Hypertension is the most common chronic disease, but also the most important risk factors of cardiovascular disease, will lead to stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure and chronic kidney disease and other major complications, the prevalence of hypertension in China’s population is still growing, every 5 adults in 1 person suffering from hypertension, it is estimated that China’s hypertension patients have exceeded 330 million. However, compared with developed countries, the awareness rate, treatment rate and control rate of hypertension in China is low. Practice at home and abroad has proven that hypertension is a preventable and controllable disease, and lowering the blood pressure level of hypertensive patients can significantly reduce stroke and cardiac events, significantly improve the quality of survival of patients, and effectively reduce the burden of disease.
What are the symptoms of hypertension?
About 5% of patients with hypertension have no conscious symptoms, and most patients are detected during a physical examination. The symptoms of hypertension are numerous and usually have no specific presentation.
Common symptoms and their characteristics.
1. dizziness: it may manifest as transient or persistent, often when squatting or standing up.
2, headache: painful site is the back of the head or temples, mostly persistent dull pain or fluctuating swelling pain
3. irritability, palpitations, insomnia: mostly related to dysfunction of the vegetative nerves
4, memory loss: manifested as distraction and recent memory loss
5, numbness of the limbs: common numbness of the fingers and toes or skin like an anthroposophic sensation.
Symptoms of different types of hypertension
1, slowly progressive hypertension symptoms
Headache, dizziness, lack of concentration, memory loss, numbness of the limbs, increased nocturia, palpitations, and weakness. Early asymptomatic or symptoms are not obvious, only after exertion, mental tension, emotional fluctuations occur after the rise in blood pressure, and the above symptoms, after rest can return to normal.
2.The symptoms of acute hypertension
Severe headache, vomiting, dizziness, and even confusion and convulsions. If the above-mentioned symptoms occur, they belong to acute hypertension and hypertensive critical illness, and serious damage and lesions to the heart, brain, kidneys and other organs will occur within a short period of time, so you should go to the hospital in time.
Symptoms related to hypertension complications
1, heart disease: heart panic, shortness of breath, chest tightness, pain in the precordial area, etc.
2.Kidney disease: frequent urination at night, polyuria, etc.
3, cerebral hemorrhage: confusion, deep and irregular breathing, incontinence, etc.
4, cerebral thrombosis: one side of the limb has difficulty moving, numbness, or even paralysis, etc.
How to determine if you have high blood pressure?
Hypertension is diagnosed when blood pressure is measured three times on non-same day without antihypertensive medication, and systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg. Patients with a previous history of hypertension and currently taking anti-hypertensive medication should also be diagnosed with hypertension although their blood pressure is below 140/90 mmHg. If we have a blood pressure value of 120-139/80-89mmHg, it is called pre-hypertension, at which point, it can easily progress to hypertension.
What to do when symptoms of hypertension appear
1, actively seek medical examination to exclude secondary hypertension.
2, timely rest to relieve symptoms.
3, usually pay attention to reasonable diet and exercise.
4.Check whether there is target organ damage and cardiovascular disease.
5.Follow medical advice for standardized treatment.
6.Keep a happy mood.
How to measure blood pressure accurately?
There are three methods of measuring blood pressure in clinical practice, population control and scientific research, namely, office blood pressure, ambulatory blood pressure and home blood pressure. Each of the three blood pressure measurement methods has its own characteristics.
(1) In-office blood pressure is measured by medical personnel in the office according to standard criteria, and is still a more objective and traditional standard method and the main basis for assessing blood pressure levels, clinical treatment and grading of hypertension.
(2) Ambulatory blood pressure is done by an automatic blood pressure measuring instrument, with more measurements in 24 hours, without measurer’s error, avoiding the white coat effect, and measuring blood pressure during sleep at night. Thus, ambulatory blood pressure provides both a more objective measurement of blood pressure and an assessment of short term variability and circadian rhythms of blood pressure.
(3) Home blood pressure is performed by the person being measured, either by himself or with the assistance of family members and others. Home blood pressure is measured in a familiar environment, which also avoids the white coat effect. Home blood pressure can also be used to assess the long-term variability of blood pressure and the efficacy of blood pressure lowering over days, weeks, and even months and years, helping to increase patient participation and improve patient compliance with treatment.
How is blood pressure measured at home?
Home blood pressure monitoring requires the selection of an appropriate blood pressure measurement device and training in blood pressure measurement knowledge and skills.
① Use of a validated upper arm fully or semi-automatic electronic blood pressure monitor (British Hypertension Society, American Society of Instrumentation and European Society of Hypertension).
(ii) Home blood pressure values are generally lower than office blood pressure values, and the diagnostic criteria for hypertension are ≥135/85 mmHg, corresponding to an office blood pressure of 140/90 mmHg.
(③Measurement protocol: In general, it is recommended that blood pressure be measured every morning and evening, 2 to 3 times each time, and the average value be taken; for those with stable blood pressure control, blood pressure may be measured only 1 day per week. For patients with initial diagnosis of hypertension or unstable blood pressure, it is recommended that blood pressure be measured at home for 7 consecutive days (at least 3 days), once a day in the morning and once in the evening, with each measurement taken 2 to 3 times, and the average value of blood pressure taken for the last 6 days as a reference value.
④Home blood pressure is suitable for: blood pressure monitoring in patients with general hypertension, identification of white coat hypertension, identification of refractory hypertension, evaluation of long-time blood pressure variability, adjunctive antihypertensive efficacy evaluation, prediction of cardiovascular risk and assessment of prognosis.
⑤ It is desirable to be able to record in detail the date and time of each blood pressure measurement and all blood pressure readings, rather than just the average. A complete blood pressure record should be provided to the physician whenever possible.
⑥Home blood pressure monitoring is a feasible way to observe long-term variability over days, weeks, or even months and years. (iv) Real-time, digital monitoring of blood pressure will be possible in the future through wireless communication and Internet-based remote control systems.
(7) For patients with high mental anxiety, self-monitoring of blood pressure is not recommended.
Warm Tips
Hypertension is a common clinical disease, about 5% of patients have no conscious symptoms, and most patients can detect the disease during physical examination. In general, the common symptoms of hypertension include dizziness, headache, irritability, insomnia, palpitations, memory loss, and numbness of the limbs. As the disease progresses, the patient’s symptom manifestations will increase, and different clinical manifestations can occur with different types of hypertension. Once the above related symptoms appear, prompt medical consultation should be made to clarify the specific condition.