Arterial hypertension: causes, stages, symptoms, treatment

Hypertension is a chronic disease, the key manifestation of which is persistent high blood pressure (above 140/90 mmHg in a state of physical and emotional rest). 

The pressure is not higher than 140/90 mm Hg. art. is considered normal. With such pressure, the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases is minimal.

An increase in blood pressure can be accompanied by dozens of different chronic diseases, and hypertension is only one of them, but the most frequent: about 9 cases out of 10. The diagnosis of hypertension is established in cases where there is a stable increase in blood pressure, but no other diseases that lead to its increase are detected.

  If the blood pressure is above 140 mm Hg, contacting a doctor should be mandatory and timely. Only a doctor can determine the cause of hypertension and identify concomitant diseases. With the right treatment and maintenance of blood pressure at a normal level, you can avoid serious complications, improve the quality of life and increase its duration.

Symptoms of arterial hypertension can be: headaches and dizziness, ringing in the ears, a feeling of heat, redness of the skin of the face, flashing "flies" in front of the eyes, palpitations, shortness of breath, fatigue. But the disease is often asymptomatic, which is why it is called the "silent killer". Arterial hypertension imperceptibly affects the "target" organs: the heart, brain, kidneys, vessels of the eyes, lower extremities. It leads to vascular catastrophes: stroke, coronary heart disease (angina pectoris), myocardial infarction, heart and kidney failure. Arterial hypertension accounts for about 45% of deaths caused by heart disease and 51% of deaths caused by stroke.

The cause of a persistent increase in blood pressure can be various factors, including: age (the older a person is, the higher the probability of developing hypertension); gender (under the age of 40, hypertension is more common in men, and in women after 55 years); heredity (if parents or siblings suffer from hypertension).
In addition, lifestyle is also important: irrational nutrition, overweight and obesity, smoking, alcohol abuse, stressful situations, insufficient physical activity (physical inactivity).

Detection of hypertension is the first step in the fight against this disease. This goal can be achieved by regularly measuring blood pressure not only in case of poor health, but also in the absence of complaints.

Rules for measuring blood pressure.

• the measurement should be carried out sitting in a comfortable position with support on the back of a chair,
• stay in a calm, comfortable environment, after a rest for at least 5-10 minutes.
• during the pressure measurement, you can not talk and make sudden movements.
• 1 hour before the measurement, it is necessary to exclude food intake, tonic drinks (coffee or strong tea), do not drink alcohol, do not smoke for 1.5-2 hours.
• measure blood pressure (BP) preferably 2 times a day at the same time (morning and evening).
• for convenience, semi-automatic and automatic tonometers can be used.  The cuff is placed on the shoulder, its lower edge is 2 cm above the elbow bend.
• blood pressure should be measured sequentially 2-3 times at intervals of 1-2 minutes. The average value of two or three measurements performed on one hand more accurately reflects the blood pressure level than a single measurement.
• it is advisable to record the measurement results in a diary.

A false belief is the opinion that an increase in pressure with age is normal.  On the contrary, if a person is over 40 or 50, and the pressure is above 140/85, he must undergo examination and treatment.  Another misconception is that it's okay if the pressure rises from time to time, for example, at work. In medicine, there is even such a term as "hypertension in the workplace", i.e. an increase in blood pressure in certain conditions. If this is observed, then this is already an alarm signal — this type of hypertension leads to complications as often as constantly high blood pressure.

If you have been diagnosed with arterial hypertension, then you need to: follow all the doctor's recommendations, visit him regularly, take medications at the same time, never skip taking medications due to the fact that your blood pressure is normal. Only the daily lifetime intake of antihypertensive drugs, under the same daily monitoring of blood pressure levels and reaching its normal level, guarantees the prevention of myocardial infarction and stroke.

Also, the fear of getting used to drugs "from pressure" is completely in vain. When they are taken irregularly and uncontrollably, the pressure rises again and this means that hypertension still needs to be treated. And the treatment is not just to reduce the pressure, but to lower it to a level that reduces the risk of complications. Moreover, the drugs are selected so that the pressure is stable, without sudden jumps during the day. Positive emotions are especially important here. Be healthy!