What is high blood pressure: basic concepts and why it is dangerous

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

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

What is high blood pressure? The answer to this question lies in the definition of the condition of this disease.

It is characterized by chronically high blood pressure, when the highest value (systolic pressure) exceeds 140 mm Hg and the lowest (diastolic pressure) exceeds 90 mm Hg. subjected to at least three measurements taken at different timesin a calm person.

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

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

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

It is useful to note

The main task in the treatment of hypertension is the constant control of blood pressure in order to avoid even more serious health problems, since this disease cannot 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 prevents normal blood supply and, as a result, the saturation of tissues and organs with oxygen and other nutrients, and adecrease in their functional activity. Let's consider in more detail what dangerous hypertension is:

• hypertensive crisis- the most common exacerbation of arterial hypertension, can occur both in a relatively satisfactory condition of the patient, and be caused by psychophysical stress of the patient. Developing at high speed, a hypertensive crisis significantly increases blood pressure, causes severe headaches, dizziness, tachycardia or arrhythmia, nausea and vomiting. People at risk are those who suffer from dependence on weather conditions and who are in the pre-climatic period.
• myocardial infarction- complicated by hypertension which can occur in a few minutes and lead to death. The main symptom is a prolonged pain attack.
• Caress- circulatory disorders in the cerebral vessels, cerebral haemorrhage, characterized by an intense and sudden headache, quickly joined by other symptoms coming from the brain: slurred speech, twisting of the mouth, paralysis of part of thebody. If urgent measures are taken and capillary bleeding is performed in case of hypertension, this process can be reversible.
• angina- the disease is less transient. Violation of the heart causes severe emotional overload, overstrain. Accompanied by a sharp, dull pain in the chest, a feeling of being unwell can cause frequent vomiting.
• Cardiac arrest- a chronic condition of the heart muscle, in which it is unable to supply oxygen to the organs and tissues of the body. It is characterized by the complete weakness of the patient, in which he is unable to withstand elementary physical activity: independent lifting, walking, etc.
• coronary artery disease- insufficient blood supply to the coronary arteries, leading to insufficient supply of the heart. With strict adherence to the prescribed treatment of hypertension, it is not difficult to avoid the development of coronary heart disease.
• renal failure- impaired kidney function, destruction of neurons, partial inability to remove toxins from the body. Arterial hypertension is the second leading cause of acute or chronic kidney failure after diabetes mellitus.
• distortion of vision- occurs as a result of insufficient blood supply to the retina and optic nerve. A sharp increase in blood pressure can cause a spasm of the artery that supplies the optic nerve, damaging the integrity of the retinal vessels. Hypertension is dangerous with pathologies such as retinal or vitreous hemorrhages: the first leads to the formation of a black spot in the visual field, the second leads to loss of vision in the affected eye.

To avoid such dangerous complications of hypertension, it is necessary to consult a doctor in a timely manner and conduct an examination, which will help to determine the stage of development of the disease and prescribe the required treatment.

Degrees of hypertension: classification, forms

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

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

The main task in establishing a diagnosis of high blood pressure is to differentiate the nature of the disease. There are two major groups here:

• primary or essential hypertension - increased blood pressure is the root cause;
• secondary or symptomatic high blood pressure - high blood pressure is caused by diseases of other organs or systems: kidneys, heart, endocrine glands, lungs, thyroid gland.

According to experts

Treatment of symptomatic hypertension cannot occur without treatment of the disease that caused it and begins with it. In some cases, along with the elimination of the underlying disease, hypertension also disappears.

Also, blood pressure, up to a hypertensive crisis, can increase due to improper intake of certain medications, with neuroses, excessive consumption of caffeine and other stimulants.

When diagnosing essential hypertension, doctors usually classify the disease based on blood pressure level in order to choose the right tactic to treat essential hypertension. In international practice, there are three degrees of hypertension:

• 1 degree hypertension- systolic pressure 140−159 mm Hg, diastolic pressure 90−99 mm Hg. A mild form of the disease, characterized by a sharp change in blood pressure, can both return to normal and rise again.
• Hypertension 2 degrees- systolic 160-179 mm Hg, diastolic 100-109 mm Hg. Moderate form, the increase in pressure is more prolonged, rarely falls to normal values.
• Hypertension 3 degrees- systolic above 180 mm Hg, diastolic above 110 mm Hg. Severe form, the pressure is stable at the level of pathological indicators, leads to serious complications and is difficult to correct with medication.

Separately, isolated systolic hypertension is isolated, it occurs in about a third of elderly people with high blood pressure. This form is due to an age-related loss of elasticity of the great vessels, often accompanied by myocardial infarction, coronary artery 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 noting another minor group - the so-called "white coat hypertension", when, under the influence of psycho-emotional factors, a person's blood pressure rises only at the time of its measurementby a medical worker. In such cases, the diagnosis is clarified by repeated pressure measurement in a quiet home environment.

In addition to the degree of hypertension, during diagnosis, risk factors that can lead to complications from the cardiovascular system and the stage of the clinical course of the disease are also assessed:

• Transistorized hypertension (initial stage). The increase in pressure is periodic, returning to normal values; drugs that reduce blood pressure are not used.
• labile hypertension. An increase in blood pressure is directly linked to a provoking factor: stress, severe psychological or physical stress. To stabilize the pressure, medication is needed.
• Stable high blood pressure. Persistent increase in pressure, in which serious supportive therapy is used.
• Malignant form. By increasing the pressure to very high levels, the disease progresses rapidly and leads to the development of serious complications.
• Crisis form. Periodic hypertensive crises against the background of normal or slightly elevated pressure are characteristic.

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 examinationeye. A complete examination of a patient with high blood pressure is usually carried out during hospital treatment.

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

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, having already begun to treat its complications.

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

In addition, the notion of "persistent" or "chronic" is key here, because in a certain number of situations (stress, fear or anger), the pressure can increase, then return to normal on its own.

However, few control the level of their pressure, so you should pay attention to the following symptoms, indicating the development of high blood pressure:

• Headache. Most often manifests in the occipital, parietal region or in the temples. It can happen both at night and immediately after waking up. As a rule, it increases with mental or physical exertion. Sometimes accompanied by swelling of the eyelids and face.
• Dizziness. Sometimes even with little physical effort: coughing, turning or tilting the head, a sudden rise.
• Pain in the region of the heart. Occur not only with emotional stress, but also at rest. Long-lasting pain, squeezing pain and short-term stabbing pain are possible. Doesn't go away after taking nitroglycerin.
• Strong heartbeat.
• Noise in the ears.
• Visual impairment: veil, fog, "flies" in front of the eyes.
• Arterial disease: cold extremities, intermittent claudication.
• Swelling of the legs. Indicate a violation of the excretory function of the kidneys or heart failure.
• Dyspnea. It occurs both during physical exertion 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 arterial hypertension of the 1st degree, strictly following the recommendations of the doctor and following a diet for hypertensive patients, can achieve the complete disappearance of the unpleasant symptoms of the disease.

It cannot be said that the symptoms of hypertension in men and women are significantly different, but in fact, men are indeed more susceptible to this disease, especially in the age group of 40 to 55 years. . This is partly due to the difference in physiological structure: men, unlike women, respectively have a larger body weight, and the volume of blood circulating in their vessels is significantly higher, which creates favorable conditions for hypertensionarterial.

On the other hand, women are more responsible for their health, for their healthy lifestyle. The number of stressful situations at work, drinking alcohol and smoking cigarettes is greater in men, but these are no longer symptoms of hypertension, but the causes of its development.

Treatment of hypertension with drugs and folk remedies

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

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

Causes of high blood pressure and development of hypertension

The causes of high blood pressure are still not entirely clear, both internal body systems and external factors play an important role in the development of the disease.

The main causes of hypertension are impaired blood circulation in the vessels, limited flow in 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 arterial hypertension are caused by other diseases, then in essential hypertension, namely this form is registered in 85% of cases, the exact causes of hypertension do notcannot be established, they occur independently.

There are many risk factors that contribute to a persistent increase in blood pressure, they are generally considered the causes of hypertension. These include:

• Age, for men over 55, for women over 65. 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.
• Stage. 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. It causes an immediate increase in blood pressure, and smokers with many years of experience are prone to vascular diseases.
• Alcohol abuse. The blood pressure of a person who stops drinking is reduced by at least fifteen points.
• Excessive salt intake. Excess intake of sodium, the main component of table salt, is one of the most important causes of high blood pressure in hypertensive patients: sodium chloride prevents the elimination of fluids from the body, which increases the tonethe patient's already high blood pressure. Remember that 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.
• Disruption of cholesterol metabolism.
• Insufficient dietary intake of potassium.
• Increase in the 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 large groups:

• Which can be eliminated alone or with the help of doctors: treating obesity, reducing blood cholesterol levels, the number of cigarettes smoked, alcohol or salt consumed, weight loss, etc.
• Avoid what there is no possibility: age and hereditary predisposition.

Therefore, those who belong to the so-called second risk group should carefully monitor their health, control and prevent hypertension. And for everyone who has at least one of the above factors, constantly monitor the level of blood pressure and, of course, lead a normal active life.