to deal with nervous tension.The leaves of the plant are added to the tea.
• Aronia is widely used to treat hypertension.You can use its fruits to make jellies, compotes, syrups, jams and make fruit drinks.You can take 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, 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 adverse reactions, the use of folk remedies with these components is contraindicated.

Folk remedies have a sedative, diuretic, soothing and antispasmodic effect.They contain many vitamins and trace elements, acids that have a beneficial effect on the body and help treat 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;
• lard;
• smoked meats;
• pickles;
• fried foods;
• freshly baked bread.

Among the products needed by the body in hypertension are:

• vegetables;
• fruits;
• berries;
• green;
• dairy products;
• legumes;
• lean meat, dietary classes;
• 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, blueberries, cinnamon, coriander or dill.
• Liquid.The volume 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 aim is to reduce the stimulating effect on the cardiovascular system.
• Animal fats.Consuming up to 25 g per day is allowed.
• sugar.Limit to 40 g 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 predisposing to the development of the disease should:

• adhere to a healthy lifestyle;
• always follow the recommended diet;
• take multivitamins containing iron;
• measure your own blood pressure regularly;
• See a doctor periodically.

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

Complications

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

Most 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 medication 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;
• "goosebumps";
• trembling of the hands and internal trembling;
• redness of the skin of the face;
• vertigo;
• nausea and vomiting;
• numbness of the lips, tongue;
• slurred speech;
• signs of heart failure (in complicated cases).

In case of a hypertensive crisis, the patient needs urgent medical assistance in a hospital setting.

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

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

Hypertension in its early stages can be completely cured.Then, as with the last one, there are serious complications and even death.Therefore, at the first manifestations of the disease, you should consult a doctor and do not neglect treatment and preventive methods.