According to statistics, hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease.The nature of the course and possible consequences provide grounds for classifying 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 is every chance for early diagnosis and timely treatment.The disease is not completely cured, but its progression can be successfully controlled.
Arterial hypertension is a chronic disease, the main symptom of which is persistent hypertension, high blood pressure.Pathology is indicated when the tonometer records a blood pressure level of more 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, the incidence among women and men levels off.
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 advisable to understand 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 o'clock.By 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 examination for suspected hypertension is at least three episodes of increased blood pressure recorded on different days during the month.Instrumental confirmation of increased pressure is necessary to differentiate the disease from other pathologies.Early symptoms of hypertension are quite characteristic, but in the absence of special knowledge they are mistakenly mistaken for manifestations of other diseases.In addition, primary hypertension in hypertension should 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, the departments that control the functioning of vital organs.
The connection between hypertension and disturbances in the processes of nervous regulation is indirectly confirmed by the fact that it is often provoked by prolonged and severe anxiety, fears, deep nervous shocks, and repeated episodes of nervous strain.Prerequisites for the development of primary arterial hypertension may be severe disturbances in the daily cycle of activity associated with the characteristics of professional activity (work on night shifts, long working hours), exposure to noise and vibration.
The development of hypertension is also facilitated by an imbalance in the ion balance caused by excess sodium.When consuming table salt in quantities exceeding 5 g per day, the risk of developing hypertension increases.With a burdened heredity, an addiction to salty foods is almost tantamount to a death sentence.
Predisposition to hypertension is genetically determined.Symptoms of hypertension that appear in close blood relatives are a fairly clear signal about the need to pay close attention to your health.
Hypertension and its further progression are also provoked by atherosclerosis, obesity, dysfunction of the adrenal glands, thyroid gland, and chronic infections.
Age and gender contribute to the manifestations of pathology.Among people under 40 years of age, symptoms of hypertension are more common in men than in women.After 60 years, hypertension is diagnosed in every second patient.The incidence of the disease in women increases after menopause and in the older age group of patients it is women who predominate.Changes in gender ratios are associated with increased premature mortality among men who develop the disease at an earlier age.
In addition, provoking factors are:
- Violations of quality and diet;
- Bad habits and chronic intoxication;
- Caffeine abuse;
- Physical inactivity and heavy physical labor;
- Socio-economic status.
Main symptoms of the disease
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 in performance;
- Irritability;
- Nosebleeds;
- Tinnitus;
- Peripheral edema (mainly in women);
- Sweating;
- Pain in the heart.
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 in blood pressure levels.It is not uncommon to have a headache immediately after waking up.This symptom is often mistaken for ordinary 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, sometimes worsening when turning, tilting the head, sudden movements, sneezing, coughing, and may be accompanied by swelling of the face, general or partial.The intensity of pain is in no way related to the level of blood pressure, but sometimes indicates its abrupt increase.In some patients, the headache is combined with nosebleeds, after which the condition usually improves.Nosebleeds can be painless, especially in the first stage of hypertension.
Excruciating headaches provoke irritability.The patient reacts painfully to bright lighting, loud and sharp 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 for later stages of the disease.The pain is localized in the upper part of the heart or to the left of the sternum, and is not always associated with emotional or physical stress.Unlike angina attacks, the pain may not subside for several hours and is not relieved by taking vasodilators from the class of organic nitrates.
Shortness of breath can occur as a reaction to physical activity, as the disease progresses, and at rest.
Peripheral edema with hypertension may indicate the development of heart failure.Swelling can develop after taking certain medications, impaired renal function, 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 rises to 140-149/90-99 mmHg.Art.hypertension is characterized as mild.The attacks are accompanied by dizziness, and nosebleeds are possible.Characterized by deterioration in performance, lethargy, possible attacks of nausea and tachycardia.
Moderate hypertension is diagnosed when readings range from 150-179/100-109 mmHg.Art.Patients experience sweating, chills, swelling, numbness in the fingers, and dull pain in the heart is possible during an attack.Spasms of retinal vessels manifest themselves as the flickering of flies or lightning before the eyes, and possibly progressive deterioration of vision, even blindness due to hemorrhage in the retina.
Severe hypertension leads to 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 are possible:
- Dyspnea;
- Nausea, sometimes vomiting;
- blurred vision and other visual disturbances;
- Sharp redness of the face;
- Severe headache;
- Constrictive pain in the region of the heart.
Symptoms that appear during a crisis can vary; according to the characteristics of the symptom complex, the following types of crisis are distinguished:
- Neurovegetative.Neurological symptoms predominate.The patient is overexcited, restless or frightened.Possible hand tremors, sweating, and fever.As a rule, only systolic pressure increases; an attack of hypertension is accompanied by tachycardia.
- Hydropic.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 convulsive form of crisis is possible in patients with a malignant course of hypertension.During a convulsive crisis, the likelihood of 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, a final diagnosis is possible after the complete extinction of reproductive function.Particularly female risk factors include taking oral contraceptives.
Intoxication with alcohol and nicotine has a much greater impact on women than on the stronger sex.Even one cigarette can provoke a hypertensive crisis with diagnosed hypertension.
Another risk factor is the increased emotionality of women.Due to this psychological feature, representatives of the fair sex more often suffer from hypertensive crises.
The symptoms of hypertension in women are usually stronger; women are more attentive to their health and consult a 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 in women.
First of all, these are severe and chronic stress, causing an increase in adrenaline levels, and therefore blood pressure.Chronic intoxications of various origins also play an equally important role, ranging from air pollution in industrial regions, hazardous working conditions and ending with alcohol or tobacco addiction.
Diabetes mellitus, physical inactivity, and excess body weight can also provoke the development of arterial hypertension.
A hereditary predisposition to hypertension increases the risk of its development in both sexes.
Signs of hypertension in men are less pronounced, and early symptoms are not always taken seriously.The first visit to a doctor often 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 triggering factors, development mechanisms and symptoms of hypertension are similar to those in adults.The basis for examining a child to confirm/exclude the diagnosis of hypertension is a sustained increase in blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg.Art.