What is arterial hypertension: basic concepts and why it is dangerous

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

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

What is arterial 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 at different times in a person 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 start active treatment of hypertension. However, few people 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 treat arterial hypertension, and only 6% of men and 20% of women control their blood pressure.

The sooner arterial hypertension is identified and controlled, the lower the risk of developing complications of hypertension (ischemic disease, atherosclerosis, kidney disease, low testosterone in the blood, 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 constant monitoring of blood pressure in order to avoid even more serious health problems, because this disease cannot be completely cured.

What is dangerous hypertension

With long-term high blood pressure, the walls of blood vessels thicken and lose the ability to relax, which prevents the normal blood supply and consequent saturation of tissues and organs with oxygen and other nutrients and reduce their functional activity. Let's take a closer look at what dangerous hypertension is:

• Hypertensive crisis- the most common exacerbation of arterial hypertension, can occur in a relatively satisfactory condition of the patient, and be caused by psychophysical stress of the patient. Developing at high speed, a hypertensive crisis dramatically raises blood pressure, causing severe headache, dizziness, tachycardia or arrhythmia, nausea and vomiting. At risk are those who suffer from time dependence, are in the pre-climate period.
• myocardial infarction- complicated by hypertension can occur within minutes and lead to death. The main symptom is a prolonged attack of pain.
• Stroke- circulatory disorders in the blood vessels of the brain, cerebral hemorrhage, characterized by sudden severe headache, which is quickly joined by other symptoms from the brain: impaired speech, crooked mouth, paralysis of one part of the body. If emergency measures are taken and capillary blood is released in case of hypertension, then this process can be reversible.
• angina pectoris- the disease is less transient. Breaking the heart causes serious emotional overload, overload. Accompanied by severe dull chest pain, feeling unwell, can cause frequent vomiting.
• Heart Failure- chronic condition of the heart muscle, in which it is unable to provide oxygen to organs and tissues of the body. It is characterized by 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, resulting in malnutrition. With careful adherence to the prescribed treatment of hypertension, it is not difficult to avoid the development of coronary heart disease.
• renal failure- impaired renal function, destruction of neurons, partial inability to remove toxins from the body. Arterial hypertension is another 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, damaging the integrity of the retinal blood vessels. Hypertension is dangerous with pathologies such as retinal or vitreous hemorrhage: the former leads to the formation of a black spot in the visual field, the latter leads to vision loss in the affected eye.

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

Degrees of hypertension: classification, forms

By the nature of the assessment of one or more criteria, numerous classifications of hypertension are used.

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

The primary task in diagnosing arterial hypertension is to distinguish the nature of the disease. There are two major groups here:

• primary or essential hypertension - high blood pressure is the main cause;
• secondary or symptomatic arterial hypertension - high blood pressure occurs due to 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, with the elimination of the underlying disease, hypertension disappears.

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

When diagnosing essential hypertension, doctors usually classify the disease according to blood pressure levels 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, which is characterized by a sudden change in blood pressure, can return to normal and grow again.
• Hypertension 2 degrees- systolic 160-179 mm Hg, diastolic 100-109 mm Hg. Moderate form, the increase in pressure is longer, 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, it flows with severe complications, it is difficult to correct with medication.

Separately, systolic hypertension has been isolated, occurring in about one-third of the elderly with arterial hypertension. This form occurs due to age caused by loss of elasticity of large blood 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 noting another smaller 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 measurement by a medical professional. In such cases, the diagnosis is clarified by re-measuring the pressure in a quiet home environment.

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

• Transient (initial stage) hypertension. The increase in pressure is periodic, returning to normal values; no blood pressure lowering drugs are used.
• labile hypertension. The increase in blood pressure is directly related to the provoking factor: stress, severe mental or physical stress. Medications are needed to stabilize the pressure.
• Stable arterial hypertension. Persistent increase in pressure, using serious supportive therapy.
• Malignant form. By increasing the pressure to very high levels, the disease progresses quickly and leads to the development of serious complications.
• Crisis form. Periodic hypertensive crises on the background of normal or slightly elevated pressure are characteristic.

Assessment of the severity of hypertension and the risk of possible complications is possible only on the basis of a detailed examination: general and biochemical examinations, ultrasound of the heart and other organs, ECG, fundus examination. A complete examination of patients with arterial hypertension is usually performed during inpatient 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 use a tonometer constantly, he can find out about his disease, but he has already started treating its complications.

Often, hypertension does not manifest at all, except for its main symptom - persistent high blood pressure.

Moreover, the concept of "persistent" or "chronic" is crucial here, because in many situations (stress, fear or anger) the pressure can increase, and then return to normal.

However, few control their blood pressure levels, so attention should be paid to the following symptoms that indicate the development of arterial hypertension:

• Headache. It most often manifests itself in the occipital, parietal region or in the temples. It can occur at night and immediately after waking up. It usually increases with mental or physical exertion. It is sometimes accompanied by swelling of the eyelids and face.
• Dizziness. Sometimes even with a little physical effort: coughing, turning or tilting the head, a sharp rise.
• Pain in the heart area. They occur not only during emotional stress, but also at rest. Both long-term pain and short-term stab pain are possible. Do not disappear 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. They indicate impaired renal excretory function or heart failure.
• dyspnea. It occurs both during physical exertion and at rest.

It is important to know

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

It cannot be said that the symptoms of hypertension in men and women differ significantly, but in fact men are really more susceptible to this disease, especially in the age group of 40 to 55. This is partly due to the difference in physiological structure: men, unlike women, have a higher body weight, ie a significantly higher volume of blood circulating in their blood vessels, which creates favorable conditions for high 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 higher in men, but this no longer refers to the symptoms of hypertension, but to 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 therapy (diabetes mellitus, allergies, prostatitis and impotence), should be compiled and prescribed only by a specialist. If restrictions on food, salt intake, avoiding alcohol and smoking, avoiding stress and other causes of hypertension do not help normalize blood pressure, high blood pressure pills will be prescribed.

When hypertension is treated with folk remedies, side effects are usually absent. You don’t have to run to the pharmacy for expensive medications and stand in line for your doctor to prescribe you another prescription. All you need 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 arterial hypertension are still not completely clear, and the internal systems of the organism and external factors also play an important role in the development of the disease.

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

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

There are many risk factors that contribute to the constant rise in blood pressure, usually considered to be the causes of hypertension. This includes:

• Age, for men over 55, for women over 65. Over the years, the walls of blood vessels lose elasticity, which increases their resistance to blood flow, as a result, the pressure increases.
• hereditary predisposition.
• Cat. As already mentioned, men are more likely to suffer from hypertension.
• Violation of fat metabolism, obesity (men with a waist circumference greater 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 the person who stopped drinking was reduced by at least fifteen points.
• Excessive salt intake. Excessive 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 removal of fluid from the body, which increases the already high vascular tone of the patient. Remember, the average person consumes three times the amount of salt he needs, learn not to add salt to food.
• Lack of physical activity, sedentary lifestyle.
• Exposure to stress.
• Cholesterol metabolism disorder.
• Insufficient potassium intake in the diet.
• Elevated levels of adrenaline in the blood.
• Congenital heart defects.

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

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

• Which can be eliminated on their own or with the help of a doctor: treat obesity, reduce blood cholesterol levels, the number of cigarettes smoked, alcohol or salt consumed, lose weight and so on.
• Avoid what is not possible: age and hereditary predisposition.

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