According to statistics, hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease.The nature of the course and possible consequences give reason to classify it as one of the most dangerous pathologies.At the same time, there is no asymptomatic stage in the development of hypertension.That is, if you pay close attention to your health, there are many possibilities for early diagnosis and timely treatment.The disease is not completely cured, but its progression can be successfully controlled.
High blood pressure is a chronic disease, the main symptom of which is persistent hypertension, high blood pressure.The pathology is indicated when the tonometer registers a blood pressure level greater than 140/90 mm Hg.Art.
Men are more prone to hypertension;in the stronger sex, the disease develops at an earlier age.One of the main reasons for this phenomenon is female sex hormones, which inhibit the development of the disease.In the postmenopausal period, natural protection disappears and the incidence between women and men stabilizes.
The symptoms of hypertension in men and women are almost the same, the causes and risk factors for developing the disease are somewhat different.
Changes in blood pressure.
Before talking about increased blood pressure, it is worth understanding what indicators are normal.In children of the first year of life, blood pressure is considered normal at 90/40 ± 5 mm Hg.Art.With age, the indicators gradually increase, reaching 120/80 ± 10 mm Hg.Art.
According to the World Health Organization, the upper limit of normal blood pressure is set at 140/90 mmHg.Art.
It should be noted that blood pressure values vary depending on the time of day and the corresponding physical activity of a person.Blood pressure drops at night, reaching a physiological minimum between midnight and three in the afternoon.At the end of the working day, at approximately 17:00, blood pressure reaches a maximum and begins to decrease from 20:00.A situational increase in pressure occurs during unusual or excessive physical activity, in stressful situations, against the background of particularly vivid and strong emotions.
The basis for the examination of suspected hypertension is at least three episodes of increased blood pressure recorded on different days of the month.Instrumental confirmation of increased pressure is necessary to differentiate the disease from other pathologies.The first symptoms of hypertension are quite characteristic, but in the absence of special knowledge they are mistakenly confused with manifestations of other diseases.In addition, primary hypertension in hypertension must be distinguished from symptomatic (secondary) hypertension, which develops against the background of kidney disease and pathologies of the endocrine system.
Causes and risk factors.
The main role in the pathogenesis of hypertension is played by disorders of the regulatory function of the central nervous system, in particular those parts that control the functioning of vital organs.
The connection between hypertension and disturbances in nervous regulation processes is indirectly confirmed by the fact that it is often provoked by intense and prolonged anxiety, fears, deep nervous shocks and repeated episodes of nervous tension.The prerequisites for the development of primary arterial hypertension can be serious disturbances in the daily cycle of activity associated with the characteristics of professional activity (night shift work, long working hours), exposure to noise and vibrations.
The development of hypertension is also facilitated by an imbalance in the ionic balance caused by excess sodium.When table salt is consumed in amounts greater than 5 g per day, the risk of developing hypertension increases.With a burdened heredity, addiction to salty foods is almost a death sentence.
The predisposition to hypertension is genetically determined.Symptoms of hypertension that appear in close blood relatives are a fairly clear sign of the need to pay close attention to their health.
Hypertension and its further progression are also caused by atherosclerosis, obesity, dysfunction of the adrenal glands, thyroid gland, and chronic infections.
Age and sex contribute to the manifestations of the pathology.Among people under 40 years of age, hypertension symptoms are more common in men than women.After 60 years, every second patient is diagnosed with hypertension.The incidence of the disease in women increases after menopause and in the older group of patients women predominate.Changes in gender ratios are associated with higher premature mortality among men who develop the disease at a younger age.
Additionally, the provoking factors are:
- Quality and diet violations;
- Bad habits and chronic poisoning;
- Caffeine abuse;
- Physical inactivity and heavy physical work;
- Socioeconomic status.
Main symptoms of the disease.
The typical signs of hypertension in women and men are the same and appear at an early stage.A sustained increase in blood pressure is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Dizziness;
- Headache;
- Visual impairment;
- Numbness of fingers;
- Sleep disorders;
- Deterioration of performance;
- Irritability;
- Nosebleeds;
- tinnitus;
- Peripheral edema (mainly in women);
- Perspiration;
- Pain in the heart.
The symptoms of hypertension appear in different combinations, not all at once, but as the disease progresses.Headache attacks can develop at the end of the day, coinciding in time with the physiological peak of blood pressure levels.It is not uncommon to have a headache immediately after waking up.This symptom is often confused with normal lack of sleep, overwork or the manifestation of other diseases not related to the cardiovascular system.
A headache caused by an attack of hypertension is accompanied by a feeling of pressure or heaviness in the back of the head, which sometimes worsens when turning, tilting the head, sudden movements, sneezing, coughing, and may be accompanied by general or partial swelling of the face.The intensity of the pain has no relation to the level of blood pressure, but sometimes indicates a sharp increase.In some patients, the headache is combined with nosebleeds, after which the condition usually improves.Nosebleeds may be painless, especially in the early stage of hypertension.
Unbearable headaches cause irritability.The patient reacts painfully to bright lighting and loud, high-pitched sounds.
Visual impairment is described as a veil before the eyes, “spots,” double vision.
Heart pain and a vague feeling of anxiety as a symptom of hypertension are more typical of the later stages of the disease.The pain is located in the upper part of the heart or to the left of the breastbone and is not always associated with emotional or physical stress.Unlike angina attacks, the pain may not go away for several hours and is not relieved by taking vasodilators of the organic nitrate class.
Shortness of breath can occur in reaction to physical activity, as the disease progresses, and at rest.
Peripheral edema with hypertension may indicate the development of heart failure.Swelling may develop after taking certain medications, kidney failure, or excess sodium in the body.
During hypertension, three stages are distinguished, which differ in the symptoms they manifest and the severity of the patient's condition.
When blood pressure increases to 140-149/90-99 mmHg.Art.Hypertension is characterized by being mild.The attacks are accompanied by dizziness and nosebleeds are possible.It is characterized by impaired performance, lethargy, possible attacks of nausea and tachycardia.
Moderate hypertension is diagnosed when readings range between 150 and 179/100 and 109 mmHg.Art.Patients experience sweating, chills, swelling, numbness in the fingers, and a dull pain in the heart may occur during an attack.Spasms of the retinal vessels manifest as flies or lightning flashing before the eyes and possibly progressive deterioration of vision, even blindness due to hemorrhage in the retina.
Severe hypertension causes problems with the functioning of the heart and other organs.
Hypertensive crisis
With a sharp increase in blood pressure, a hypertensive crisis is possible.The consequences of a crisis can affect the heart, brain and kidneys.The most characteristic feature of a crisis is an increase in diastolic (upper) pressure.
The crisis begins suddenly and the following is possible:
- Difficulty breathing;
- Nausea, sometimes vomiting;
- blurred vision and other visual disturbances;
- Acute redness of the face;
- Severe headache;
- Constrictive pain in the region of the heart.
The symptoms that appear during a crisis can vary;Depending on the characteristics of the symptom complex, the following types of crises are distinguished:
- Neurovegetative.Neurological symptoms predominate.The patient is overexcited, restless, or scared.Possible hand tremors, sweating and fever.As a general rule, only systolic pressure increases;an attack of hypertension is accompanied by tachycardia.
- Dropsical.Both pressure indicators increase, patients quickly develop swelling of the face and hands, lethargy and drowsiness.The man is disoriented.The edematous form of crisis develops mainly in women after eating salty foods or large amounts of liquid.
- A rare form of seizure is possible in patients with a malignant course of hypertension.During a seizure, the chance of having a hemorrhagic stroke is especially high.
Features of the course of hypertension in women.
Women of childbearing age develop hypertension less frequently than men.At the same time, hormonal changes associated with pregnancy, lactation, and menopause are often accompanied by symptomatic hypertension.If the main signs of hypertension appear against the background of menopausal changes, the final diagnosis is possible after the complete extinction of reproductive function.Particularly female risk factors include the use of oral contraceptives.
Alcohol and nicotine poisoning has a much greater impact on women than on the stronger sex.Even one cigarette can cause a hypertensive crisis with diagnosed hypertension.
Another risk factor is the greater emotionality of women.Due to this psychological characteristic, the fair sex more often suffers from hypertensive crises.
The symptoms of hypertension in women are usually stronger;Women are more attentive to their health and consult the doctor, on average, much earlier than men.
Features of the development and course of hypertension in men.
Since the male body does not undergo such frequent and profound hormonal changes, the main risk factors are somewhat different from those of women.
First of all, it is severe and chronic stress, which causes an increase in adrenaline levels and, therefore, blood pressure.An equally important role is played by chronic poisoning of various origins, ranging from air pollution in industrial regions to dangerous working conditions and ending with addiction to alcohol or tobacco.
Diabetes mellitus, physical inactivity and excess body weight can also lead to the development of high blood pressure.
A hereditary predisposition to hypertension increases the risk of its development in both sexes.
Signs of hypertension in men are less pronounced and the first symptoms are not always taken seriously.The first visit to the doctor usually occurs at a fairly advanced stage of the disease.
Hypertension in children
Since one of the key factors in the development of hypertension is family history, parents with hypertension should know how to identify hypertension in children.
Hypertension can affect children of all ages, and adolescents during puberty are especially susceptible to it.The triggers, development mechanisms and symptoms of hypertension are similar to those in adults.The basis for examining a child to confirm or exclude the diagnosis of hypertension is a sustained increase in blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg.Art.