According to the World Health Organization, hypertension is one of the most common diseases. Hypertension occurs in every third person and is characterized by high mortality in severe stages. Only complex treatment that combines medication and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be successful.
What is hypertension
What is hypertension is a chronic disease, a pathology of the cardiovascular system. It develops as a result of an interruption in the work of the higher centers responsible for the functioning of blood vessels. Dangerous complications of hypertension and associated with internal diseases.
One of the main manifestations of the disease is high blood pressure (blood pressure), which decreases only after taking special and strong medications.
Hypertension refers to pressure from 140/90 mm Hg. and higher if confirmed during two medical examinations.
Hypertension is divided into several types:
- Essential arterial hypertension,
- Symptomatic hypertension,
- chronic hypertension,
- Vascular hypertension.
Symptomatic or secondary hypertension accounts for only 10% of all reported cases of the disease. Hypertensive syndrome - the second name of the disease - most often accompanies systemic lupus erythematosus, urolithiasis, abnormalities and kidney tumors, ischemia, toxicosis in late pregnancy, renal tuberculosis. Although hypertension does not have its own signs and characteristics, it seriously exacerbates the underlying disease.
Essential hypertension is an independent form of the disease.
Chronic hypertension is usually caused by an excess of calcium in the blood, infectious diseases (converted to chronic ones), diabetes mellitus and heredity. It manifests itself in the form of nervousness, lack of mind, fatigue and weakness, frequent numbness of the arms and legs, speech impairment, left ventricular hypertrophy, and frequent pain in the heart region.
How does hypertension develop?
The mechanism of development of hypertension is as follows: in response to a stress factor, in the peripheral vessels occurs a violation of tone regulation. The result is an spasm of the arterioles and the formation of a discirkulatory and dyskinetic syndrome. The secretion of neurohormones in the aldosterone system is significantly increased. This causes a delay in the vascular bed of sodium and water, which increases the volume of blood circulation and increases the pressure. Blood viscosity also increases during the disease, which leads to a decrease in the rate of metabolic process in tissues. The walls of the vessels increase in size, the gap between them narrows, which affects blood flow. The high level of resistance in the periphery makes the disease irreversible. As a result of increased permeability and impregnation of the walls of blood vessels with blood plasma, arteriosclerosis and elastofibrosis develop, and this leads to serious changes in the tissues of some organs.
Spontaneously, hypertension can not appear in humans. Hypertension is usually preceded by vegetative-vascular dystonia (VD), which is often accompanied by varicose veins.
Varicose veins and hypertension are related: increased activity of vascular walls in SVD leads to a decrease in their diameter. The resistance of the vessel wall to blood flow increases, which increases blood pressure. Varicose veins are characterized by thickening of the vessel wall, the formation of pockets and constrictions inside, which interfere with normal blood flow. Diseased veins can no longer withstand blood flow, which leads to the formation of edema in the tissues and chronic stagnation in the veins. This can lead to the development of gangrene, sepsis and even death.
Classification of diseases
Hypertensive disease varies in causes of increased pressure, organ damage, blood pressure level and flow. The disease can be benign, or progressive slowly, or rapidly progressive - malignant. The most important is the classification according to the level and stability of the pressure. Distinguish:
- Normal GB (up to 129/85 mm Hg),
- limit (up to 140/90 mm Hg),
- grade 1 hypertension (up to 160/100 mm Hg),
- 2 degrees (up to 180/110 mm Hg),
- 3 degrees (above 180/110 mm Hg).
Benign hypertension has three stages. The first or slight is characterized by an increase in pressure up to 180 to 104 mm Hg, but after a short rest returns to normal. Some people complain of headaches, sleep problems, fatigue and decreased performance. However, in most cases, the mild phase persists without pronounced individual symptoms.
The second or middle phase is characterized by pressures up to 200 to 115 mm Hg. in silence. It is accompanied by severe and throbbing pain in the head, dizziness, pain in the heart region. Examination reveals heart damage. Sometimes subendocardial ischemia is detected. Strokes, transient ischemia of the brain are possible.
The third or severe stage is accompanied by steady and strong increases in pressure. At the beginning of the phase, the increased pressure is interrupted and usually manifests itself after physical exercises, as well as changes in atmospheric pressure, emotional turmoil. Normalization is possible after myocardial infarction or stroke. After a heart attack, headless hypertension often appears. That is, a condition in which only the systolic or pulse pressure decreases.
Causes of disease development
The causes of hypertension lie in violation of the regulatory activity of the main parts of the central nervous system, which control the work of all internal organs. Frequent tension and overwork, both physical and mental, long-term, persistent and strong disturbances, stress can lead to development.
Working at night, often being in a noisy environment can also cause illness.
The risk group includes fans of salty foods. Salt causes artery spasms and prevents fluid from leaking out. Inheritance plays an important role. The chance of developing the disease increases if hypertension is present in two or more relatives.
Some diseases also provoke the development of hypertension. This includes:
- Diseases of the adrenal glands and kidneys,
- thyroid disease,
- Obesity,
- diabetes diabetes,
- Tonsiliti,
- Atherosclerosis.
Among women in the most dangerous group, those who are in menopause. This is due to hormonal changes in the body, emotional irritations, nervous reactions. It is during menopause that about 60% of all diseases in women occur.
In men, age and gender determine the increased risk. Hypertension in the ages of 20 and 30 develops in about 9% of men. At the age of 40, the percentage increases to 35, and after 65 years - already 50%. Hypertension is more common in men under the age of 40 than in women. In the older age group, the ratio varies - this is explained by a large percentage of male mortality from complications.
The causes of hypertension lie in hypodynamics and bad habits. The components of tobacco smoke provoke spasms of blood vessels and damage the thin walls of arteries. Physical inactivity is associated with a slow metabolism and in case of increased load, an untrained heart gets tired many times faster.
Symptoms
The clinic of hypertension in the early stages can be easy. A person for a long time may not even be aware of the increased pressure and processes that take place on the vessel. The early and first signs of hypertension are irritability for no apparent reason and increased fatigue.
Symptoms of hypertension in the early stages: neurotic disorders, weakness, sleep disturbances, ringing and ringing in the ears and dizziness, palpitations.
People notice a decrease in efficiency, a loss of concentration. There is a shortness of breath. Headache with hypertension occurs most often in the morning in the temporal and occipital region. By the end of the day and in the supine position can be increased. They are associated with a violation of the tone of venules and arterioles. Symptoms of hypertension include pain in the heart area. This is due to the increased work of the heart muscle to overcome the increased resistance. As a result, a split occurs between the needs and capabilities of the myocardium, which leads to angina pectoris.
Signs of hypertension at a later date are the "fly" veil and flicker in front of the eyes, as well as other photopsies. They are explained by spasms of the retinal arterioles. Malignant hypertension may be associated with retinal hemorrhage, which leads to blindness. In rare cases, the symptoms of hypertension are manifested by vomiting, swelling of the hands and numbness of the fingers, chills, in the morning - aggravation of the eyelids and swelling of the face, excessive sweating.
Complications during hypertension
Complications of hypertension:
- Hypertensive crisis,
- visual impairment,
- Circulatory disorders in the brain
- nephrosclerosis,
- subarachnoid hemorrhage,
- Dissection of the aortic aneurysm,
- bradycardia,
- Damage to target organs (kidneys, heart, brain, veins and arteries, fundus vessels),
- Hypertensive cardiomyopathy (HLH, left ventricular hypertension)
- Hypertonic type angiodistonia.
Hypertensive crisis
First you need to understand what a hypertension crisis is. This term refers to an acute and significant increase in blood pressure, which is associated with characteristic symptoms of the disease. In addition to hypertension, it can be provoked by:
- Chronic and acute glomerulonephritis,
- Toxicity in late pregnancy,
- renovskular hypertension,
- benign brain tumors,
- heavy metal poisoning,
- Renal insufficiency.
Seizures can be caused by hormonal imbalance and sudden changes in the weather. One of the most common causes is trauma of a psycho-emotional nature. Symptoms: severe and severe headache, nausea with vomiting, dizziness, fainting, short-term blindness and other visual disturbances, weakness, mood swings, tears. Brain symptoms:
- vasospasm,
- Violation of the permeability of vascular walls,
- The entry of blood plasma into the medulla, which leads to edema.
In the early stages of the disease, crises are mild and short-lived.
Risk of a crisis in potential development:
- retinal detachment,
- stroke,
- Acute pulmonary edema
- cardiac asthma,
- myocardial infarction,
- Angina.
Complications of hypertension pose a serious threat to human life and require regular monitoring by a physician.
Bradikadia
A common and dangerous complication of hypertension. It manifests itself depending on the form. The mild form can go unnoticed. Severe, frequent, and prolonged dizziness with hypertension may indicate a pronounced form of the disease. Also, the symptoms include - semi-fainting and frequent fainting, sudden changes in pressure. The severe form is accompanied by fainting and short-term cardiac arrest. Treatment of bradycardia with hypertension can occur with homeopathic and medical means. Usually prescribed diuretics, alpha-blockers, nifedicipation. From homeopathy, calendula, St. John's wort, strawberries, shakers are prescribed.
Complications include the following syndromes in hypertension:
- myocardial damage,
- kidney damage,
- vascular encephalopathy,
- Hypertension syndrome.
Associated clinical conditions: ischemic stroke, CHF, coronary revascularization, renal failure, arterial disease, papillary damage.
Damage to the target organ
One heart
Most often, left ventricular hypertrophy develops. This happens because the heart muscle has to push blood into the deformed vessels with great effort. Such work leads to thickening of the muscle wall and lack of blood circulation. This is dangerous with muscle strain and heart fatigue. Another pathology is a violation of the diastolic function of lzh. Increased fatigue of the heart muscle leads to a moment when he can not take a relaxed position. The thickened wall cannot relax during the diastolic phase, in which oxygen saturation normally occurs. All this leads to the third pathology - chronic insufficiency. It develops as a result of constant oxygen starvation. It is very difficult to treat the disease and in combination with other pathologies, it leads to death.
VESSELS
Arterial vessels in hypertension are in a constant state of narrowing due to contraction of the muscular layer. This leads to the fact that the vessels cease to relax, and the muscle tissue is replaced by connective tissue. This is called vascular remodeling. Loss of vision, peripheral atherosclerosis of the extremities and other diseases are associated with this complex and irreversible consequence.
Brain
Hemorrhage causes almost 25% of all strokes. And hypertension is the leading cause of hemorrhages, which have a high death rate. Insufficient blood supply to the brain leads to ischemic stroke. This complication accounts for more than 70% of cases. It is caused by narrowing of the cerebral arteries or blockage of the canal by a thrombus. Another pathology is hypertensive encephalopathy. This is an emergency condition, accompanied by severe headaches, high blood pressure, neurological symptoms. If you have hypertension, then there is a chance of developing cognitive impairment and dementia. These are changes in the subcortical substance and atrophy of the brain, which are responsible for violations of thought processes.
kidneys
One of the most common complications is microalbuminuria. The earliest sign of kidney damage and the development of kidney failure. Chronic kidney failure is characterized by loss of the kidneys' ability to remove metabolic products from the blood.
Diagnosis of the disease
Effective treatment of hypertension is possible only with early diagnosis and compliance with all rules and recommendations. High blood pressure is not always an indicator of hypertension, it can be situational. And with repeated visits to the doctor is not detected. A single blood pressure measurement may not detect the disease: with recurrent symptoms, it is necessary to measure blood pressure in dynamics. After establishing a diagnosis, doctors perform a differential diagnosis to determine the symptomatic form of the disease.
Pressure measurement
To determine the extent and presence of the disease, dynamic pressure measurement is used. It is performed as follows: the atmosphere should be comfortable and calm. Measurements begin no earlier than ten minutes after the start of patient admission. One hour before the visit, smoking, taking any food and strong drinks (tea, coffee, alcohol), any physical activity, using eye or nose drops are excluded. During the first treatment, blood pressure measurements are taken from both hands of the patient, with a second measurement after 2 minutes.
With a difference in readings of more than 5 mm Hg. Continue measurements on the arm with high pressure.
Treatment of hypertension
How to treat hypertension depends on the stage of the disease, complications, age and many other parameters. Medical treatment options are chosen by the attending physician. The desire to fight the disease itself can turn into catastrophic consequences. Modern treatment of hypertension begins with non-drug methods that several times increase the effectiveness of drugs. You need to start by establishing a daily routine, eliminating any stress, do not forget about exercise and long walks. An important point in the treatment of hypertension is diet. The patient should refuse or significantly reduce salt intake, drink less, completely eliminate alcoholic beverages and coffee. If you follow all the recommendations, you can avoid drug treatment of the disease.
In treatment, it is important not only how to deal with hypertension, but also how to eliminate the causes of high blood pressure.
Commonly used medicines for treatment:
- diuretic,
- Inhibitors
- Type 2 receptor antagonists
- Calcium channel blockers.
Blood pressure medications - only by prescription
homeopathic treatment
Considering the question of how to get rid of hypertension, it is worth paying attention to homeopathic remedies. Usually they are recommended when the target organs are already affected. Homeopathy for hypertension has an important advantage: a mild effect. The drugs have no contraindications or side effects. The disadvantage is that treatment with homeopathic remedies is quite slow. When choosing this method, consider:
- Homeopathic medicines are prescribed simultaneously with medicines,
- The combination of medication and a healthy lifestyle
- With a moderate degree of risk, this type is often the only one possible.
Hospital treatment of hypertension
Hospital treatment is usually accepted with a complicated hypertensive crisis:
- Acute hypertensive encephalopathy,
- cardiac asthma,
- pulmonary edema,
- Acute coronary syndrome (unstable angina and myocardial infarction),
- aortic aneurysm,
- Severe arterial bleeding
- Eclampsia.
Upon admission, the clinic doctors begin to perform the main diagnostic operations:
- Every 15 minutes measurement of blood pressure dynamics,
- electrocardiography,
- General analysis of blood and urine,
- echocardiography,
- Biochemical analysis for the detection of potassium, sodium, urea, calcium, creatinine, fibrinogen, coagulogram,
- Ophthalmoscopy.
Also, the patient should be scheduled for an appointment with a neurologist, Reberg test and reoencephalography, as well as determining the type of cerebral hemodynamics. During the hospital stay, hospital treatment depends on the presence of complications, severity of the attack, and other illnesses. First aid aims to reduce the activity of the left ventricle of the heart and eliminate symptoms such as:
- peripheral vasoconstriction,
- cerebral ischemia,
- Infrakt.
Of great importance in the treatment of a complicated attack is the introduction of antihypertensive drugs, hospitalization in the ICU and regular control of blood pressure.
Non-drug treatment of the hypertensive condition includes increased immunity, body cleansing, massage, gymnastics and diet. It is important to follow the instructions of the doctors and not to violate the established regime.
How to live with hypertension
How long do people with hypertension live is an important question for those diagnosed. The consequences of the disease depend on the stage and nature of its course. Severe form, vascular damage, the third stage of the disease and destruction of target organs worsen the prognosis. Premature death occurs from heart attacks and strokes, acute heart failure. Unfavorable prognosis for those who became ill at an early age.
The life expectancy of patients with hypertension depends not only on the correctness of taking medication and regular visits to the doctor, but also on personal attitude and adherence to basic rules. This includes:
- psychological climate,
- Diet,
- Physical exercises,
- There are no bad habits.
Another important condition is to understand what the disease is about, how it develops and what the consequences are throughout the body. To understand the features of the course of the disease, it is not necessary to have a medical education. There are many good books and manuals written for ordinary people. One of them is A. Yakovlev's "Propaedeutics of Internal Diseases". The book describes briefly and clearly the main provisions for hypertension, as well as the most popular regimens of hypertension treatment.
Psychological climate
Once you understand how to treat hypertension and choose a treatment method, you need to move on to an equally important issue - a healthy lifestyle. It is impossible when working in a night shift, frequent quarrels, continuous and long distance business trips, strong emotional stress, negative emotions, fear, anger. All of these conditions are associated with the production of adrenaline in large quantities, which leads to disruption of the circulatory and nervous systems. It is important to control your emotions, think more positively and exclude any source of stress from your environment. Herbal teas, meditations, walks, doing what you love will help in this.
By creating the most comfortable conditions around you, a person increases his chances of recovery.
diets
Excess weight and hypertension are incompatible. Even if there are no excess pounds, treatment begins with nutritional correction. In the initial stages, this is enough to control the pressure and prevent it from rising. There are several ways to lose weight with hypertension. The main thing is to limit calories. This can be achieved by eliminating or reducing the daily diet of sweet and fatty foods, flour products. The diet for weight loss should not be confused with fasting: it is forbidden for patients with hypertension. To lose weight and normalize blood pressure, you also need to monitor the amount of animal fats in your diet. It is necessary to exclude as much as possible foods rich in cholesterol, as well as to switch to low-fat varieties of fish, fruits and vegetables and natural vegetable oils. It is worth completely abandoning sausages, fat salad, fried meatballs and fatty meats, butter, fatty cheeses.
Contraindications to hypertension - any drinks and foods that excite the nervous system. These include not only tea, coffee and alcohol, but also carbonated beverages, hot spices, stinky spices.
It is important to include foods rich in potassium and magnesium in your diet. These elements have a good effect on the heart muscle, strengthen the walls of blood vessels and the nervous system. Lots of potassium is found in:
- dried plums,
- apricots,
- cabbage,
- pumpkin,
- Bananas.
Magnesium rich:
- Buckwheat, oats and millet cereals,
- Carrots,
- Beetroot,
- Black currant,
- Parsley and lettuce leaves
- Nuts.
An important rule: these products should not be combined with milk. Calcium negatively affects the solubility of elements.
Physical exercises
Complications of hypertension and the disease itself does not mean that the patient should give up any activity. Gymnastics, simple exercises, yoga or long walks, swimming are indicated for patients with hypertension. Movement not only carries a load of positive emotions, but also helps to fight excess weight.
You need to start with the simplest exercises, gradually increasing the time and complexity of the exercises. This also applies to swimming and walking.
Rehabilitation for stage III hypertension, as well as with complications such as hypertensive stroke, coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, should be done only under the supervision of physicians. Usually, for rehabilitation, patients are sent to special resorts, to sanatorium treatment. Which includes a full range of measures: proper nutrition, physical activity, medications.