High blood pressure

... or hypertension, or blood pressure on the blood vessels which is higher than normal, is a chronic disease and a key factor of cardiovascular risk. High blood pressure causes changes in blood vessels, causing damage to the brain, heart, kidneys and large blood vessels. In determining the value of blood pressure, we differentiate between systolic (upper) pressure and diastolic (lower) pressure. Hypertension is defined as a sustained increase in systolic blood pressure above 140 mmHg and / or diastolic blood pressure above 90 mmHg.

What affects high blood pressure?

High blood pressure does not cause pain and in the beginning patients often do not notice any disturbances. However, as it is a serious illness, a healthy person should periodically control blood pressure values, especially those who have patients with hypertension in the family, renal disease, and those who have a high body mass, increased cholesterol levels, diabetes or thyroid disease.

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High blood pressure can be regulated by adopting healthy lifestyle habits - so all the people who have this diagnosis are advised to quit smoking, regularly exercise, reduce alcohol consumption, have proper diet, and avoid stress.

Forms of hypertension

High blood pressure is determined after several measurements over a period of several weeks or months.

Every patient is individually diagnosed with high blood pressure, depending on the condition of the body, but it can be said that the values of 140/90 to 159/99 mm Hg indicate mild hypertension, the values of 160/100 to 179/109 mmHg indicate moderate, and values higher than these are signs of severe hypertension.

In addition to measurements of pressure, one should check the heart, blood vessels of the kidneys, and the hormones of the adrenal and thyroid glands.

It is important to change lifestyle habits.

The treatment of hypertension depends on the pressure value, and other associated diseases or conditions of the organism.

Treatment should maintain the target pressure; a doctor in consultation with the patient determines (individual) value to which increased pressure should be reduced. If the increase in blood pressure is mild and if there are no associated diseases, the patient can be treated only by changing lifestyle habits, which include:

• Giving up smoking, because smoking increases blood pressure and increases heart rate, constricts blood vessels and has harmful effect on the respiratory system, digestive system and the brain.
• Reducing alcohol intake to less than two glasses of wine or 0.5 dl of spirits, which can reduce systolic blood pressure by 3 mmHg and diastolic by 2 mmHg.
• Reducing salt intake by just three grams a day will reduce the complications of hypertension by 30%, as it reduces the amount of body fluids outside the cells. Salt intake is allowed up to 5 g per day.
• Introducing proper diet implies a reduction of increased body weight to the desirable BMI (body mass index) of 25, and any reduction in the excessive weight of 5 kg will reduce systolic blood pressure by 4.4 mmHg and diastolic by 3.5 mmHg. Proper nutrition means taking smaller amounts of foods that contain higher amounts of whole grains, vegetables and fruits, and smaller amounts of red meat, fat and sugar. Functionality of the Mediterranean diet and the DASH diet is scientifically proven.
• Regular physical activity, adapted to a person, can reduce systolic blood pressure by 3.8 mmHg and diastolic by 2.6 mmHg. Aerobic activities like running, brisk walking, cycling or swimming are important, and should be done three to four times a week, for at least half an hour.
• Introduction of relaxation techniques to mitigate the effects of daily stress.

Treatment of hypertension with medicines

High blood pressure is treated with medicines called antihypertensives that act by different mechanisms to lower blood pressure. It is important that the patients adhere to the instructions for use, do not reduce the dose on their own initiative and do not interrupt taking the medicine because the medicines do not act immediately - it takes time to build up the necessary combination of medicines and their doses to achieve the desired effect of blood pressure reduction.

VALUES OF 140/90 TO 159/99 mmHg indicate mild hypertension,

VALUES OF 160/100 TO 179/109 mmHg indicate moderate, and values higher than these are signs of severe hypertension.

How to properly measure blood pressure?

Blood pressure is controlled by calibrated sphygmomanometer.

• When you want to measure the pressure at home, do so between 6 and 9 am and between 6 and 9 pm, twice in a row at intervals of one minute to get the average value.
• The pressure is measured on the hand on which the higher values were previously measured. Just before measuring the pressure, you should avoid drinking coffee and smoking, empty the bladder, and relax and calm down for five minutes.
• Forearm of the hand on which the pressure is measured should be laid on a stable surface.
• You should place cuff of the sphygmomanometer at the same height as the heart, and sit with the back against the chair, sitting straight.