Persistent high blood pressure in medicine has several names: hypertension, arterial hypertension, essential hypertension.This disease can cause damage to the kidneys, heart, blood vessels, cause strokes, heart attacks, bleeding from stomach ulcers and other serious consequences.To avoid dangerous health conditions, it is necessary to take timely measures to prevent diseases and know the risk factors that greatly increase the possibility of hypertension.
What is hypertension
This is a chronic pathology that develops due to dysfunction of vascular regulation, renal and neurohumoral mechanisms.Hypertension (HTN) is a dangerous condition of the body where there is a continuous increase in blood pressure (BP) with a level above 140/90 mmHg.Art.in patients not taking antihypertensive drugs.
Hypertension accounts for approximately 40% of all cardiovascular pathologies.This disease occurs more often in men than in the female population.The risk of developing pathology in both sexes increases with age.Hypertension is mainly diagnosed in patients after the age of 40, but recently the disease is increasingly being registered in adolescence and young adulthood.
Headache level
Hypertension is a chronic pathology that has three stages of development.In adults, the optimal blood pressure is 120/80 mmHg.Art.A slight deviation from this indicator is up to 139/89 mm Hg.Art.also applies to norms.A higher number in medical practice is considered pathological.The diagnosis of "hypertension" is made when indicators above 140/90 are repeatedly recorded in different conditions.
Stage 1 hypertension is characterized by sudden changes in blood pressure.This already indicates the pathological process that occurs in the body.The disease in the early stages is almost always without symptoms.Patients do not pay attention to some signs of hypertension, which explains the large percentage of late requests for qualified help.Symptoms of stage 1 hypertension:
- blood pressure indicators: from 140/90 to 159/99 mm Hg.Art.;
- headache;
- confusion;
- decreased mental performance;
- breathing difficulties;
- tachycardia;
- increased swelling;
- fluid retention in the body;
- changes in the amount and color of urine.
Stage two hypertension is arterial hypertension that occurs in moderate form.At this stage of the disease, a longer period of increased blood pressure is 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 disorders;
- discomfort in the heart area;
- heart failure;
- memory and vision disorders;
- constant irritation;
- dizziness;
- tinnitus;
- aching pain in the back of the head;
- dilated eye canals;
- hyperemic facial skin;
- swelling of the face, hands.
Stage three hypertension is a severe form of the disease.It is characterized by patients with 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 for a short or medium time.Severe hypertension clinic:
- blood pressure indicator: from 180/110 mm Hg.Art.and up;
- left ventricular hypertrophy;
- hypertrophy of the interventricular septum;
- impaired movement coordination;
- encephalopathy;
- ischemic or hemorrhagic infarction;
- various kidney lesions;
- persistent visual impairment;
- prolonged hypertensive crisis;
- paralysis and paresis due to cerebral circulation disorders;
- restrictions on the ability to move freely and care for oneself.
Risk factors for hypertension
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 occurrence of pathology is facilitated by acquired and congenital characteristics of the body, which weaken its resistance to adverse external conditions.
Risk factors for the development of arterial hypertension are classified according to two indicators: modifiable and non-modifiable.The first depends on a person's decision and lifestyle.These include:
- bad habits;
- physical inactivity;
- smoking;
- drink alcohol;
- obesity and others.
Non-modifiable risk factors for hypertension are those that cannot be influenced by a person: heredity and physiology (gender, age).In many cases, hypertension is a genetically transmitted disease.If one of your relatives has hypertension, then it is very likely that the next generation will be affected by the disease.As for physiological factors, according to statistics, middle-aged men are more susceptible to this disease.This is explained by the fact that the female body produces estrogen - a hormone that performs a protective function.
endogenous
An intrinsic risk factor for hypertension is the presence of a disease or condition that causes high blood pressure.Among them:
- diabetes mellitus;
- atherosclerosis of the coronary arteries of the heart;
- increased blood viscosity;
- metabolic disorders;
- kidney disease (pyelonephritis, nephritis, glomerulonephritis);
- increased concentration of sodium or calcium in the blood;
- effects of adrenaline during stress;
- dyslipidemia (fat metabolism disorder);
- increased uric acid content;
- neurocirculatory dystonia;
- pregnancy;
- menopause.
Related to lifestyle and environmental influences
Exogenous risk factors for hypertension are associated with the patient's lifestyle.The number of causes obtained that can be successfully overcome is important, but each point can be adjusted easily if one wants.The main exogenous risk factors for hypertension:
- Insufficient physical activity.Continuous work in the office, traveling exclusively by vehicle, lack of time to visit the gym leads to weakness of the respiratory system, impaired muscle function, and deterioration of blood circulation.All these factors cause an increase in blood pressure.
- Uncontrolled salt intake.Sodium chloride in large quantities causes thirst and slows down the removal of fluid from the body.Water causes an increase in the amount of circulating blood, as a result of which myocardial contractions become more frequent, which leads to an increase in blood pressure.The consumption rate of table salt is not more than 5 g/day.
- Magnesium and/or potassium deficiency.The body needs these microelements for the proper functioning of blood vessels and heart muscles.If they are deficient, there is a risk of getting hypertension.
Diagnostics
Hypertension is determined by different methods - the level of blood pressure is measured several times using a tonometer and phonendoscope, the clinical picture of the disease is studied, clinical, physical and instrumental studies are prescribed.The main diagnostic approach:
- Biochemical blood test.High/low density lipoprotein and cholesterol levels are detected, and sugar levels are determined.This indicator is important to determine the cause of high blood pressure.
- ECG.Electrocardiogram has long been a reliable assistant in diagnosing hypertension.ECG reveals disturbances in the work of the heart, determines the presence of angina, and provides data on the displacement of the heart from the electrical axis and the state of the myocardium.
- Heart ultrasound.The main artery (carotid artery) leading to the brain is illuminated to detect atherosclerotic plaque, assess the condition of the vascular wall and the risk of stroke.
- Arteriography.X-ray method to study the arterial wall and its lumen.
- Dopplerography.Ultrasound technique to diagnose blood flow in veins, arteries, and vessels.
- Kidney ultrasound.Helps identify large tumors in the adrenal gland and kidney tissue lesions, which lead to the occurrence of renoparenchymal hypertension.
- Ultrasound of the thyroid gland.Helps identify or exclude the influence of the thyroid gland on the development of hypertension in patients.
Treatment
Treatment for hypertension depends on the cause of the disease.The first thing the patient needs to do is eliminate all the risks associated with hypertension.Then drug therapy is used in combination with non-drug methods: adherence to an anti-cholesterol diet, physical activity, smoking cessation, and drinking alcoholic beverages.Drug treatment is carried out according to different schemes:
- Patients at low to moderate risk of developing hypertension are given a drug to lower their blood pressure.
- Patients at high risk of cardiovascular pathology are prescribed two or more drugs with individual doses.
The choice of medication and dosage is made by the doctor, taking into account the patient's age, concomitant pathology and risk factors.Several groups of drugs are used to treat hypertension:
- Thiazide diuretics.They prevent the absorption of chloride and sodium in the renal tubules so that they do not enter the blood, but are removed from the body in the urine.
- Calcium channel blockers.They reduce calcium intake, as a result of which the load on the myocardium decreases and blood pressure decreases.
- 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 antagonist.Reduces blood pressure in the first stage of hypertension.
- Beta blockers.They relax the vascular walls, which leads to better blood circulation and normalization of blood pressure.
- A central alpha-2 agonist.The heart rate decreases, which is indicated by a decrease in blood pressure.
- Direct vasodilator.Relaxes arteriolar smooth muscle, which causes a drop in blood pressure.
- Renin inhibitors.They promote arterial dilation and inhibit the activity of renin, an enzyme with a vasoconstrictor effect.