What is hypertension: basic concepts and why it is dangerous

Hypertension (hypertension) is the most common disease of the cardiovascular system.

Hypertension is "rejuvenating" rapidly, today it is a disease not only of the elderly, but often appears in pregnant women and is becoming increasingly common in adolescents.

What is hypertension? The answer to this question can be found in the definition of the condition of this disease.

It is characterized by chronically elevated blood pressure, when the highest value (systolic pressure) exceeds 140 mm Hg, and the lowest (diastolic pressure) is above 90 mm Hg. undergo at least three measurements made at different times in a person who is at rest.

The optimal indicators of blood pressure are 120-130 to 80-89 mm Hg, if they are higher, then it is necessary to actively begin treatment of hypertension. However, few diagnose the disease at an early stage: about 35% of men and 55% of women know about high blood pressure, only half of them are involved in the treatment of hypertension and only 6% of the male populationand 20% of the female population control their blood pressure.

The sooner hypertension is identified and controlled, the lower the risk of developing complications of hypertension (ischemic disease, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, low blood testosterone levels, erectile dysfunction) in the future.

Hypertension can be one of the causes of impotence in men.

It is useful to note

The main task of treating hypertension is the constant control of blood pressure to avoid even more serious health problems, as this disease can not be completely cured.

What is dangerous hypertension

With prolonged high blood pressure, the walls of blood vessels thicken and lose their ability to relax, which impedes the normal blood supply and, as a result, the saturation of tissues and organs with oxygen and other nutrients. and a reduction in their functional activity. Let's take a closer look at what dangerous hypertension is:

• Hypertensive crisis- The most frequent exacerbation of hypertension can occur in a relatively satisfactory condition of the patient, as well as caused by the patient's psychophysical stress. Developing rapidly, the hypertensive crisis dramatically increases blood pressure, causing severe headaches, dizziness, tachycardia or arrhythmia, nausea and vomiting. At risk are those who suffer from addiction to the weather, are in the pre-climatic period.
• myocardial infarction- complicated by hypertension can occur within minutes and lead to death. The main symptom is a prolonged attack of pain.
• Stroke- Disorders of blood circulation in the vessels of the brain, cerebral hemorrhage, characterized by a sudden strong headache, which is quickly accompanied by other symptoms from the brain: speech impairment, twisting of the mouth, paralysis of part of thebody. If urgent measures are taken and capillary bleeding occurs in case of hypertension, then this process can be reversible.
• angina pectoris- the disease is less transient. Violation of the heart causes severe emotional overload, overwork. Accompanied by severe dull chest pain, discomfort, may cause frequent vomiting.
• Infrakt- a chronic condition of the heart muscle, in which it is unable to provide oxygen to the organs and tissues of the body. It is characterized by the total weakness of the patient, in which he is unable to cope with elementary physical activity: independent standing, walking, etc.
• Coronary artery disease- Insufficient blood supply to the coronary arteries, resulting in insufficient nutrition of the heart. With careful adherence to the prescribed treatment of hypertension, it is not difficult to avoid the development of coronary heart disease.
• kidney failure- Impaired kidney function, destruction of neurons, partial inability to remove toxins from the body. Hypertension is the second leading cause of acute or chronic renal failure after diabetes mellitus.
• visual distortion- occurs as a result of impaired blood supply to the retina and optic nerve. A sharp rise in blood pressure can cause spasm of the artery that feeds the optic nerve, impairing the integrity of retinal vessels. Hypertension is dangerous with pathologies such as retinal or vitreous hemorrhage: the first leads to the formation of a black spot in the field of vision, the second leads to vision loss in the affected eye.

To avoid any complication that is so dangerous for hypertension, it is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner and do an examination, which will help determine the stage of development of the disease and determine the required treatment.

Degrees of hypertension: classification, form

Due to the nature of the evaluation of one or more criteria, a number of hypertension classifications are used.

Determine such stages of development as origin, form of flow, level of blood pressure, degree of damage to target organs.

The main task in establishing the diagnosis of hypertension is to differentiate the nature of the disease. Here are two major groups:

• primary or essential hypertension - increase in blood pressure is the main cause;
• Secondary or symptomatic hypertension - high blood pressure is caused by diseases of other organs or systems: kidney, heart, endocrine glands, lungs, thyroid gland.

According to experts

Treatment of symptomatic hypertension can not occur without treatment of the disease that caused it and starts with it. In some cases, along with eliminating the underlying disease, the hypertension also disappears.

Also, blood pressure, up to a hypertensive crisis, can increase due to the wrong taking of certain medications, with neurosis, excessive use of caffeine and other stimulants.

When diagnosing essential hypertension, doctors usually classify the disease according to their blood pressure level in order to choose the right tactics for treating essential hypertension. In international practice, there are three degrees of hypertension:

• Hypertension 1 degree- systolic pressure 140−159 mm Hg, diastolic pressure 90−99 mm Hg. A mild form of the disease, in which an immediate change in blood pressure is characteristic, can return to normal on its own and grow again.
• Hypertension 2 degrees- systolic 160-179 mm Hg, diastolic 100-109 mm Hg. Moderate form, pressure increase is more prolonged, rarely falls to normal values.
• Hypertension 3 degrees- systolic over 180 mm Hg, diastolic over 110 mm Hg. Severe form, the pressure is stable at the level of pathological indicators, persists with severe complications and is difficult to correct with medication.

Separately, isolated systolic hypertension is isolated, it occurs in about one third of elderly people with hypertension. This form is due to loss of elasticity of large age-related vessels, often accompanied by myocardial infarction, coronary heart disease, congestive heart failure, and left ventricular hypertrophy. Blood pressure indicators: systolic up to 160 mm Hg. and above, diastolic - below 90 mm Hg.

Useful information

It is worth mentioning another small group - the so-called "white layer hypertension", when, under the influence of psycho-emotional factors, a person's blood pressure rises only at the moment of its measurement by a medical worker. In such cases, the diagnosis is clarified by repeated pressure measurements in a quiet indoor environment.

In addition to the degree of hypertension, when a diagnosis is made, risk factors are assessed that can lead to complications of the cardiovascular system and the stage of clinical progression of the disease:

• Transient hypertension (initial phase).. The pressure increase is periodic, returning to normal values; no drugs that lower blood pressure are used.
• labile hypertension. The increase in blood pressure is directly related to a provocative factor: stress, severe psychological or physical stress. Medication is needed to stabilize the pressure.
• Stable hypertension. Continuous increase in pressure, in which serious supportive therapy is used.
• Malina form. By increasing the pressure to very high levels, the disease progresses rapidly and leads to the development of serious complications.
• The form of the crisis. Periodic hypertensive crises are characteristic against the background of normal or slightly elevated pressure.

An assessment of the severity of hypertension and the risk of possible complications is possible only on the basis of a thorough examination: general and biochemical tests, ultrasound of the heart and other organs, ECG, fundus examination. A thorough examination of a patient with hypertension is usually performed during hospital treatment.

High blood pressure is the main warning symptom of hypertension in both men and women.

The symptoms of hypertension can be absent for a long time and if a person does not constantly use a tonometer, he can learn about his disease as he has already started to treat its complications.

Often hypertension has no manifestations at all, except for its main symptoms - persistent high blood pressure.

Moreover, the concept of "persistent" or "chronic" is key here, because in a variety of situations (stress, fear or anger), the pressure can rise and then return to normal on its own.

However, few control their blood pressure levels, so you should pay attention to the following symptoms, which indicate the development of hypertension:

• Headache. Most often it manifests itself in the occipital region, parietal or in the temples. It can occur both at night and immediately after waking up. As a rule, it increases with mental or physical strain. Sometimes accompanied by swelling of the eyelids and face.
• Dizziness. Sometimes even with a little physical effort: coughing, turning or tilting the head, sharp lifting.
• Pain in the heart region. Occur not only with emotional stress, but also at rest. Both long-term, excruciating, and short-term, stabbing pains are possible. Do not disappear after taking nitroglycerin.
• Strong heartbeats.
• Noise in the ear.
• Visual impairment: veil, fog, "flies" before the eyes.
• Arterial disease: cold extremities, intermittent claudication.
• Swelling of the feet. Indicate a violation of the excretory function of the kidneys or heart failure.
• Dyspnea. Occurs both during exercise and at rest.

It is important to know

Hypertensive crisis - an emergency caused by excessively high blood pressure levels, can also be classified as symptoms of 2 and 3 degree hypertension. At the same time, patients with grade 1 hypertension, by strictly following the doctor's recommendations and following a diet for patients with hypertension, can achieve the complete disappearance of the unpleasant symptoms of the disease.

It can not be said that the symptoms of hypertension in men and women are significantly different, but in fact men are really more susceptible to this disease, especially in the age group from 40 to 55 years. This is partly due to the change in physiological structure: men, unlike women, have a greater body weight, respectively, and the volume of blood circulating in their vessels is significantly higher, which creates favorable conditions forhigh blood pressure.

On the other hand, women are more responsible for their health, proper lifestyle. The number of stressful situations at work, consumed alcohol and smoked cigarettes is greater in men, but this no longer refers to the symptoms of hypertension, but the causes of its development.

Treatment of hypertension with folk remedies and remedies

Treatment of hypertension, as well as other diseases that are difficult to diagnose and require ongoing therapy (diabetes mellitus, allergies, prostatitis and impotence), should be devised and prescribed only by a specialist. If dietary restrictions, salt intake, avoidance of alcohol and smoking, avoidance of stress and other correctable causes of hypertension do not help to normalize blood pressure levels, high blood pressure pills will be prescribed.

When treating hypertension with folk remedies, side effects are usually absent. It is not necessary to run to the pharmacy for expensive drugs and stand in line for the doctor to write another prescription. All you have to do is take some time for yourself, change your diet and learn how to manage stress.

Causes of high blood pressure and the development of hypertension

The causes of hypertension are not yet completely clear; both the internal systems of the body and external factors play an important role in the development of the disease.

The main causes of hypertension are impaired blood circulation through the vessels, limited flow to the left ventricle of the heart. In modern medicine, there is a completely logical explanation for this - structural changes in blood vessels with age, the formation of blood clots and atherosclerotic plaques in their cavities.

If in symptomatic hypertension the causes of high blood pressure are caused by other diseases, then in essential hypertension, respectively this form is recorded in 85% of cases, the exact causes of high blood pressure can not be determined, it appears independently.

There are many risk factors that contribute to a persistent rise in blood pressure, they are commonly considered to be the causes of hypertension. This includes:

• Age, for men over 55 years, for women over 65 years. With age, the walls of blood vessels lose their elasticity, which increases their resistance to blood flow, as a result, the pressure increases.
• hereditary predisposition.
• Kati. As already mentioned, men are more likely to suffer from hypertension.
• Violation of fat metabolism, obesity (men with a waist circumference of more than 102 cm, women - more than 88 cm).
• Diabetes.
• Smoking. Causes a sudden rise in blood pressure and smokers with many years of experience are prone to vascular disease.
• Alcohol abuse. The blood pressure of a person who has quit drinking is reduced by at least fifteen points.
• Excess salt intake. Excessive sodium intake, the main constituent of table salt, is one of the most important causes of high blood pressure in patients with hypertension: sodium chloride prevents the removal of fluids from the body, which increases the already high vascular tone ofpatient. Remember, the average person consumes three times the amount of salt they need, learn not to add salt to your food.
• Lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle.
• Exposure to stress.
• Disorder of cholesterol metabolism.
• Insufficient dietary intake of potassium.
• Increased level of adrenaline in the blood.
• Congenital heart defects.

Various kidney diseases, late toxicosis of pregnant women, regular intake of certain medications, in some cases this also applies to oral contraceptives, should be attributed to the causes of secondary hypertension.

The above risk factors can be divided into two major groups:

• Which can be eliminated on their own or with the help of doctors: treat obesity, lower blood cholesterol levels, the number of cigarettes smoked, alcohol or salt consumed, lose weight, etc.
• Avoid which is not possible: age and hereditary predispositions.

Therefore, those who are in the so-called second risk group should carefully monitor their health, control and prevent hypertension. And for all those who have at least one of the above factors, constantly monitor their blood pressure level and, of course, lead a normal and active lifestyle.