High blood pressure – causes, symptoms & therapy

Heart attack

One of the most common and serious complications of high blood pressure is a heart attack. If a section of the heart is not or only insufficiently supplied with oxygen due to circulatory disorders of the corresponding coronary artery, this muscle area dies.

It is usually blood clots that suddenly completely occlude one or more narrowed coronary arteries. Shortness of breath, stabbing, excruciating pain in the chest and a pulse that can hardly be felt are signs of a heart attack.

Atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries)

Another secondary disease of high blood pressure is hardening of the arteries (arteriosclerosis). The walls of the arteries begin to change in humans from an early age.

The result is an inward thickening of the arterial wall. Certain groups of connective tissue cells begin to proliferate excessively. Cholesterol and other substances are stored and thus damage the inner lining of the arteries and the muscle cells .

Due to these deposits, the cross-section of the blood vessels decreases and the formation of blood clots is promoted. The arteries in the brain, the coronary arteries, the vessels in the kidneys and in the legs are particularly at risk. A regression of these pathological changes in the various arteries is hardly possible.

↳ Further information: Home remedies for high blood pressure

symptoms and course

The fatal thing about high blood pressure is that affected people feel healthy and energetic for years. However, they do not even know that they carry the high risk of developing life-threatening cardiovascular or kidney disease.

A blood pressure of 120/80 mm Hg is normal for an adult, values ​​around 140/90 already seem high, but are still in the normal range for an elderly person whose vascular system has lost its elasticity.

The level of the lower (diastolic) pressure is of primary importance for a medical assessment, since it says something about the condition of the circulation of the smallest arteries and capillaries.

Any diastolic reading above 95 mm Hg on repeated measurements should be considered hypertension and is treatable as it can severely affect overall physical condition.

The first delusional signals of high blood pressure can be:

• dizziness

• headache

• fatigue

• nosebleeds

• shortness of breath

• visual disturbances

• nausea

When to the doctor?

Temporary high blood pressure is usually the result of stress or physical exertion and does not always require medical evaluation. Medical advice is needed if the resting heart rate is elevated for a long period of time. In adults, the normal heart rate should not be more than 90 to 100 beats per minute, in children and adolescents 110 to 120 beats is the limit and in babies the heart rate can be up to 140 beats per minute. A doctor’s visit is also recommended if the high blood pressure is accompanied by cardiac arrhythmia or if you already have a cardiovascular disease.

If high blood pressure and symptoms such as chest pain or dizziness suddenly occur, an emergency doctor should be called. Even high blood pressure as a result of an infection, an accident or excessive training cannot usually be reduced on your own. High blood pressure as a result of stress or anxiety disorders should be addressed in a therapeutic consultation and treated accordingly. Suitable contacts are dependent on the cause of the family doctor, cardiologists and specialists for internal diseases as well as heart and vascular specialists.

Diagnose

The diagnosis of high blood pressure (hypertension) is made by measuring blood pressure on the upper arm or wrist as well as advanced diagnostics such as blood tests. A single blood pressure measurement with an increased result of over 140/90 mmHG does not say anything about the possible presence of hypertension, since the blood pressure is subject to greater fluctuations depending on the day. In addition, the so-called white coat effect must be taken into account when measuring blood pressure in the doctor’s office. Due to a vegetative reaction, a short-term increase in blood pressure can occur without pathological hypertension actually being present. The final diagnosis of hypertension can therefore only be made reliably after a long-term blood pressure measurement including extended diagnostics.

In the case of long-term RR measurement, an adequate night-time lowering of the blood pressure is particularly important. Further diagnostics also include an electrocardiogram, ECG and a stress ECG to estimate the increase in blood pressure during physical work. In the diagnostic classification, it must also be taken into account whether the hypertensive disease is a primary or secondary form. In the case of primary, essential hypertension, no physical cause can be found for the elevated blood pressure, despite extensive additional diagnostics. This affects over 90 percent of all diagnoses. In the secondary form, anatomical changes, for example in the kidneys or disorders in the endocrine system, can be responsible for the increased blood pressure.

complications

If there is no medical treatment, high blood pressure usually results in serious complications. The heart and blood vessels are primarily affected. The same applies to the kidneys and the blood flow to the brain. Persistent high blood pressure leads to a permanent pressure load on the cardiovascular system. As a result, the left ventricle increases in size, which increases the risk of heart failure (weak heart). In addition, the high blood pressure promotes arteriosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) in the coronary arteries, so that it represents a high risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD). It is not uncommon for the legs to suffer from circulatory disordersaffected. It can also lead to angina pectoris attacks or even a heart attack. An aortic aneurysm is also possible, which can tear and cause life-threatening bleeding.

The brain is also often affected by high blood pressure. Therefore, this is considered a dangerous risk factor for a stroke. 70 percent of all strokes in people over the age of 65 are caused by high blood pressure. Complications from high blood pressure also occur in the kidneys. These include diseases such as a contracted kidney or renal insufficiency, in which the failure of the organ occurs. High blood pressure is the most common cause of kidney failure. The reason for this is damage to the small kidney vessels, which in turn means that the functional kidney areas fail.

treatment and prevention

A change in lifestyle or habits can have a positive effect both in the prevention and in the treatment of high blood pressure.

In the case of severe high blood pressure or a high risk of secondary diseases (heart attack, stroke), a doctor can also prescribe antihypertensive medication.

Exercise also plays an important role in maintaining healthy blood pressure. The best training for our cardiovascular system is regular physical activity in the fresh air in the endurance area .You can often lower blood pressure naturally by following the key rules of a healthy lifestyle:

• Do not smoke and refrain from regular alcohol consumption

• Do you do sports regulary

• Avoid being overweight

• Eat less animal fat

• Check your blood pressure regularly

measure blood pressure

Blood pressure can be measured with an inflatable cuff wrapped around the upper arm. In a healthy person, the values ​​are around 120 mm Hg and 80 mm Hg (pressure phase and resting phase of the heart), depending on age. If these values ​​change over a longer period of time, one speaks of pathological high blood pressure.

With permanent blood pressure values ​​of over 140 mmHg (systolic) and diastolic over 90 mmHg (colloquially 140 to 90), the overall physical condition can be severely impaired. In this case, urgent medical advice should be sought.