Constant high blood pressure in medicine has several names: hypertension, high blood pressure, essential hypertension.The disease can cause damage to the kidneys, heart, blood vessels, cause stroke, heart attack, bleeding from stomach ulcer and other serious consequences.In order to prevent dangerous health problems, it is necessary to take timely measures to prevent the disease and to know the risk factors that significantly increase the risk of hypertension.
What is hypertension
It is a chronic pathology which develops following a dysfunction of vascular regulation, renal and neurohumoral mechanisms.Hypertension (HTN) is a dangerous body condition in which there is a persistent increase in blood pressure (BP) with levels above 140/90 mmHg.Art.in patients not taking antihypertensives.
Hypertension represents approximately 40% of all cardiovascular pathologies.The disease occurs more often in men than in women.The risk of developing pathology in both sexes increases with age.Hypertension is mainly diagnosed in patients after 40 years, but recently the disease is increasingly recorded in adolescents and young adults.
Stages of headache
Hypertension is a chronic pathology that has three stages of development.In an adult, optimal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg.Art.A slight deviation from these indicators up to 139/89 mm Hg. Art.also applies to the standard.Higher figures in medical practice are considered pathology.The diagnosis of "hypertension" is made when indicators above 140/90 are repeatedly recorded under different conditions.
Stage 1 hypertension is characterized by sudden changes in pressure.This already indicates a pathological process occurring in the body.In its early stages, the disease is almost always asymptomatic.The patient does not pay attention to certain signs of hypertension, which explains the high percentage of late requests for qualified help.Symptoms of stage 1 hypertension:
- blood pressure indicators: from 140/90 to 159/99 mm Hg. Art.;
- headaches;
- confusion;
- decreased mental performance;
- dyspnea;
- tachycardia;
- increased swelling;
- water retention in the body;
- change in the amount and color of urine.
Stage two hypertension is high blood pressure that occurs in a moderate form.At this stage of the disease, longer periods of increased blood pressure are observed than at the beginning.Blood pressure readings in stage 2 hypertension rarely return to normal.Patient Condition:
- blood pressure indicators: from 160/109 to 179/109 mm Hg. Art.;
- sleep disturbances;
- discomfort in the heart region;
- heart failure;
- memory and vision problems;
- constant irritability;
- dizziness;
- tinnitus;
- aching pain in the back of the head;
- dilated eye vessels;
- the skin of the face is hyperemic;
- swelling of the face, hands.
Stage three hypertension is a severe form of the disease.It is characterized by the fact that the patient has a history of myocardial infarction, stroke and other serious pathologies.It is possible to completely cure hypertension at this stage in very rare cases, only if the high blood pressure lasts a short time or is secondary.Severe Hypertension Clinic:
- blood pressure indicators: from 180/110 mm Hg. Art.and above;
- left ventricular hypertrophy;
- hypertrophy of the interventricular septum;
- impaired coordination of movements;
- encephalopathy;
- ischemic or hemorrhagic infarctions;
- various kidney lesions;
- persistent visual impairment;
- prolonged hypertensive crises;
- paralysis and paresis due to disorders of cerebral circulation;
- restriction of the ability to move independently and care for oneself.
Hypertension risk factors
The development, progression and complications of arterial hypertension are directly related to the presence of risk factors for the occurrence of this pathological process.Hypertension is the result of a complex interaction of internal (endogenous) and external (exogenous) causes.The appearance of pathology is facilitated by acquired and congenital characteristics of the organism, which weaken its resistance to unfavorable external conditions.
Risk factors for the development of high blood pressure are classified according to two indicators: modifiable and non-modifiable.The former depend on a person's decisions and lifestyle.These include:
- bad habits;
- physical inactivity;
- smoking;
- drink alcohol;
- obesity and others.
The immutable risk factors for hypertension are those that a person cannot influence: heredity and physiology (sex, age).In many cases, hypertension is a genetically transmitted disease.If one of your loved ones suffers from hypertension, there is a good chance that the next generation will be affected by the disease.As for physiological factors, according to statistics, middle-aged men are more susceptible to the disease.This is because the female body produces estrogens, hormones that perform a protective function.
Endogenous
Intrinsic risk factors for hypertension are the presence of diseases or conditions that cause high blood pressure.Among them:
- diabetes mellitus;
- atherosclerosis of the coronary vessels of the heart;
- increased blood viscosity;
- metabolic disorder;
- kidney disease (pyelonephritis, nephritis, glomerulonephritis);
- increased sodium or calcium concentration in the blood;
- the effect of adrenaline during stress;
- dyslipidemia (fat metabolism disorder);
- increased uric acid content;
- neurocirculatory dystonia;
- pregnancy;
- menopause.
Linked to lifestyle and environmental influences
Exogenous risk factors for hypertension are associated with the patient's lifestyle.The number of acquired causes that can be successfully combated is large, but each point can be easily adjusted if a person wishes.The main exogenous risk factors for hypertension:
- Insufficient physical activity.Constant work in the office, traveling exclusively by vehicle, lack of time to go to the gym lead to a weakening of the respiratory system, impaired muscle function and deterioration of blood circulation.All of these factors cause an increase in blood pressure.
- Uncontrolled salt consumption.Sodium chloride in large quantities causes thirst and delays the elimination of fluids from the body.Water causes an increase in the volume of circulating blood, which leads to more frequent myocardial contractions, which leads to an increase in blood pressure.The rate of consumption of table salt does not exceed 5 g/day.
- Magnesium and/or potassium deficiency.The body needs these microelements for the proper functioning of blood vessels and heart muscle.If they are deficient, there is a risk of developing hypertension.
Diagnosis
Hypertension is determined by different methods - the blood pressure level is measured several times using a tonometer and a phonendoscope, the clinical picture of the disease is studied, clinical, physical and instrumental studies are prescribed.Main diagnostic approaches:
- Biochemical blood test.The level of high/low density lipoprotein and cholesterol is detected and the sugar level is determined.These indicators are important in determining the cause of high blood pressure.
- ECG.An electrocardiogram has long been a reliable assistant in diagnosing hypertension.An ECG reveals interruptions in the work of the heart, determines the presence of angina pectoris and provides data on the displacement of the heart relative to the electrical axis and the state of the myocardium.
- Ultrasound of the heart.The main vessels (carotid arteries) leading to the brain are illuminated to detect atherosclerotic plaques, assess the condition of the vascular walls and the risk of stroke.
- Arteriography.X-ray method for studying the walls of arteries and their lumen.
- Dopplerography.Ultrasound technique for diagnosing blood flow in veins, arteries and vessels.
- Ultrasound of the kidneys.Helps to identify large tumors of the adrenal glands and damage to kidney tissue, leading to the appearance of renoparenchymal hypertension.
- Ultrasound of the thyroid gland.Helps to identify or exclude the influence of the thyroid gland on the development of hypertension in a patient.
Treatment
Treatment for hypertension depends on the cause of the disease.The first thing the patient must do is to eliminate all the risks associated with hypertension.Then, drug therapy is used in combination with non-drug methods: compliance with an anti-cholesterol diet, physical activity, stopping smoking and consumption of alcoholic beverages.Drug treatment is carried out according to different schemes:
- Patients at low to moderate risk of developing hypertension are prescribed medication to lower their blood pressure.
- Patients at high risk of cardiovascular pathologies are prescribed two or more drugs in individual doses.
The choice of drugs and dosage is made by the doctor taking into account the patient's age, concomitant pathologies and risk factors.Several groups of drugs are used to treat hypertension:
- Thiazide diuretics.They inhibit the absorption of chlorides and sodium in the kidney tubules so that they do not enter the blood, but are excreted from the body in urine.
- Calcium channel blockers.They reduce calcium intake, which leads to a reduction in the load on the myocardium and a reduction in blood pressure.
- ACE inhibitors.They reduce the concentration of the hormone angiotensin in the blood, which has the ability to narrow the lumen of blood vessels, which increases blood pressure.
- Angiotensin II receptor antagonists.Reduces blood pressure in the first stage of hypertension.
- Beta-blockers.They relax the vascular walls, which leads to improved blood circulation and normalization of blood pressure.
- Central alpha-2 agonists.The heart rate is reduced, which is manifested by a decrease in blood pressure.
- Direct vasodilators.Relaxes the smooth muscles of the arterioles, which causes a decrease in blood pressure.
- Renin inhibitors.They promote the dilation of the arteries and inhibit the activity of renin, an enzyme with a vasoconstrictor effect.