How to recognize the symptoms of hypertension and avoid dangerous complications?

Hypertension is one of the most common heart pathologies, which is currently diagnosed in every third inhabitant of our planet over the age of 45.In recent years, the disease has become much younger and now very young people with high blood pressure can often be seen among hypertensives.The main danger of the pathological condition lies in its complications.Hypertension can lead to a heart attack and stroke, cause the rupture of an aneurysm of large blood vessels, cause the development of severe damage to kidney function and a sharp deterioration in the quality of vision.

A person's blood pressure has an upper, cardiac or systolic value, as well as diastolic pressure, i.e. its lower, renal level.According to WHO standards, the norm for these indicators should not be higher than 139/89 mmHg.Art., otherwise it is usual to talk about hypertension.Early diagnosis and timely treatment of hypertension is a person's chance to prevent the occurrence of pathological changes in many internal organs, which will allow him to maintain health and enjoy a full life for many years.

Reasons

Unfortunately, modern medical science has not yet been able to fully unravel all the probable causes of hypertension, but most of them are known to doctors.Only an experienced specialist can identify which factor led to the development of the disease, who in the diagnostic process uses not only his knowledge, but also the results of numerous studies that confirm or refute the presence of signs of hypertension in a person.

The main reason for the increase in blood pressure is the violation of the activity of the human sympathetic-adrenal system, that is, the constant irritation of the center responsible for the narrowing of blood vessels in the brain.

This can happen under the influence of numerous exo- as well as endogenous factors that contribute to sudden vasospasm.

Symptoms of hypertension can appear in people with so-calledexogenous risk factors for the development of a pathological condition:

• frequent stress and strong nervous tension;
• poor nutrition;
• sedentary lifestyle;
• long working hours, working in night shifts;
• regular consumption of large amounts of strong alcoholic beverages and smoking;
• drugs;
• intensive sports activities.

Among the endogenous factors, age and poor heredity come to the fore, when the disease can be transmitted from parent to child.The development of hypertension also contributes to:

1. vascular damage by atherosclerosis;
2. obesity;
3. metabolic diseases, especially diabetes mellitus, hyperthyroidism;
4. kidney disease;
5. increased levels of calcium and sodium in the blood;
6. hormonal changes, which are the most common cause of high blood pressure in women during pregnancy and menopause.

Classification

There is currently more than one classification of hypertension.The disease usually differs in the nature of the flow, the presence of complications, causes of development, pressure indicators and much more.

Modern cardiologists distinguish several degrees of hypertension (depending on the indicators of high blood pressure):

• 1st degree – pressure rises to 159-140/99-90 mm Hg.Art.;
• 2nd degree - on the needles of the mechanical tonometer, the indicator is diagnosed as 179-160/109-100 mm Hg.Art.;
• Grade 3 - persistent or periodic increase in pressure more than 180/110 mm Hg.Art.

According to the generally accepted WHO classification, the following stages of the disease are distinguished:

• Phase 1 – transient increase in pressure without damage to target organs;
• Stage 2 – the presence of signs of damage to internal organs, among which the main target is the heart, blood vessels, eye structures, brain and kidneys;
• Stage 3 - a stable increase in blood pressure against the background of the development of complications, from the manifestations of which a person can die.

Hypertensive disease has its own types of course, including:

1. benign type or indolent variant of hypertension, when symptoms of pathology develop very slowly, over decades, and the risk of complications is estimated to be minimal;
2. a malignant disease characterized by sudden jumps in pressure, damage to target organs and frequent hypertensive crises (this variant of the disease is difficult to treat with drugs).

Symptoms

In the initial stages of development, the disease is practically asymptomatic, which makes it difficult to detect it early.In such patients, high blood pressure may be discovered incidentally during a medical examination or during a routine clinic examination.

A more complex type of hypertension is characterized by a series of signs that significantly worsen a person's quality of life and are the reason for his referral to specialists.The main symptom of the disease is an increase in blood pressure above 140/90 mm Hg.Art.This condition causes the development of headaches, which are the result of reflex narrowing of blood vessels in the brain.People prone to hypertension, as a rule, complain of pain in the back of the head and temples, of a pulsating nature, which is characterized by its strength and sudden development.Such pain and throbbing do not disappear after taking analgesics.

Hypertensive patients often experience solo dizziness, which can appear after doing simple work.The symptom is often accompanied by nausea and vomiting, as well as general weakness due to increased intracranial pressure.Narrowing of the vessels of the hearing aid causes ringing in the ears, when a person feels that his ears are very blocked, and practically loses the ability to normally perceive sounds from the environment.

Violation of coronary blood flow leads to the development of myocardial ischemia.In such patients, difficulty breathing and chest pain occur, which can be easily corrected with the help of nitrates.At this point, the organ works in overdrive to be able to push more blood into the narrowed main vessels.Each attack of angina is accompanied by a rapid pulse, pronounced heart palpitations and the risk that such a terrible complication of the pathological condition as myocardial infarction will appear.

In the case of hypertension, eye dysfunction is determined with a sudden deterioration of vision and the development of hypertensive retinal vessel angiopathy.The pathological process also includes the fundus of the eye, which swells and compresses the optic nerve.At that moment, the person notices "goosebumps" before the eyes, darkened circles and the like.

Complications of high blood pressure symptoms in women most often occur during menopause, when menopause occurs.During that period, hormonal changes occur in the body of the fairer sex that disrupt the production of biologically active substances that control the normal level of blood pressure.This is why hypertension is the most common consequence of menopause in women.

Complications

HD is one of the insidious diseases that progress slowly and are often diagnosed already at the stage of the appearance of the first complications of the pathological process.With a constant increase in blood pressure, dystrophic and sclerotic changes occur in the target organs, which lead to severe functional damage.First of all, arterial hypertension affects the kidneys, brain, heart, visual analyzer and blood vessels.

There are several risk factors that influence the speed of development of complications in hypertension and their severity:

• bad habits, especially smoking;
• sedentary lifestyle and increased body mass index;
• elevated blood cholesterol and hyperglycemia;
• frequent stresses;
• lack of potassium and magnesium in the body;
• age changes;
• hereditary predisposition.

In hypertensive disease, the heart is forced to work under conditions of increased stress, which is associated with the need to push blood into narrowed vessels.Over time, the wall of the myocardium thickens and the person experiences left ventricular hypertrophy and oxygen starvation of the heart muscle.

On the heart side, there are several types of complications of hypertension:

1. ischemic disease;
2. angina pectoris;
3. atherosclerosis of coronary vessels;
4. acute form of heart failure in the form of myocardial infarction;
5. chronic heart failure.

A high level of blood pressure causes the appearance of brain disorders in a person, which in practice manifest as severe dizziness, headache, tinnitus, memory loss and others.There are several options for complex cerebral complications of hypertension:

• encephalopathy with vestibular disorders;
• ischemic and hemorrhagic stroke;
• cognitive impairment of brain activity.

As you know, the kidneys control the amount of water and salt in the body.But when the blood pressure rises, they can fully perform their main work.This contributes to a number of complications, including:

1. kidney failure;
2. dysfunction of filtration and fluid excretion;
3. nephrosclerosis.

Such disorders lead to the development of a series of symptoms in hypertensive patients that indicate kidney pathology.The sick person begins to complain of general weakness, malaise, swelling and unexplained nausea.

Eye damage is manifested by bleeding in the retina, swelling of the optic nerve head and progressive loss of vision.On the part of peripheral vessels in arterial hypertension, the most dangerous complication is the dissection of their walls, and especially the well-known aneurysm of the aorta, which forms and is asymptomatic, often causing sudden death.

Diagnostics

The diagnosis of hypertension with determination of the stage and degree of development of the disease is an important step towards prescribing adequate treatment of the pathological condition.Therefore, when the first signs of hypertensive disease appear, immediately contact a medical institution to find out the causes of high blood pressure and methods for its correction.

A set of diagnostic measures for suspected hypertension includes a number of laboratory and instrumental studies, including:

• laboratory blood test to determine the level of potassium and magnesium, creatinine, bad cholesterol, glucose, etc.;
• biochemical study of urine with determination of the amount of protein;
• electrocardiography (ECG);
• ultrasound examination of the heart;
• Doppler flowmetry;
• fund review.

The diagnostic procedure for hypertension, which allows us to determine the degree of damage, consists of two stages:

1. the first stage is determining the clinical manifestations of the disease from the words of hypertensive patients and obtaining the results of additional studies;
2. the second stage is a special study that allows you to determine the exact extent of the disease and the presence of its complications in the patient using magnetic resonance therapy (MRI) or X-ray examination.

Daily monitoring of blood pressure allows you to get an accurate picture of the course of the disease.Thanks to it, you can determine the range of pressure fluctuations during the day and determine its average, which will characterize the degree of hypertension.The main disadvantage of such research is its high cost.

Treatment

Treatment of exacerbations of hypertension should take place in a cardiology hospital, where it is possible to constantly monitor the blood pressure level.In addition, if necessary, the doctor can change the patient's treatment plan and prescribe more effective drugs in each specific clinical case.

Treatment of the disease begins with the appointment of a special diet, which strictly limits table salt, fatty and fried foods, as well as offal, smoked meat and flour products.The diet of hypertensive patients is aimed at improving the general condition, preventing the development of edema, normalizing body weight, etc.

According to the new European recommendations, the treatment of hypertension should be comprehensive and necessarily include a series of drugs whose action is aimed at lowering blood pressure and eliminating the risk of the disease transforming into a malignant version of the course or developing complications of the pathological condition.Among the most commonly used groups of drugs for hypertension are:

• alpha-blockers;
• ganglion blockers;
• ACE inhibitors;
• beta blockers;
• calcium channel blockers;
• diuretics.

The doctor pays special attention to the prescription of diuretics.The fact is that not every diuretic is safe for the hypertensive body because of its potassium-washing properties.That is why taking such drugs should be combined with the use of potassium supplements under the control of the biochemical composition of the blood.In addition, diuretics not only reduce blood pressure, but also remove tissue swelling by removing excess sodium.

Self-medication of hypertension is strictly prohibited.

It is also not recommended to use traditional antihypertensive drugs without the approval of such use from your doctor.Prohibited actions, as the main contraindication, can cause an urgent hypertensive crisis and the need for urgent placement of the patient in a specialized hospital in order to determine the causes of complications and decide on further tactics for their elimination.

Prevention

In order to prevent hypertension, it is necessary to undergo a series of measures aimed at timely recognition and elimination of the risk of developing a pathological condition, as well as stabilization of already high blood pressure.In order to prevent the appearance of the first signs of the disease, a person should normalize his lifestyle, give up bad habits and salt consumption, increase physical activity, and also lose excess weight.Special attention should be paid to the health of potential patients in whom the risk of developing hypertension is hereditary.This category of people should always have a pressure measuring device at hand, with which they can monitor their condition.

Blood pressure problems can be prevented by:

1. lead an active lifestyle (physical therapy, fitness, massage, walks in the fresh air, skiing, swimming in the pool) and train regularly in the gym;
2. give up unhealthy food, smoking and drinking alcohol;
3. reduce salt intake to 3-4 g per day;
4. forbid yourself to eat foods rich in animal fats, preservatives and cholesterol;
5. maintain a clear daily routine and practice adequate sleep;
6. prevent the appearance of excess fat deposits, which cause obesity;
7. prevent stressful situations;
8. undergo regular preventive examinations with a cardiologist and take the necessary tests;
9. When the first signs of high blood pressure appear, seek medical help immediately.

People who have inherited a tendency to hypertension should take care of their health, exercise and undergo regular examinations.A ready diagnosis of hypertension implies clinical observation of patients and, if necessary, referral to a disability determination committee.