Hypertension: symptoms, causes, treatment.How dangerous is the disease?

Hypertension (arterial hypertension) is high blood pressure that develops when blood circulation in the vessels is impaired.The disease is diagnosed in many adults and occurs with varying degrees of severity.Why hypertension is dangerous, how to prevent the development of the disease and negative consequences - further in the article.

Concept and causes

Hypertension or arterial hypertension is the name given to increased blood pressure that occurs as a result of changes in vascular tone.The disease equally often affects both men and women, mainly after 40 years of age, but it also occurs in younger people.Hypertension is a fairly common disease, occurring in 40% of all adults.It is also one of the leading causes of death and disability due to cardiovascular diseases.

The main reasons leading to hypertension are considered to be:

• atherosclerosis – age-related changes in blood vessels and their blockage with atherosclerotic plaques;
• excess weight, even in small quantities, can affect the condition of blood vessels and the heart, which will cause hypertension;
• emotional stress, experienced tragic situations, depression;
• nervous tension, problems at work;
• head injuries, concussion, hypothermia;
• hereditary predisposition - hypertension can manifest itself at a young age;
• some 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 monitor;
• sedentary and sedentary lifestyle;
• eating salt in large quantities;
• rare exposure to fresh air;
• drinking large quantities 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” before the eyes or blurry 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;
• vomit;
• even with little effort the face becomes red;
• a feeling of pressure on the eyes - often makes patients lie with their eyes closed and wait for the attack to pass;
• swelling;
• memory impairment;
• feeling tired;
• problems with potency (in men).

Stages and classification

Doctors define 3 stages of arterial hypertension:

1. The pressure rises 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 disease.It can only be detected by constantly measuring pressure and keeping a graph based on these indicators.At the initial stage, complications are usually not observed, but there is still a risk of their development.Pressure surges lead to insufficient blood supply to organs, which can subsequently result in necrosis and cause a stroke.Metabolic processes in the body are disrupted.Vasoconstriction leads to overstrain of the heart and hypertrophy of the heart muscle.
2. The pressure can rise to 160/100 – 179/109 mm Hg.Art.and now does not return to normal levels without the use of medications.In the second stage, accompanying 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 acutely aware of the symptoms, which prompts them to immediately seek medical help.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, medication intake becomes constant and is not canceled even if the condition improves.

At stages 2 and 3 of hypertension, a hypertensive crisis often occurs.

Depending on the causes of occurrence, there are:

• primary hypertension – when arterial hypertension develops as an independent disease;
• secondary hypertension – when hypertension is a consequence of another disease and requires treatment of the primary disease as well.

There are 4 degrees of severity of hypertension:

• light or soft;
• moderate;
• severe, chronic;
• very heavy.

According to the clinical course, they are distinguished:

• benign hypertension - pressure does not rise to critically high levels, hypertensive crises and target organ damage are rarely observed, treatment has a favorable outcome.
• malignant hypertension - the first manifestations are observed at a young age, often accompanied by hypertensive crises and complications, and are poorly controlled with medications.

Diagnostics

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

1. The first and most important step in making a diagnosis is measuring blood pressure.You can do it yourself using a tonometer.In some cases, the doctor recommends daily monitoring of pressure changes, the so-called ABPM method.The patient is put on 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 in conditions familiar to a person.
2. Blood and urine tests.Based on their results, the doctor evaluates the level of cholesterol, hemoglobin, hematocrit, glucose, creatinine, potassium, and calcium.
3. Next, 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 as an addition to a physical examination to more accurately assess the condition of the heart.
• Dopplerography.It is carried out to assess the patency 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.At 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 noticeable and hemorrhage may occur.In the third stage, vision decreases and the condition of the optic nerve worsens.
• Ultrasound diagnostics 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 sufficient.On the second, you cannot do without medications.At the third stage, combinations of drugs are selected, and concomitant diseases are also treated.

Drug therapy

Hypertension is often treated by prescribing:

• Thiazide diuretics – by removing fluid from the body, thus 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 for 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 as a reaction 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, race walking, and cardio training;
• increase rest time, pay attention to the quality of sleep;
• spend more time in the fresh air (long walks in a park, forest plantation, near water bodies will be useful).

Traditional methods

Folk remedies are widely used in the treatment of hypertension.But you should not forget that you need to adhere to a healthy lifestyle, the recommendations of your doctor and use them as additional ones (do not replace drug treatment with them).

Traditional treatment should be used for quite a long time.The effect can be expected after several courses lasting 2-3 months with breaks between them of 10 days.

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 ingredients.Take a tablespoon on an empty stomach.
• Recipe 2. To prepare the infusion you will need: juice from 3 kg of onion, 0.5 kg of honey, partitions of 30 nuts, 0.5 liters of vodka.Mix the onion juice and add the nut partitions with honey and pour in 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 taken as tea.
• Mint.Helps cope with nervous tension.The leaves of the plant are added to tea.
• Chokeberry is widely used to treat hypertension.You can use its berries to make jelly, compotes, syrups, jams, and prepare fruit drinks.You can take the juice from the fruit 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 2 times a week.Bee venom dilates blood vessels, blocks spasms in them, and has diuretic properties.

People often have an allergic reaction to bee venom or honey.In case of any undesirable reactions, the use of folk remedies with 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 healing in hypertension.

Diet

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

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

Among the products necessary for the body for hypertension are:

• vegetables;
• fruits;
• berries;
• green;
• dairy products;
• legumes;
• lean meat, dietary grades;
• cereals

Products whose consumption should be limited:

• Salt, it is better to purchase salt with a reduced sodium content.And if possible, replace it with lemon juice, cranberries, cinnamon, cilantro or dill.
• Liquid.The volume of liquid consumed per day should not exceed 1 liter.This includes not only water, but also compotes, soups, milk and tea.
• Caffeinated drinks.The goal 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 on an ongoing basis;
• take multivitamin preparations containing iron;
• regularly measure your blood pressure yourself;
• See a doctor periodically.

You can learn about what hypertension is, the reasons for its development, possible complications and how to keep pressure under control using folk remedies and more from the following video:

Complications

Hypertension is dangerous because it can cause diseases that lead 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 may be:

• strong psycho-emotional stress;
• one-time consumption of alcohol in large quantities;
• discontinuation of medications for hypertension or inadequate treatment;
• eating salt;
• meteorological factors.

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

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

In case of a hypertensive crisis, the patient needs urgent medical care in a hospital setting.

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

• heart failure;
• renal failure;
• coronary insufficiency;
• hemorrhages, strokes;
• myocardial infarction;
• thrombosis;
• deterioration and loss of vision;
• decreased sensitivity in the limbs or paralysis.

Hypertension in its early stages can be completely cured.Then, as in the latter, it leads to serious complications and even death.Therefore, at the first manifestations of the disease, you need to consult a doctor and not neglect treatment and preventive methods.