High start: what diseases causes hypertension
The problem of high blood pressure is given special importance — the date of May 17 is designated in the calendar as World Hypertension Day. Arterial hypertension often gives rise to other disruptions in the body, provoking serious disorders, in particular stroke and heart attack. What diagnoses can be earned if you do not pay attention to high blood pressure, who falls into the risk group and how to protect yourself from undesirable consequences — in the Izvestia article.
What Russians know about hypertension
In the case of high blood pressure, the common expression "forewarned means armed" takes on a special meaning. The ORBI Stroke Foundation conducted a special study to find out how much Russians are aware of arterial hypertension. The experts aimed to assess whether there are stereotypes associated with this diagnosis in society, whether people are aware of its connection with stroke, whether they pay attention to blood pressure measurement, diagnosis and treatment of hypertension.
"The study showed that the majority of respondents understand the severity of hypertension and its relationship to the risk of stroke. More than 80% of respondents agree that hypertension increases this risk. At the same time, the concepts of high blood pressure remain heterogeneous. Part of the audience associates it primarily with well—being, and 30% of respondents admit the existence of "working" high pressure," the foundation explained.
It also turned out that more than half of the respondents (56% of the survey participants) are convinced that they know what lies behind the dangerous diagnosis. However, as noted in ORBI, the idea of hypertension in some of the audience still remains incomplete. In any case, 56% of the respondents described it simply as increased or high blood pressure, without indicating the regular or chronic nature of the disease, and 15% found it difficult to define this problem.
According to the survey, 59% of respondents believe that a person feels when their blood pressure is elevated, and 53% do not rule out that hypertension can go on for a long time without symptoms and be detected by chance.
A separate section of the study was devoted to common beliefs about hypertension. 30% of all respondents agree with the statement that if a person constantly lives with high blood pressure, but does not feel unwell, then such pressure can be considered "working" and not reduced. "This figure is higher among men than among women: 34% versus 27%. Respondents aged 18-24 and 25-34 agreed with this statement more often than others — 39% and 38%, respectively," the study notes.
"The respondents' blood pressure measurement practices vary. 52% of the respondents measure blood pressure with varying frequency: from several times a day to once a month or less. Another 28% do this only when necessary, for example, at a doctor's appointment or if they feel unwell, and 18% do not measure blood pressure," the foundation added.
The survey showed that not everyone takes the threat seriously. In particular, about 50% of those surveyed with a diagnosis of hypertension noted that it is difficult for them to regularly visit a doctor to monitor their condition. According to the study, "more than 30% reported that it is difficult for them to adhere to the recommended diet or that they lack the strength for regular physical activity."
— We see that the topic of hypertension is familiar to many, but it does not always translate into understandable everyday actions. Some people associate high blood pressure primarily with well-being, although it may not be accompanied by noticeable symptoms. Therefore, it is important to regularly measure blood pressure, know your indicators, consult a doctor and follow the prescribed recommendations," said Andrey Saitov, Director of information programs at the foundation.
He also stressed the need to inform Russians more about the symptoms of the disease and the importance of timely qualified assistance in case of their occurrence.
Indicators of normal blood pressure
The average indicator of normal blood pressure, accepted all over the world, is the classic "120 over 80," recalls Denis Prokofiev, a cardiologist with the status of "Moscow doctor." In most cases, such figures indicate that a person is protected from heart attack, stroke, and damage to target organs, which doctors include the heart, kidneys, blood vessels, eyes, and brain. However, the expert emphasizes that there simply cannot be a single indicator for absolutely everyone. For example, hypotonics, for whom the usual pressure is 90 over 60, will feel very bad when the numbers are 120 over 80.
Doctors also have their own approach to people who are overweight, tall, or those who do heavy physical labor. Their blood pressure may exceed the generally accepted norm. In the case of overweight, this is due to the fact that with a large mass, blood volume and vascular resistance may increase. In this case, it is impossible to bring down the pressure to average values — this will lead to hypoxia, general weakness and insufficient blood supply, warns Prokofiev.
"Therefore, theoretically, we take the numbers 120 by 80, but in each individual case we take into account the individual norm," the cardiologist emphasizes. — If a person does not keep their normal blood pressure level, and the numbers are significantly higher than the average, then the risks of hypertensive crises, heart attacks, strokes and damage to target organs increase cascadingly.
The necessary therapy, according to the specialist, is usually prescribed if a person feels weak and dizzy, complains of nausea and headache. Similar symptoms occur because there is significantly less oxygen in the brain and blood. All this affects your well-being and blood pressure levels.
How often to measure blood pressure
People are ambivalent about blood pressure monitoring: someone takes up a blood pressure monitor several times a day, while others measure blood pressure no more than once a month. Natalia Koryavtseva, a neurologist, medical expert at the ORBI Stroke Foundation, and a member of the All-Russian Society of Neurology, considers both extremes to be fundamentally wrong approaches. The frequency of monitoring depends on the patient's current status and how well the disease is being controlled, she notes.
If the diagnosis was made recently, the doctor has only prescribed medications or adjusts the dosage of current therapy, then the patient needs to keep a blood pressure diary, the Izvestia interlocutor clarifies. During this period, blood pressure should be measured twice a day: in the morning (after waking up, before breakfast and taking pills) and in the evening. This will give the doctor an objective picture of how the medicine works throughout the day.
Denis Prokofiev agrees with his colleague. At the same time, during the day, a person can change the climate, get into a stressful situation, or increase physical activity, the cardiologist reminds.
— A slight excess of the norm (if it remains within the target blood pressure figures) will not be a pathology and does not indicate the ineffectiveness of the therapy taken by a person. This is because the body triggers pressure—boosting mechanisms to compensate for physical exertion and other events of the day," the doctor emphasizes.
If the therapy is selected successfully, the pressure has stabilized and reached the target values (usually below 130/80 mmHg for most patients), then daily measurements are no longer needed, Koryavtseva continues. In this condition, it is sufficient to carry out control measurements 1-2 times a week.
— Excessively frequent blood pressure measurement (every half hour or an hour) without medical indications leads to an anxiety disorder, warns the neurologist. — The patient starts to get nervous because of the numbers, anxiety provokes the release of adrenaline, and the pressure increases even more. And measuring "only when it's bad" is dangerous because a person misses asymptomatic regular pressure surges, which at this moment invisibly destroy the walls of blood vessels, kidneys, retina and heart.
Risks of hypertension
Making diagnoses with high blood pressure "stands" on the summation of risks, Denis Prokofiev notes. Both hereditary risks and external acquired risks are taken into account — in the form of smoking, alcohol abuse, and malnutrition. Doctors pay close attention to abdominal obesity and take into account diseases of target organs in the form of chronic renal failure, congenital heart defects, and vascular atherosclerosis. Comparing all the risks leads to an understanding of whether a person needs to reduce blood pressure with drugs and to what extent.
"Sometimes people refuse to take medications because they don't feel that their blood pressure is elevated, and because of this they don't understand the ultimate goal of therapy,— says the cardiologist. — The doctor's task is to explain in which case the patient risks his health if he refuses medications.
Hypertension is not just called a "silent killer" in the global medical community, emphasizes Natalia Koryavtseva. In the vast majority of cases, an increase in blood pressure is not physically felt in any way — a person can live at 160/100 and feel absolutely healthy until a vascular catastrophe occurs — a heart attack or stroke.
Prokofiev also draws attention to the fact that not all people feel the symptoms of high blood pressure.
— Some people do experience symptoms such as headache, dizziness, general weakness, decreased performance, but more than 50% of patients do not feel increased blood pressure at all. And it is only through screening at a doctor's appointment or during a medical examination during pre—trip examinations that elevated blood pressure levels are detected," the specialist notes.
In this case, the patient and the doctor need to analyze whether it is a persistent increase in blood pressure or symptomatic hypertension due to stress. Sometimes, fortunately, the alarm turns out to be false.
— What people sometimes mistake for symptoms of high blood pressure during stress (headache, throbbing in the temples, rapid heartbeat, sweating, feeling heavy) is actually a manifestation of the release of stress hormones — adrenaline and cortisol. It is the activation of the sympathetic nervous system that gives this vivid symptomatology, and the rise in pressure at this moment acts only as a parallel process, the body's reaction to the stress factor," says Koryavtseva.
In any case, it is absolutely impossible to focus on how you feel with hypertension — evidence-based medicine insists on this, the neurologist emphasizes. The only way to find out your blood pressure is to measure it with an apparatus.
"Hypertension can go unnoticed for a long time, so regular blood pressure measurement helps a person to know their indicators and seek medical advice in time if they change," the ORBI Foundation summarizes.
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