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 impaired.The disease is diagnosed in many adults and manifests itself in 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 high blood pressure is the name given to the increase in blood pressure that results from changes in vascular tone.The disease affects men as often as women, mainly after the age of 40, but it also occurs in younger people.Hypertension is a fairly common condition, affecting 40% of all adults.It is also one of the leading causes of death and disability from cardiovascular disease.

The main reasons leading to hypertension are considered to be:

• atherosclerosis – age-related changes in blood vessels and their blockage by atherosclerotic plaques;
• excess weight, even in small amounts, can affect the condition of blood vessels and the heart, which will cause hypertension;
• emotional stress, tragic situations experienced, depression;
• nervous tension, problems at work;
• head injuries, concussion, hypothermia;
• hereditary predisposition - hypertension can manifest itself at a young age;
• certain 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;
• sharp increases in adrenaline in the blood;
• prolonged stay in front of a computer screen;
• sedentary and sedentary lifestyle;
• eat 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.At the initial stage, they are neurotic in nature and manifest themselves:

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

Further development of the disease leads to the following manifestations:

• nosebleeds;
• to vomit;
• even with little effort, the face turns red;
• a feeling of pressure on the eyes - often forces patients to lie down with their eyes closed and wait for the attack to pass;
• swelling;
• memory problems;
• feeling tired;
• potency problems (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 a person is unaware of the condition.It can only be detected by constantly measuring pressure and keeping a chart based on these indicators.At the initial stage, complications are usually not observed, but there is always a risk of their development.Pressure spikes lead to insufficient blood supply to organs, which can then lead to necrosis and cause a stroke.Metabolic processes in the body are disrupted.Vasoconstriction causes the heart to overstretch and the heart muscle to enlarge.
2. The pressure can rise up to 160/100 – 179/109 mm Hg. Art.and now does not return to normal levels without the use of medication.During the second stage, associated symptoms begin to appear.The risk of developing complications increases;it is assessed as medium (risk 2) and high (risk 3).This means that the risk of target organ damage over 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 fully aware of the symptoms, which prompts him to consult a doctor 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 in a hospital 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 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 also requires treatment of the primary disease.

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 reach critical 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 crises and hypertensive complications, and are poorly controlled by medications.

Diagnosis

To make a diagnosis, a number of laboratory and instrumental tests are carried out.Based on this, the doctor draws a conclusion about the degree of hypertension and the stage of its development:

1. The first and most important step in making a diagnosis is measuring blood pressure.You can do this yourself using a tonometer.In some cases, the doctor recommends daily monitoring of pressure changes, the so-called ABPM method.The patient wears a special cuff on his shoulder and a portable device on his belt.During the day, the device measures pressure every 15 minutes, at night every 30 minutes.Diagnostics are carried out 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 condition of the target organs is assessed:
• Physical examination.Noises are heard, heart rhythm disturbances are examined, and the heart muscle is examined.
• ECG.An electrocardiogram is performed in addition to a physical examination to more precisely assess the condition of the heart.
• Dopplerography.It is performed to assess the permeability of blood vessels.
• Arteriography.An X-ray method for assessing the condition of 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 veins of the retina will be noticeable.In the second stage, aneurysms are visible and hemorrhages may occur.In the third stage, vision decreases and the condition of the optic nerve deteriorates.
• Ultrasound diagnosis of the 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.At the initial stage, lifestyle and weight adjustments are enough.Secondly, you cannot do without medications.At the third stage, drug combinations are selected and concomitant diseases are also treated.

Drug therapy

Hypertension is often treated by prescribing:

• Thiazide diuretics – removing fluids from the body, thereby reducing blood pressure.
• Sartans (angiotensin II receptor blockers) are a new generation of drugs that reduce blood pressure throughout the day and require a single dose in the morning or evening.
• Calcium antagonists - should be used in case of concomitant cardiac disorders (arrhythmia, angina, cerebral atherosclerosis).
• Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors - dilate blood vessels and arteries, preventing their spasm.
• Beta blockers - normalize rapid heart rate, which occurs in response 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, fitness walking and cardio training;
• increase rest time, pay attention to sleep quality;
• spend more time in the fresh air (long walks in a park, a forest plantation, near bodies of water will be useful).

Traditional methods

Folk remedies are widely used in the treatment of hypertension.But remember that you must follow 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 fairly long period of time.The effect can be expected after several courses lasting 2-3 months with breaks of 10 days 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 of 3 kg of onion, 0.5 kg of honey, partitions of 30 walnuts, 0.5 liters of vodka.Mix the onion juice and add the walnut partitions with the 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 brewed and consumed as tea.
• Mint.Helps to cope with nervous tension.The leaves of the plant are added to tea.
• Aronia is widely used to treat hypertension.You can use its berries to make jellies, compotes, syrups, jams and prepare 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 twice a week.Bee venom dilates blood vessels, blocks spasms 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 containing 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 recovery from hypertension.

Diet

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

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

Among the products necessary for the body in case of hypertension are:

• vegetables;
• fruits;
• berries;
• Green;
• dairy products;
• legumes;
• lean meat, dietary qualities;
• cereals

Products whose consumption must be limited:

• Salt, it is best to buy salt with reduced sodium content.And if possible, replace it with lemon juice, cranberries, 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.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 predisposing to the development of the disease should:

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

You can learn more about what hypertension is, the reasons for 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;
• occasional consumption of alcohol in large quantities;
• stopping blood pressure medications or inadequate treatment;
• eat salt;
• meteorological factors.

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

• lack of air;
• fear, anxiety;
• tachycardia;
• cold sweats;
• "goosebumps";
• hand tremors and internal tremors;
• redness of the skin of the face;
• dizziness;
• nausea and vomiting;
• numbness of lips, tongue;
• slurred speech;
• signs of heart failure (in complex cases).

In the event of a hypertensive crisis, the patient requires urgent medical care in a hospital setting.

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

• heart failure;
• renal 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 in the latter case, it leads to serious complications, even death.Therefore, at the first manifestations of the disease, you should consult a doctor and not neglect treatment and preventive methods.