This disease is called the "silent killer" because it quietly and imperceptibly leads to irreversible consequences for the human body. “Hypertension” is a term that is actively used in Europe and the USA. In the post-Soviet space, the name "hypertension" is more common. In fact, these concepts are identical, since in translation from Greek they mean the same thing: overvoltage.
Hypertension: the heart of the problem
The disease is manifested by a steady increase in blood pressure. There are fluctuations starting from the following indicators:
- systolic: from 140 mm Hg. Art.;
- diastolic: more than 90 mm Hg. st.
This unpleasant syndrome mainly affects the elderly population. And at a younger age, men are more likely to suffer from hypertension. The statistics for the whole planet is disappointing: 20% of humanity suffers from the consequences of arterial hypertension. The reasons for its appearance are different, but it is noted that emotional people are often susceptible to this disease. Some scientists call hypertension "the disease of hidden emotions."This means that unspoken claims, grievances or wishes accumulate, turning over time into a serious chronic disease.
Distinguish between essential (primary) and secondary or symptomatic hypertension. Primary develops due to the following reasons:
- age-related: in women, the threshold for the onset of morbidity is 65, in men - 55;
- nicotine addiction;
- emotional overload, stress, psychological trauma;
- hypodynamia;
- overweight;
- diabetes.
Symptomatic hypertension appears on the basis of already existing diseases, such as:
- disturbances in the endocrine system;
- serious cardiovascular problems;
- malfunctions in the urinary system;
- pregnancy;
- chronic alcoholism;
- drug abuse.
Sometimes the disease manifests itself violently, and sometimes it is not felt at all by patients even in the last stages of the development of the disease. Like everything in medicine, this question is individual and requires careful study.
So, hypertension: stages and degrees of risk, what to do to stop the disease - these topics will be discussed in the article. You will find full information on this issue in it.
Arterial hypertension: stages and degrees
It is necessary to distinguish between the concepts of the stage of arterial hypertension and the degree of this disease. Stages are descriptions of symptoms and damage,applied to organs during the course of the disease. And degrees are those blood pressure data that allow you to classify the disease. For the successful treatment of any ailment, its cause should be found out, therefore, in this review, it is worth identifying several main groups of pathologies that cause arterial hypertension:
- Pulmonary. This type of hypertension develops due to a malfunction of the pulmonary vessels, resulting in a decrease in blood flow. This situation has a negative effect on cardiac activity. This is a rare and extremely dangerous pathology that causes heart failure and general exhaustion of the body.
- Malignant. This type of disease is characterized by an increase in pressure up to 220 (upper) and 130 (lower) mm Hg. Art., which entails a radical change in the fundus and venous thrombosis. The final cause of the transformation of ordinary hypertension into malignant has not yet been clarified.
- Renovascular, or renovascular. This type is associated with disorders in the functioning of the kidneys, namely with malfunctions in the blood supply to this organ. Typically, such violations are determined by an overestimated diastolic index. The vast majority of secondary hypertension occurs for this reason.
- Labile. As a rule, episodic instability of pressure is not a disease, but the possibility of its development into true hypertension exists.
Symptoms of hypertensive disorders can be headaches, numbness of the extremities, dizziness, but sometimes there is a complete absence of symptoms. It's oftenoccurs when a patient has stage 1 arterial hypertension.
Onset of disease: first degree
To identify such an ailment is possible only by regular measurement of blood pressure. Moreover, this should happen in a calm environment and at least three times in a certain period.
Only in this case it is possible to judge the presence or absence of such a common disease as arterial hypertension. The stages and degrees of the disease, as already mentioned, are fundamentally different, although even some doctors confuse these concepts. The first degree is often discovered by chance, for example, during a routine examination. The blood pressure range in this category is:
- systolic (upper): 140-160 mmHg Art.;
- diastolic (lower): 90-100 mmHg st.
This is a mild degree that is often mild in terms of symptoms. It is noteworthy that there is not only arterial hypertension of the 1st degree (1st stage). The patient, whose pressure amplitude corresponds to 1 degree, may suffer, for example, the second stage of the disease. It all depends on the degree of organ damage and the individual state of the body.
Moderate hypertension
The average degree of hypertension is expressed in the following pressure indicators:
- top: 160-180mmHg Art.;
- lower: 100-110mmHg st.
There are times when the increase in pressure occurs in a specific way, rather unevenly. For example, they rise above the normexclusively diastolic indicators. Or there are cases of increased pressure only in certain circumstances, for example, at a doctor's appointment. At home, things are back to normal. This happens with patients who have an unstable or labile type of nervous system.
Again, depending on the condition of the patient, there is arterial hypertension of the 2nd degree (2 stages), but such coincidences do not always happen. Sometimes the pressure indicators correspond to a power-law amplitude, and the symptoms are not limited to headaches (stage 2 of the disease). On the contrary, they grow at lightning speed, leading to serious malfunctions of the heart, kidney system and brain failure.
Severe hypertension: when blood pressure is high
The last degree of hypertension is characterized by extremely undesirable high blood pressure:
- systolic: from 180 mm Hg. Art.;
- diastolic: from 110 mm Hg. st.
There are situations when normal values exceed only systolic pressure. Such disorders are most often observed in elderly patients. This type of hypertension is called grade 4 hypertension, which in itself is not correct.
Stages of hypertension: first
If we analyze the stages of arterial hypertension, then the first of them is the easiest and most imperceptible for the patient. But it is she who becomes the beginning of serious problems in the future. Therefore, even if hypertension is still insignificant, this is not a reason for it.ignore. There are no symptoms as such during the first stage of hypertension, apart from, of course, slight and irregular high blood pressure. But the very tendency to change these important indicators should alert and encourage action. If stage 1 hypertension occurs, the patient sometimes complains of poor sleep, episodic headache, or nosebleeds. Treatment in this case may be limited to following a diet that reduces the amount of s alt and optimizing the daily routine.
Arterial hypertension stage 2: symptoms increase
If the disease for some reason is not treated at the initial stage, then a more severe stage occurs, characterized by a complicated course. Symptoms grow to such an extent that it is no longer possible to ignore them. Headaches become intense, frequent and protracted, nosebleeds become regular, do you feel pain in the heart area? Such signs are often characterized by arterial hypertension of the 2nd degree, 2 stages. To normalize and regulate the patient's condition, he is forced to seek help from a doctor. It happens that the consequences of high pressure, which exhausted the body for quite a long time, lead to the appearance of arterial hypertension of the 2nd stage, 3rd degree. And such a situation can create an immediate threat to the life of the patient. Of course, it is necessary to strictly follow all the doctor's prescriptions in order to prevent complications when the diagnosis of stage 2 arterial hypertension is finally established.
The risk of stage 3 in case of negligent treatment strategy is very high. In addition to the mandatory intake of medications, it is necessary to give up alcohol, nicotine, balance the diet by practically eliminating s alt from it.
Third stage: organs suffer
Arterial hypertension stage 3 is characterized by the severity of complications that arise due to the detrimental effects of borderline high pressure on all organs and systems. Especially in such cases, the heart, kidneys, eyes and brain suffer. With insufficient or incorrect treatment, severe consequences are possible in the form of strokes, encephalopathies, heart attacks, renal and heart failure, arrhythmias, and irreversible damage to the eye vessels. Untreated arterial hypertension of the 3rd stage (the risk of the 4th stage in this case increases sharply), threatens to develop into isolated systolic hypertension. Subjectively, patients experience memory impairment, impaired mental activity, and frequent loss of consciousness.
Correct diagnosis
If we are talking about symptomatic hypertension, then it is necessary to identify the cause that caused it. For this, a basic set of analyzes is necessarily carried out:
- blood test (with obligatory determination of hematocrit);
- urinalysis (advanced);
- blood test to determine sugar and cholesterol levels;
- detailed examination of blood serum;
- electrocardiogram.
In addition, there are additional methods for making a differential diagnosis,which the doctor will prescribe as necessary. A well-established history is also important. Secondary hypertension, as a rule, begins abruptly, is reluctant to treat, and is not inherited. Often this condition occurs during pregnancy. Gestational hypertension usually appears in the 5th month of pregnancy and disappears after delivery. But such women in labor are registered in order to adjust medical care during childbirth. Women with a similar diagnosis are included in the group for the possible occurrence of preeclampsia.
Patients are usually divided into risk groups, depending on how severe hypertension is. Degree, stage - the risk of complications depends on these factors. There are four categories, which are delimited according to the principle of the probability of damage to internal organs in the future:
- less than 15%;
- about 20%;
- 20 to 30%;
- more than 30%.
Worse prognosis in patients diagnosed with grade 3, stage 2-3 arterial hypertension. These patients belong to the 3rd or 4th risk group and require immediate complex treatment.
What can provoke a hypertensive crisis?
This most dangerous complication threatens patients with stage 2-3 hypertension. This condition is characterized by a sharp jump in blood pressure to greatly elevated values. A similar process has a detrimental effect on cardiac and cerebral circulation. Hypertensive crisis is dangerouslife condition requiring emergency medical care. In severe cases, the patient is subject to hospitalization.
The following factors can provoke this complication:
- bad weather conditions;
- emotional turmoil;
- physical overload;
- preeclampsia;
- drug use;
- nicotine or alcohol abuse;
- Untimely intake of necessary medications;
- certain types of tumors;
- head injury;
- drinking inadequate fluids and s alt.
By eliminating these factors, you can reduce the risk of dangerous conditions occurring.
The main symptoms of this disease are:
- severe headache;
- nausea;
- blurred vision;
- vomit;
- fuzziness and confusion;
- bleeding from the nasal cavity;
- shortness of breath;
- chest pain;
- anxiety, fear;
- convulsions;
- faint.
In the vast majority of patients, due to a hypertensive crisis, the work of at least one target organ is disrupted. A quarter of all patients are at risk of damage to two or more organs.
It is necessary to help the patient even before the arrival of the ambulance. You need to lay the person down, give him a sedative and medicines that he usually takes in the presence of chronic hypertension.
Preventive measures and therapeutic tactics
When the first degree and the same stage of arterialhypertension, the disease can be reversed if adequate help is used in time, while adjusting the diet and lifestyle.
Starting from the second degree, the disease is considered incurable and chronic. But the phenomenon of the disease is that, for all its danger and complexity, it is manageable. If you regulate the diet, observe the daily routine, regularly monitor the pressure, then you can normalize the condition and avoid complications.
Diet in the event of such he alth problems involves the exclusion of such foods from the diet:
- any kind of fat, including lamb;
- fatty meat;
- rich broths;
- cocoa, tea, coffee;
- spicy snacks, pickles;
- offal;
- muffins;
- cream cakes;
- chocolate products.
If the patient is overcome by obesity, which can also cause hypertension, then it is better to eat in fractional portions, moderately reducing its calorie content. Such restrictions will remove excess fluid from the patient's body and will certainly save him from excess cholesterol.
Treatment of the initial degree of arterial hypertension is reduced to non-drug measures: physical therapy, diet, giving up bad habits, normalizing weight. Further, in moderate and severe forms of hypertension, combined drug therapy based on beta-blockers, diuretics, and inhibitors is prescribed. In any case, a doctor will select a competent method of treatment.
