Hypertension

Hypertension is persistent high blood pressure above normal, usually above 140/90 millimeters of mercury.

Another name is essential hypertension. It accounts for more than ninety percent of cases of high blood pressure. In the remaining cases, secondary hypertension is diagnosed. These include renal up to 4%, endocrine up to 0. 4%, hemodynamic and neurological stress, which are caused by the absorption of iatrogenic substances. There is also hypertension in pregnant women, in which an increase in blood pressure is one of the symptoms of the underlying disease.

Among the different types of iatrogenic hypertension, the methods of various dietary supplements and contraceptives differ. In general, the occurrence of hypertension contributes to more than 25 combinations in the genetic code of the human body.

Hypertension causes

When doctors talk about the cause of hypertension, they admit that the cause of its occurrence is still unclear. Therefore, this disease is also called essential or, a disease whose etiology is unclear.

The theories that exist in our time and that try to explain the occurrence of hypertension are in themselves untenable and can lead a person into a hopeless situation (when all methods have been tried), without explaining anything either concretely orscientifically. The patient, to put it mildly, is put on treatment for the sake of the treatment. A person is almost constantly forced to resort to the help of drugs to relieve the hypertensive state.

In the human body there is a so-called system that regulates blood pressure. It can also increase for various reasons. When blood pressure increases, the walls of vessels such as the aortic arch or the carotid artery become very tense. Due to this, the receptors located there are irritated. The resulting excitement, passing through the nerves, reaches the medulla oblongata. There is a vasomotor center. The activity of depressor neurons, as opposed to pressor neurons, will increase, causing blood vessels to dilate and blood pressure to decrease. In the case of a decrease in blood pressure, such processes occur in complete contrast. This explains the normal process of increasing and decreasing blood pressure in the human body. Without reason, the pressure will not rise. Everything in the body is interconnected.

Causes of hypertension include:

1. Obesity and overweight. People with this problem very often have an increase in blood pressure and, as a result, hypertension. As a rule, people with such disorders of the body's metabolism need to control it.
2. In five percent of patients, the causes of hypertension can be disorders of the kidneys or the thyroid gland.
3. If a person is not overweight and has a slim build. He has no problems with the kidneys and thyroid gland, so the cause of hypertension may be a lack of magnesium in the body
4. Hypertension is caused in five percent of patients: tumor of the adrenal glands, tumor of the pituitary gland, poisoning with mercury, lead, etc.

In more detail, the main cause of hypertension in most patients is metabolic syndrome. As a rule, in such patients the content of cholesterol in the blood is disturbed. Metabolic syndrome is determined by several reasons: an increase in waist circumference (more than 80 cm in women, more than 94 cm in men); an increase in triglycerides (called fats) in the blood exceeds 1. 75 mmol per liter, or the patient is already receiving medication to correct the disease; high-density lipoproteins in women should be less than 1. 3 mmol per liter, in men less than 1. 0 mmol per liter; systolic blood pressure exceeds 140 mm Hg and diastolic blood pressure exceeds 85 mm Hg; the blood glucose level taken on an empty stomach is greater than 5. 5 mmol per liter. In total, if hypertension is associated with overweight, you need to check for the presence of metabolic syndrome.

In addition, the causes of hypertension are: psychological stress, diabetes, kidney and thyroid disease, heredity also plays a role.

High blood pressure symptoms

Clinical manifestations of hypertension do not have specific symptoms. Patients for many years may not even guess what disease they have. They will feel great vitality. Although sometimes they can still be overcome by episodes of dizziness, weakness, sometimes with dizziness. But, as a rule, such people believe that it comes from overwork. Complaints arise when, as they are called, target organs are affected. These are the organs most sensitive to changes in blood pressure.

The appearance of headaches and dizziness in a person, noise in the head, a decrease in working capacity and memory indicate initial changes in the cerebral blood supply. Later, double vision, flies in front of the eyes, weakness, difficulty in speaking, numbness in the arms and legs, but at the initial level, these changes in the blood supply are likely to come.

If the stage of hypertension has gone far, it can lead to complications in the form of a heart attack or stroke. The earliest and most consistent sign of high blood pressure is an increase (hypertrophy) in the left ventricle of the myocardium. In this regard, an increase in its mass is accompanied by the fact that the walls of the vessels thicken. First, the thickness of the wall of the left ventricle thickens, then the expansion of the chamber of the heart of this ventricle occurs. The same is true for hypertension. In another way, this condition can be called cardiac hypertension or hypertensive heart disease. With this form of hypertension, gross morphological changes in the aorta (atherosclerosis) can join together, it can expand, which can lead to rupture or dissection. Hypertension of the heart in this regard is very insidious.

A common sign or symptom of hypertension is of course headache. And as the most characteristic sign of this disease, with its subsequent progression, it can appear at different times of the day (patients often complain of night and hour after waking up from sleep). The nature of the headache can be as bright as it is heavy in the occipital region, and can cover other areas of the head as well. With hypertension, there may be swelling of the legs, which also indicates heart failure. In addition, they can be a sign of impaired kidney function.

high blood pressure

High blood pressure is the most common disease of the entire cardiovascular system. The word "high blood pressure" refers to blood pressure that remains consistently high. An increase in blood pressure occurs when there is a narrowing of the arteries and arterioles.

An artery is the main transport route through which blood travels to all tissues in the body. In many people, the arterioles constrict very often. Initially due to spasms, and subsequently their lumen almost constantly remains narrowed due to thickening of the wall. And then, in order for the blood flow to overcome the constrictions, a greater effort is applied, which increases the work of the heart muscle, and a large amount of blood flows into the vascular bed. These people usually most often suffer from hypertension.

This condition is chronic. In about 1 in 10 hypertensive patients, high blood pressure is caused by damage to a specific organ.

In these cases, we speak of symptomatic arterial hypertension, or as it is also called secondary. About 90 percent of patients suffer from an essential form of hypertension, or as it is called primary. Patients with high blood pressure very often suffer from headaches.

With high blood pressure, a hypertensive crisis is common. There are two types of hypertensive crisis:

• The first stage of the attack (when an immediate reduction in blood pressure is necessary) is classified: hypertrophic encephalopathy, acute left ventricular failure, acute aortic dissection, eclampsia, post-coronary arterial bypass. In some cases, hypertension is observed which is associated with an increase in the level of catecholamines circulating in the blood.
• In the second stage of the attack (when the conditions required to lower blood pressure within 12-24 hours): malignant arterial hypertension without special complications, high arterial hypertension, characterized by an increase in diastolic pressure above 140 mm Hg.

Emergency cupirization of a hypertensive crisis is carried out in the conditions when it appears: a convulsive form (hypertensive encephalopathy), a crisis in the presence of pheochromocytoma, a crisis of myocardial infarction, stroke, pulmonary edema, an aortic aneurysm.

Studies prescribed by a doctor for high blood pressure should include: a fundus examination, a study of kidney function, a study of the heart. He may also prescribe antihypertensive therapy to patients, which will help identify complications that may occur during high blood pressure (hypertension).

Degrees of hypertension

To properly diagnose hypertension, doctors must first determine the degree or stage of hypertension in a patient and make, so to speak, an appropriate entry in their medical record. If the diagnosis of hypertension occurred in the later, second or third stages, then the consequences for the body may be more serious than for the first stage of the disease. Nevertheless, few patients consult a doctor in the early stages of the disease. And in general, few people measure their blood pressure themselves at home.

Determine: normal blood pressure, in which systolic blood pressure, in which the indicator is below 130 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure, in which the values are below 85 mm Hg. High normal, in which the pressuresystolic blood pressure, in which the indicator is 130-140 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure, in which the indicators are 85-90 mm Hg.

• Hypertension 1 degree (mild), in which the systolic blood pressure has an indicator of 140-160 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure, in which the indicators are 90-100 mmHg;
• Hypertension of the 2nd degree (moderate), in which the systolic blood pressure has an indicator of 160-180 mmHg, and diastolic blood pressure, in which the indicators are 100-110 mmHg;
• Grade 3 (severe) hypertension, in which systolic blood pressure is above 180 mm Hg, and diastolic blood pressure, in which values are above 110 mm Hg.

Stages of hypertension

First-stage hypertension - characterized by an increase in blood pressure up to 160/100 mm, which can occur within a few days or weeks. But under favorable conditions, it usually drops to a normal level.

At this stage, there are usually no symptoms of the disease. Sometimes there may be complaints of recurring headaches, sleep disturbances, mild pain in the heart.

In the second stage of hypertension, the pressure rises to 180/100 mm. Even if the patient rests, he does not return to a normal level. In addition to an increase in blood pressure, there may be narrowing of the retinal artery, enlargement of the left ventricle of the heart, protein appears in the urine during the analysis and a slight increase inplasma creatine. There may be headaches, dizziness, sleep disturbances, angina, shortness of breath. At this stage, misfortunes such as heart attacks, strokes can occur. At this stage, it is necessary to take medication for hypertension.

In the third stage of hypertension, there is an increased increase in blood pressure to 180/110 mm and above. Almost all patients experience (severe) changes in internal organs. There are frequent bouts of shortness of breath, angina pectoris, heart rhythm disturbances, headaches, dizziness, sleep and hearing disturbances, vision and memory disturbances. Development of kidney and heart failure. Strokes and heart attacks are guaranteed. Urgent treatment should be carried out.

Hypertension Treatment

There are two methods of treating hypertension: drug and non-drug treatments.

There are different treatments for hypertension, but treatment should begin with the treatment of diseases whose symptoms are secondary hypertension, as well as symptomatic components of hypertension. The non-drug treatment of high blood pressure consists of following a diet with salt restriction, a favorable rest and work regime, coping with stressful situations, abstaining from drinking alcohol and stoppingsmoking, and normalizing body weight. Only with low efficiency of this method, drug treatment should be connected.

The goal of drug therapy is to lower blood pressure, that is, to eliminate the cause of this vascular condition. At the start of treatment, monotherapy and combination therapy are appropriate. When ineffective, I use low doses of antihypertensive combinations. The first line of treatment consists of prescribed medications that improve the prognosis.

• Beta-blockers. This is a group of obsolete drugs that have a hypotensive effect by reducing heart rate and blood volume per minute. They improve the work of the heart in its ischemic disease. But a side effect of these drugs is bronchospasm, so in our time most doctors move away from this method of treatment as monotherapy. And also with long-term use they contribute to the development of diabetes and erectile dysfunction.
• Diuretics. For the treatment of hypertension, saluretics are also used, drugs that remove sodium and chlorine ions from the body. But most diuretic drugs cause excretion of potassium from the body. It is better to combine them.
• Potassium antagonists. Used to prevent brain damage. Under no circumstances should you self-medicate for high blood pressure.

Only a doctor can prescribe the correct means of treating hypertension after a properly conducted examination.

In general, although hypertension is not completely curable, it can be said with certainty that good therapeutic results can be achieved through the coordinated work of the patient and the attending physician. It is possible to achieve a stable improvement in the state of the vascular system and the work of the heart, as well as to improve the level of cholesterol in the blood, which will also contribute to good relief of the patient's condition. Compliance with the absolute instructions and recommendations of the doctor will help the patient get rid of many symptoms that this insidious disease can cause.

Diet for hypertension

Rational nutrition is food that maintains health. It also satisfies all the needs of the human body for vitamins, nutrients and minerals, as well as energy.

The work of the entire heart system is closely related to the processes of digestion. With hypertension, the diet has a beneficial effect on the general condition of the patient. A large meal can significantly fill the stomach and thereby displace the diaphragm, making it difficult for the heart to function. Excess fluid also creates a heavy load. Well, if the diet is overfilled with a large amount of sodium chloride, then water is retained in the tissues of the body, which causes an increase in blood pressure, which sometimes also leads to swelling of theends.

Dietary principles. nutrition: compliance with the diet is considered a prerequisite - regular meals at the same time, it would also be best to adhere to frequent and fractional meals - three to five times a day, which is very important when overweight; it is recommended to eat dinner no later than two hours before bedtime - a rich meal before rest provokes the accumulation of overweight and obesity, and also contributes to restless sleep; food while following the diet should be varied and include products of various origins (plant and animal).

What to limit:

• Salt. It is recommended to limit it to minimum volumes and only slightly add already cooked dishes. In general, salt itself causes water retention in the body and contributes to the accumulation of excess weight. When dieting, it is usually taken at a rate of five grams per day. For an increase in blood pressure, it is recommended to take salt of the "preventive" type, that is, with a reduced content of sodium. It may also contain minerals essential to health such as magnesium, iodine and potassium ions. The products in which we find a low sodium content are products of plant origin: fish, cottage cheese, meat. Prepared foods like cheese or sausage contain an incredible amount of salt. There are ten times more than in natural meat. If the food is not salty or not salty at all, its taste can be improved by adding cranberries, citric acid, parsley, cinnamon, cilantro or dill. Salt restriction is very important in the diet for the treatment of hypertension.
• Liquid. Reduce the volume of drink to one liter per day, including compote, soup, milk and tea. The purpose of this restriction is to unload the work of the heart muscle and the work of the kidneys. You should also limit the intake of substances that excite the work of the cardiovascular system. These substances include caffeine and other tonic substances. They can cause heart palpitations, high blood pressure, and insomnia. Also be careful with instant coffee as it contains much more caffeine than regular coffee. Animal fat intake should be limited to 25 grams per day. Hypertension and atherosclerosis are closely linked. Arterial hypertension contributes to the development of such a disease as atherosclerosis, and itself can occur against its background. To fight against this syndrome, it is necessary to reduce the consumption of animal fats, rich in saturated fatty acids, and replace them with vegetable oils (olive, sunflower, cotton, etc. ). Patients should avoid eating foods containing cholesterol (kidneys, liver, fatty meats, egg yolks).
• Sugar. The sugar restriction should be up to 40 grams per day. Its excess is involved in the development of atherosclerosis.
• Baked goods. Hypertensive patients are often overweight. In this case, it is necessary to reduce the caloric content of food products, thereby limiting not only the consumption of sugar, but also the consumption of jam, flour products, white bread, etc. In such cases, a very effective remedy like fasting days is welcome. But again, only on the recommendation of a doctor who observes the patient. You can organize fasting days once a week. That is to say, absolutely nothing to eat, only water to drink. This will greatly contribute to weight loss. You can also arrange cottage cheese days: 400 grams of cottage cheese for five doses, two glasses of kefir, two cups of light unsweetened tea. And you can also organize apple days: two kilograms of apples for five doses.

You should increase your intake of the following:

• Potassium. Products containing it are very useful in the treatment of hypertension. And there should be more of these products. Potassium improves the functioning of the heart muscle and also helps eliminate excess fluid. Potassium salts are found in large quantities in vegetables, fruits and berries, as well as in juices. They are also rich in cabbage, potatoes, pumpkin, apricots, prunes, raisins, dried apricots, rose hips.
• Magnesium. It is necessary to supply the body with magnesium. Like potassium, it is needed in the treatment of hypertension. Magnesium salts have a vasodilating effect, which contributes to the prevention of vasospasm. This macronutrient is found in bran bread and rye bread, as well as in oatmeal, wheat, millet, buckwheat, barley groats, beets, carrots, lettuce, parsley, blackcurrant, walnuts and almonds.
• Iodine. Iodine also has a good effect on metabolism and general metabolism in hypertension. Foods containing iodine: fish, seaweed, squid. Salt restriction, providing the body with a sufficient amount of products containing magnesium and potassium salts, which are among the main features of therapeutic and preventive nutrition for arterial hypertension.

In general, the ratio of food and treatment should be agreed with the doctor observing the patient, because if a prescription is violated, there can be serious consequences for the body.

Folk remedies for hypertension

The treatment of hypertension folk remedies is very, very effective. Its effect will be more and more lasting and positive, but only if the patient leads a healthy lifestyle and adheres to a strict diet.

How exactly to treat folk remedies for hypertension?

Herbal decoctions, as well as infusions for the treatment of hypertension, prepared according to folk recipes, are recommended by doctors for a long time. You can take breaks of five or ten days every two to three months. The composition of such fees and decoctions includes special plants for lowering blood pressure. They also have sedative, sedative, diuretic and antispasmodic effects. These collections contain a plurality of certain compounds that have a beneficial effect on our body. They are called biologically active compounds. They include: macroelements and microelements, vitamins, phytoncides, organic acids and other substances.

Examples of folk recipes used for hypertension:

1. Peeled onions - three kilograms, flower honey - half a kilogram, vodka - half a liter, partition nuts - about thirty pieces. The method of preparation is to squeeze the juice from the onion, mix it with honey, add walnut partitions to this mixture. Everything is poured with vodka and infused for ten days. After that, this infusion can be taken three times a day, one tablespoon.
2. One lemon, two glasses of beet juice, one and a half glasses of cranberry juice, one glass of vodka, 250 grams of flower honey. All this mix and take a tablespoon on an empty stomach twice a day.
3. Take half a glass of honey and chopped beets. Mix everything and take a tablespoon before meals three times a day for three months.

Also, bee venom has good diuretic properties and blocks spasms of blood vessels, dilating them. This action leads to a decrease in blood pressure. Therefore, it is also recommended to prick the limbs with bees twice a week.

Traditional medicine gives recommendations on the use of royal jelly and propolis. They are good powerful antioxidants, they also reduce fatigue and help cleanse the body, increase its resistance to nervous and physical stress.

In the treatment of hypertension, the fruits of aronia are also prescribed. They can be cooked in the form of jelly, compotes, fruit drinks, syrups and even jams. The juice of these fruits has a great therapeutic effect, which is taken half an hour before meals three times a day.