Symptoms and signs of hypertension

High blood pressure symptoms should not be ignored. Hypertension can have serious health consequences, so the disease must be treated at the first sign.

Every year, the number of people suffering from disorders of the cardiovascular system is increasing. Therefore, the first signs of hypertension should not be ignored. This will allow you to identify diseases at an early stage, which will increase the chances of a full recovery.

How to identify a disease

Cases of high blood pressure are more common in men than in women. This is due to the active work of the female endocrine system. But during menopause, hypertension begins to affect the fair sex.

Basically, signs of high blood pressure are common to both sexes.

Most symptoms can be felt in the early stages of the disease.

• When blood pressure begins to rise, a person begins to have a headache. Many do not take this symptom into account and believe that this is due to overwork or lack of sleep. This feeling can occur at different times of the day. Its characteristic features are heaviness and pressure in the occipital region. Soreness increases when a person coughs or turns his head sharply. In some patients, along with a headache, swelling of the face occurs. How high the pressure is does not affect the intensity of pain in any way. Such a symptom can also occur when the level of blood pressure changes dramatically.
• In addition to headaches, discomfort can also occur in the region of the heart. This symptom is not affected by either the psychological or the general state of the body. The heart can hurt, and when a person is calm, and when tense. Such pain is different from that which occurs if the patient suffers from angina pectoris. Unpleasant sensations arise in the chest on the left side. Drugs like nitroglycerin will not help in this situation. This symptom can disturb the patient for several hours.
• High blood pressure also causes visual impairment. A person may see double, there are problems with the clarity of vision. This is due to the fact that blood circulation is disturbed in the retina. In the absence of the necessary treatment, fiber can exfoliate, which will lead to deterioration of vision or its complete loss.
• Together with a headache or in its absence, a person may be disturbed by bleeding from the nose. After eliminating the flow of blood, well-being can improve significantly.
• Often there is shortness of breath. At the initial stages, it occurs during physical exertion, and gradually it can begin to disturb even in a calm state. This phenomenon may indicate not only high blood pressure, but also the development of heart failure.
• Some medications can cause sodium and water retention in the body. This causes side effects in the form of leg swelling.
• Due to constant headaches and other unpleasant symptoms, a person becomes irritable. Any little thing can throw you off balance. Especially bright light or noise.

These are the main signs of the disease. Hypertension symptoms such as increased sweating, anxiety, insomnia, and weakness may also occur. This disease can have serious consequences for all organs and systems.

Symptoms depending on the degree of hypertension

Hypertension has different stages of development, depending on which different symptoms may appear.

1. At the first stage, very often the disease does not manifest itself in any way. Hypertension can be detected by doing an ultrasound of the heart. The study in this case shows the expansion of the left side of the heart. The pressure can rise and fall sharply. The patient may also suffer from frequent headaches and emotional instability.
2. The second stage of hypertension is characterized by kidney damage, left ventricular hypertrophy. In this state, a person is accompanied by a headache, with and without physical exertion, shortness of breath may appear, and discomfort is felt in the region of the heart. In this case, the patient almost always keeps high blood pressure.
3. In the third stage, heart or kidney failure develops. Pathological changes in the vessels of the eyes can also occur, a stroke or encephalopathy will occur. The third stage is the most dangerous. Therefore, it is advisable not to run the disease to such an extent.

With hypertension of the second and third degree, a hypertensive crisis may occur. This is a very life-threatening condition. Very often, it is caused by self-cessation of treatment, so this should never be done.

Hypertensive crisis is called a sharp increase in blood pressure. This disrupts circulation and causes damage to the heart, brain, and kidneys.

Such a condition can occur if a person is under strong emotional stress, has consumed a lot of alcohol, salt, has stopped taking necessary medications, or due to a sharp change in weather conditions.

The crisis is usually manifested by a severe headache that causes nausea, vomiting, and tinnitus. Unpleasant symptoms are aggravated during movement. In addition, in the light or during movement, the eyes may hurt. This condition is often accompanied by dizziness. There may also be nervous excitement, a feeling of heat throughout the body, trembling, a strong heartbeat, and increased sweating. Red spots may appear on the skin.

The average duration of the crisis reaches several days. It is very important to provide the patient with first aid in time and call a specialist. A hypertensive crisis can occur at any stage of hypertension.

What influences the development of hypertension and the appearance of symptoms

The first ones include:

• excess weight. High blood pressure is most commonly seen in people with this problem;
• physical inactivity. Lack of physical activity negatively affects the state of the whole organism, and also refers to factors provoking hypertension;
• alcohol abuse. Alcohol is a common cause of high blood pressure. It is believed that a small amount of red wine has a positive effect on the condition of the heart and blood vessels, but you should not get carried away with this remedy, otherwise there will be more harm than good;
• the predominance of salty foods in the diet. Salt retains fluid in the body. Because of this, the amount of blood increases and blood pressure rises significantly. The daily salt intake for each person should not exceed a teaspoon. And hypertensive patients are generally recommended to only add a little salt to food;
• improper nutrition. The use of fatty foods containing atherogenic lipids can adversely affect health. Obesity contributes to the development of diabetes mellitus, and atherogenic lipids cause atherosclerosis. These substances are found mainly in fatty pork and lamb;
• smoking. Nicotine leads to spasm of the arteries, they become stiff, which causes high blood pressure. This is a common cause of hypertension;
• Stress is the cause of many diseases, and hypertension is no exception. In this state, all organs and systems are activated, hormones are released into the blood, which cause spasm of the arteries, they become rigid, the level of blood pressure rises;
• snore. This problem is known to many men and women. When you snore, the pressure in your chest and abdomen rises. This affects the condition of the arteries and leads to hypertension.

The reasons that arise through no fault of the patient include:

• genetic predisposition. If hypertension is detected in close relatives, then the chances of its development are very high;
• floor. This disease affects men more often due to the characteristics of the body.

The main causes of the disease are an unhealthy lifestyle. Therefore, in order to avoid serious violations of the cardiovascular system and other organs, it is necessary to adjust your diet, give up bad habits and move more.

Symptoms of arterial hypertension in the early stages are not felt by everyone. If this disease is not detected in time, then serious disturbances in the functioning of internal organs can occur.

So, hypertensive patients often develop heart and kidney failure, encephalopathy, aortic aneurysm, heart attacks and strokes.

In the absence of timely assistance, a life-threatening complication can develop - a hypertensive crisis.

What to do with signs of hypertension

It is important to know the symptoms of hypertension in order to start treatment and avoid cardiovascular diseases, which often lead to death.

Having found high pressure, you need to contact a specialist. Before prescribing treatment, diagnostic studies are carried out to determine the degree of development of the disease. To do this, measure the pressure, collect an anamnesis, prescribe laboratory and instrumental studies. Of the laboratory and instrumental methods, an electrocardiogram, an ultrasound examination of the heart, and urine and blood tests are used.

The treatment for hypertension is as follows:

• decrease in blood pressure;
• prevention of damage to vital organs;
• elimination of the factors that caused the disease.

Hypertension is recommended to be treated comprehensively, combining drug and non-drug methods.

At the initial stages of the disease, observation is prescribed. The patient's blood pressure is regularly measured for a month, without prescribing any medication. If the pressure is normal, then they do not resort to drug therapy, but manage with a diet and regular measurement of blood pressure. If the indicators begin to rise, then they turn to medicines for help.

Medication treatment

This therapy is based on the following principles.

1. At the very beginning of treatment, it is necessary to take the minimum dose of the drug to reduce pressure. Gradually, its amount must be increased. This will help you achieve good results.
2. The drug must be ideal for the person. The drug should not cause side effects. Its action should be maintained throughout the day.
3. It is advisable to use a medicine that you need to drink once, but so that the effect lasts for a day. Such a tool will gently reduce pressure and protect internal organs from damage.
4. If one drug does not help, you need to use several drugs to achieve the desired result.
5. To avoid complications and maintain a normal level of blood pressure, tablets should be taken constantly throughout life.

The most commonly prescribed medications are:

• beta blockers. They affect the nerve receptors of the cardiovascular system;
• diuretics speed up recovery. They remove excess fluid from the body, due to which the volume of blood decreases and pressure decreases;
• vasodilators dilate arterioles.

What medications to prescribe, only a specialist should decide. It takes into account the age and individual characteristics of the patient's body.

If a person suffers from frequent stress, then they can prescribe sedatives in the form of valerian or motherwort. From insomnia saved by barbiturates.

You can enhance the effect of medications with the help of diet, proper lifestyle and folk remedies.

Non-drug therapy

Lowering blood pressure is achieved by giving up bad habits, normalizing weight, limiting salt intake, and increasing the level of physical activity. These activities are necessary no matter how high the pressure.

Diet and a healthy lifestyle can eliminate the manifestations of hypertension in the early stages of development. Patients are advised to reduce the daily dose of salt, it is also necessary to adhere to a balanced diet. You need to eat enough calories. If you are overweight, you need a low-calorie diet.

Nutrition should include substances necessary for the normal functioning of the cardiovascular system.

1. Omega-3 fatty acids. They are found in seafood. Low-fat sea fish is especially useful. It also contains iodine, which has a positive effect on the heart.
2. Calcium, potassium, magnesium. These substances are found in fruits, vegetables, nuts, cereals. Their regular use will strengthen the heart and blood vessels.

Hypertensive patients are forbidden to eat fatty meat, coffee, lard, pastries, chocolate and cocoa, alcoholic beverages, spicy, fried and salty foods.

Compliance with these recommendations will help reduce high blood pressure, normalize blood cholesterol levels, and relieve excess weight.

How to avoid symptoms of hypertension

Moderate exercise is very important for health. Running, swimming, walking, breathing exercises, cardio training can improve well-being. But the load should be moderate. Increase the duration of classes should be gradually.

Both with hypertension and for its prevention, it is important to monitor the amount of salt in the diet. It is recommended to cook food without salt at all. It is recommended to refuse smoked and canned foods, as they initially contain salt. Animal fats, fried and spicy foods should also be avoided. The diet should be dominated by fruits, vegetables and dairy products. Such food will saturate the body with vitamins.

Hypertension is often caused by stress, so it is necessary to strengthen the nervous system. For this, auto-training, meditation, self-hypnosis are used. It is imperative to get rid of bad habits, as they often become the cause of serious diseases.

In order to independently control the level of blood pressure and notice its violations in time, you need to know how to measure pressure correctly. This can be done using a tonometer. It is necessary to use devices that meet all standards. There are devices that must be worn on a finger or wrist. But they don't give very accurate results. Therefore, it is necessary to use automatic electronic tonometers.

To obtain accurate figures during the measurement of blood pressure, the following rules must be observed.

1. The procedure must be carried out in a calm environment. You need to sit on a chair, and put your hand on the table.
2. The cuff that is attached to the arm should be at the same level as the heart.
3. You can measure blood pressure a few hours after eating. Do not drink caffeinated drinks or smoke before the procedure. Clothing should be loose, and the cuff is worn on the bare arm.
4. Before the procedure, you need to rest for a few minutes.
5. During the measurement, it is recommended to refrain from talking, as this may affect the result.
6. The cuff should be wide, narrow shows a false increase in pressure.
7. It is necessary to inflate the cuff so much air that the patient does not feel discomfort.
8. The stethoscope must be applied to the surface of the shoulder, without exerting strong pressure on them.
9. The cuff must be inflated very quickly.
10. The first result may be inaccurate, so it is necessary to measure the pressure several times in a row with a break of a couple of minutes.

Hypertension is so common that it is simply necessary to follow preventive recommendations. This will avoid many problems. If it was not possible to prevent the development of the disease, then it is necessary to determine it as soon as possible and consult a specialist. If you do this when the disease is at an early stage of development, then it may be possible to get rid of hypertension completely.