All news
Hypertension: How to Reduce the Risk of This Dangerous Disease
This disease is also called the “silent killer.” Eventually, although it often causes no noticeable symptoms, it can lead to dangerous conditions such as heart failure, atherosclerosis, stroke, heart attack, chronic kidney disease, and vision loss.
Hypertension, or high blood pressure, is one of the most common chronic diseases in the world. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), the number of people with high blood pressure and mercury levels above 140/90 millimeters continues to grow. Arterial hypertension is one of the most common causes of death.
Unfortunately, this disease is rapidly spreading throughout the world. Currently, high blood pressure is sometimes found in patients slightly older than 30 years. This is doubly dangerous, because the earlier the disease develops, the greater the consequences for the body if the pathology is not treated.
Marina Dolgushkina, a therapist at the Krasnodar Regional Medical and Preventive Center, spoke about hypertension, its symptoms and preventive measures.
– Symptoms such as headaches do not clearly correlate with daytime hours and can appear at night or early in the morning after waking up, so caution is required. Usually it is a feeling of a “hoop”, heaviness or distension in the back of the head. Sometimes the pain intensifies when you cough hard or tilt your head. There may also be pain in the heart area that occurs during rest, emotional stress or physical activity. Another symptom of high blood pressure is blurred vision, which causes fogging, blurred vision, spots before the eyes and tinnitus. You should also be alerted by difficulty breathing, constant fatigue and frequent nosebleeds. If you have one or more of the listed symptoms, you should measure your blood pressure yourself with a tonometer or go to your local clinic for testing. More complex examinations include blood and urine tests, as well as daily blood pressure monitoring, ”said Marina Dolgushkina. • Do not drink alcohol or smoke for 2 hours after eating. • Blood pressure should be measured in a sitting, calm position, with your hands on the table.
– Do not move your hands or talk while measuring your blood pressure. We recommend that you first measure the pressure with both hands, and then check the pressure in your hands using the higher reading. The measurement can be repeated after 5 minutes.
In particular, people over 40 years of age or with risk factors such as heredity, bad habits, risky work, stress or obesity are advised to measure their blood pressure at least once or twice a year.
Lifestyle is very important. Therefore, by following the doctor's recommendations for prevention, you can prevent this terrible disease or reduce its symptoms and reduce the risk of complications.
– To prevent hypertension, you need to stop smoking. Nicotine promotes fatty degeneration of the heart muscle and reduces the heart’s performance. This bad habit also increases cholesterol in the blood, the excess of which is deposited in the form of atherosclerotic plaques on the walls of blood vessels, including coronary ones, worsening the blood supply to the myocardium. In addition, nicotine promotes the formation of blood clots in the vessels. Alcohol abuse also has a detrimental effect on the vessels and heart. With regular drinking, trophic and fatty degeneration of the heart muscle also develops, which can manifest itself as coronary heart disease, angina pectoris, myocardial infarction. The blood vessels of the brain are also affected. When alcohol is consumed, the vessels first expand, and then sharply narrow. It is more difficult for the heart to pump blood through narrowed vessels, so blood pressure increases, – the doctor explained.
Marina Dolgushkina noted that overeating and eating large amounts of fatty, sweet and especially salty foods are also harmful to the heart and blood vessels.
Another habit that is harmful to the body is physical inactivity. All organs and systems of the body suffer from a sedentary lifestyle, because the blood "stagnates" and does not provide the tissues with sufficiently important elements. Doctors also highlight stress as one of the significant causes of cardiovascular diseases. Adrenaline and cortisol, which are released into the blood during a stressful state, interfere with normal sleep, upset the heart rhythm, and contribute to rapid wear of the myocardium. It is necessary to avoid crisis situations whenever possible; in case of chronic stress, visit a psychologist and learn methods of emotional relief.
– In addition, the prognosis of the disease can be affected by age – over 55 years for men and over 65 years for women, blood cholesterol levels – over 4.9 millimoles per liter, increased fasting plasma glucose levels of 5.6–6.9 millimoles per liter, abdominal obesity, in which the waist circumference is over 102 centimeters for men and over 88 centimeters for women. In order to identify them, it is enough to undergo an annual medical examination or simply contact your local therapist, – noted Marina Dolgushkina.
The doctor explained what exactly needs to be done to avoid or reduce the signs of hypertension.
– Physical health is incompatible with alcohol, smoking and drugs. The first recommendation is to give up bad habits. You also need to take care of your diet. You should give preference to natural, unprocessed foods rich in protein and fiber (lean meat, fish, whole grains, vegetables, fruits, nuts, vegetable oils) and completely exclude salt from your diet. Replace it with lemon juice or aromatic spices. Let's take a closer look at the menu. Your daily diet should include vegetables and fruits rich in vitamins, minerals and antioxidants. Potassium is especially good for the heart. It is found in dried apricots, nuts, bananas, spinach, baked potatoes, tomatoes, cabbage and beans. Fiber, also found in whole grains, helps lower cholesterol. Fatty fish such as mackerel, salmon and sardines contain high amounts of omega-3 fatty acids, which help reduce the risk of heart disease, and iodine improves metabolism.
Overeating is harmful, so everyone should watch their weight. This does not require neglecting moderate physical activity. Walk more, avoid using the elevator, ride a bike, swim in the pool, dance, do fitness or simple exercises. "We must remember that there is no single medicine that can replace movement," the therapist emphasized.
Another important rule, which, unfortunately, many ignore, is to observe the work and rest regime. You should sleep at least 8 hours a day in a well-ventilated room. Lack of sleep is the cause of many diseases.
Don't forget about hardening. Contrast showers, spraying with cool water, walks in the fresh air in any weather.
High blood pressure is a serious condition that requires careful attention. By maintaining a healthy lifestyle, you can not only reduce the risk of its development, but also prevent many other diseases and improve the quality of your life.