According to statistics, hypertension is the most common cardiovascular disease.The nature of the course and possible consequences provide 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 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.The pathology is indicated when the tonometer registers a blood pressure level higher than 140/90 mm Hg.Art.
Men are more prone to hypertension;in the stronger sex, the disease develops at an early 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 among women and men stabilizes.
Symptoms of hypertension in men and women are almost the same, the causes and risk factors for the development of the disease are slightly 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.At night, blood pressure drops, reaching its physiological minimum between midnight and three o'clock.By the end of the working day, around 5pm, blood pressure reaches its maximum and begins to decline from 8pm.A situational increase in pressure occurs during unusual or excessive physical activity, in stressful situations, against the background of especially vivid and strong emotions.
The basis for testing 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.The first symptoms of hypertension are quite characteristic, but in the absence of specific knowledge they are mistakenly confused with 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 disorders 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 tension.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 (night shift work, 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 greater than 5 g per day, the risk of developing hypertension increases.With a burdened inheritance, addiction to salty foods is almost equivalent to a death sentence.
The predisposition to hypertension is genetically determined.Symptoms of hypertension appearing in close relatives are a fairly clear signal of the need to pay close attention to one's health.
Hypertension and its further progression are also caused by atherosclerosis, obesity, dysfunction of the adrenal glands, thyroid gland and chronic infections.
Age and gender contribute to the manifestations of the pathology.Among people under 40, symptoms of hypertension are more common in men than in women.After 60 years, hypertension is diagnosed in one in two patients.The incidence of the disease in women increases after menopause and women predominate in the older patient group.Changes in sex ratios are associated with increased premature mortality among men who develop the disease at an early age.
Furthermore, provoking factors are:
- Violations of quality and diet;
- Bad habits and chronic intoxication;
- 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 prolonged increase in blood pressure is accompanied by the following symptoms:
- Dizziness;
- Heachache;
- Visual impairment;
- Numbness in the fingers;
- Sleep disorders;
- Worsening of performance;
- Irritability;
- Nosebleeds;
- tinnitus;
- Peripheral edema (especially 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 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 with the manifestation of other diseases not related to the cardiovascular system.
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, moving sharply, 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 a sharp increase in it.In some patients, the headache is combined with nosebleeds, after which the condition usually improves.Nosebleeds can be painless, especially in the early stages of hypertension.
Excruciating headaches cause irritability.The patient reacts painfully to bright lighting, loud and sharp sounds.
The visual impairment is described as a veil in front of the eyes, “spots”, double vision.
Heart pain and a vague feeling of anxiety as a symptom of hypertension are more typical of advanced stages of the disease.The pain is located at the top 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 of the organic nitrate class.
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.Bloating can develop after taking certain medications, impaired kidney 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 worsening of performance, lethargy, possible attacks of nausea and tachycardia.
Moderate hypertension is diagnosed when values range from 150-179/100-109 mmHg.Art.Patients experience sweating, chills, swelling, numbness in the fingers, and a dull pain in the heart is possible during an attack.Spasms of the retinal vessels are manifested by the flickering of flies or lightning before the eyes and, possibly, by a progressive deterioration of vision, up to blindness due to retinal hemorrhage.
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 seizure 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:
- Shortness of breath;
- Nausea, sometimes vomiting;
- blurred vision and other visual disturbances;
- Severe facial redness;
- Severe headache;
- Constrictive pain in the heart region.
The symptoms that appear during a crisis can vary;Based on the characteristics of the symptom complex, the following types of crises are distinguished:
- Neurovegetative.Neurological symptoms prevail.The patient is overexcited, restless, or scared.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 the crisis develops especially in women after eating salty foods or large quantities of liquids.
- A rare form of convulsive seizure is possible in patients with a malignant course of hypertension.During a seizure, 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, breastfeeding 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 taking oral contraceptives.
Alcohol and nicotine intoxication have a much greater impact on women than on the stronger sex.Even a cigarette can cause a hypertensive crisis with diagnosed hypertension.
Another risk factor is the greater emotionality of women.Due to this psychological feature, representatives of the fair sex more often suffer from hypertensive crises.
Symptoms of hypertension in women are generally stronger;women are more attentive to their health and turn to the doctor, on average, much earlier than men.
Features of the development and course of hypertension in men
Since the male body is not subject to such frequent and profound hormonal changes, the main risk factors are slightly 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.Chronic intoxications of various origins also play an equally important role, ranging from air pollution in industrial regions, to dangerous working conditions up to alcohol or tobacco addiction.
Diabetes mellitus, physical inactivity and excess body weight can also cause 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 the first symptoms are not always taken seriously.The first visit to the 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, hypertensive parents should know how to identify hypertension in children.
Hypertension can affect children of all ages and adolescents during puberty are particularly susceptible to it.The triggers, mechanisms of development and symptoms of hypertension are similar to those of adults.The basis for examining a child to confirm/exclude the diagnosis of hypertension is a prolonged increase in blood pressure above 140/90 mmHg.Art.