1.How do I know I have high blood pressure? What is the standard of hypertension?
Patients with hypertension can have no symptoms in the early stage, occasionally found in the physical examination of elevated blood pressure, some patients with hypertension can have headache, dizziness, palpitations, tinnitus and other symptoms in the early stage, a few patients are found only after the emergence of heart, brain, kidney and other complications. The diagnostic criteria for hypertension are systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mmHg or (and) diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mmHg.
2.What is ambulatory blood pressure and which patients are suitable for ambulatory blood pressure monitoring?
Ambulatory blood pressure is called non-invasive blood pressure monitoring (ABPM), is to be examined by wearing a blood pressure recorder to continuously record daytime and nighttime blood pressure according to the design model, thus avoiding the objective difference between a single blood pressure measurement and the “white coat phenomenon”, which helps to screen critical and mild hypertension, helps to evaluate the antihypertensive drugs It can help to screen for critical and mild hypertension, evaluate the antihypertensive effect of antihypertensive drugs, explore the extent of target organ damage and estimate the prognosis, etc.
The following conditions are suitable for ABPM monitoring.
1.Critical hypertension with target organ damage;
2.Persistent hypertension with poor effect of combined antihypertensive therapy;
3.”White coat hypertension”;
4.Patients with hypotensive symptoms in antihypertensive treatment;
5.Patients with paroxysmal hypertension;
6, differential diagnosis of syncope and pacemaker syndrome;
7.Patients with angina pectoris and pulmonary congestion and pulmonary edema at night;
8, autonomic dysfunction.
3.What are the hazards of hypertension?
Cardiovascular disease has become the number one killer of human health, and hypertension is the culprit of cardiovascular disease. The real danger of hypertension lies in the damage to the heart, brain, kidneys and other important organs, causing serious lesions, cerebrovascular accidents (stroke), angina pectoris, myocardial infarction, heart failure, renal insufficiency (serious will lead to uremia) and other fatal and disabling events.
4.What is the appropriate level of blood pressure to lower?
Young, mild patients with blood pressure control at 120/80mmHg is appropriate; elderly hypertensive patients with 140/90mmHg or less is appropriate; simple systolic hypertension should also control systolic blood pressure at 140/90mmHg or less; diabetic and renal disease patients control at 130/80mmHg or less.
5.Why should we emphasize steady blood pressure reduction?
Uncontrolled hypertension can lead to “stroke”, coronary heart disease, myocardial infarction and renal failure, and other diseases, while poor control, resulting in large fluctuations in blood pressure, will also produce the above-mentioned hazards, just like a taut, a moment to loosen the rubber band, will become fragile and easy to break. Studies have shown that due to the abnormal auto-regulation function of hypertensive patients, a significant drop and rise in blood pressure can make the patient unbearable, causing symptoms such as insufficient blood supply to the brain, lack of oxygen and dizziness. In addition, modern medicine also confirmed: early in the morning when waking up is the peak time of various cardiovascular accidents in hypertensive patients, if the blood pressure is not well controlled during this time, resulting in large fluctuations in blood pressure, will greatly increase the risk of “stroke”, and in serious cases, even death. Therefore, it is important to lower blood pressure smoothly and keep it stable throughout the day and 24 hours.
6.How to choose the ideal antihypertensive drug?
The ideal antihypertensive drugs are
(1) Good antihypertensive efficacy and stable blood pressure lowering 24 hours a day, so that blood pressure volatility is small;
(2) adverse reactions and side effects are small, easy to take, does not affect the quality of life; does not affect the metabolism of blood lipids and blood sugar, etc.;
(3) Can reverse and reduce the occurrence of complications such as heart, lung, kidney and atherosclerosis;
(4)Low price.
But because everyone’s condition is different, so different people need to choose different drugs for treatment, the specialist will choose one or several drugs for you according to your specific situation.
7.Can I stop taking the medication after my blood pressure is lowered?
Because the cause of primary hypertension is unknown, you can only take medication to lower your blood pressure for life. When the blood pressure drops to a normal level after taking antihypertensive medication, it means that the antihypertensive medication chosen at this time is basically appropriate. However, it does not mean that hypertension has been “cured”, therefore, treatment should be adhered to. If you blindly stop or intermittent medication, blood pressure often fluctuates greatly, but aggravate the heart, brain, kidney and vascular damage. For patients with mild hypertension (diastolic blood pressure of 95-100 mmHg), when the weather turns warm, especially in the summer, blood pressure can be reduced or discontinued for a short period of time without treatment to normal, but it is necessary to repeatedly measure the pressure and adjust the medication in a timely manner. Certain antihypertensive drugs, such as colistin, can produce a sudden rise (“rebound”) if taken in large quantities for a long time and then suddenly stopped, resulting in serious consequences. Long-term large amounts of β-blockers such as betalactam, sudden discontinuation of the dose has the risk of myocardial infarction. Therefore, the dosage should be gradually reduced and finally stopped or changed to other drugs. If there are changes in the condition should be timely consultation with the doctor.
8.What is the primary prevention of hypertension?
The primary prevention of hypertension refers to the prevention or reduction of hypertensive factors to prevent the onset of hypertension. It is achieved not by drugs, but by changing lifestyle. It includes the following aspects: reasonable diet, quit smoking and limit alcohol, moderate exercise, and maintain psychological balance.
Reasonable diet
Referring to the recommendations of the Chinese Nutrition Society, it can be summarized as two phrases: one, two, three, four, five; red, yellow, green, white, black.
One, two, three, four, five
(1) One refers to one bag of milk per day. Milk is rich in high-quality protein, and can supplement the body’s calcium needs of about 300mg, while our dietary common calcium deficiency, generally at about 500mg. Milk is advisable to start from the age of one year, adhere to lifelong drinking.
(2) Two refers to about 250g of carbohydrates per day, equivalent to 6 taels of staple food, this amount varies from person to person. It can be as little as 3 taels or as much as 1 pound. By regulating staple foods, blood sugar, blood lipids and body weight can be regulated.
(3) Three refers to three servings of high-protein foods daily. This is an important material basis for health and should not be neglected, but can also be increased to four servings. Each portion of high protein is equivalent to one or two lean meats, two or two tofu, one large egg, half a dozen soybeans, two fish and shrimp, or two chicken and duck.
(4) Four refers to four phrases: coarse and fine; not sweet and not salty; three, four, five meals; seven or eight minutes full.
(5) five refers to 500g of vegetables and fruits per day. The Chinese Nutrition Society recommends eating 400g of vegetables and 100g of fruit daily.
Red, yellow, green, white and black
(1) Red refers to red wine drinking 50-100ml daily, which can raise HDL cholesterol and reduce atherosclerosis in middle and old age. The World Health Organization has changed the view that a small amount of alcohol is good for health to the less alcohol the better.
(2) Yellow refers to yellow vegetables such as carrots, sweet potatoes, pumpkins, corn, tomatoes.
(3) green refers to green tea, green tea has the most tea polyphenols, has a strong anti-oxidant free radicals, anti-atherosclerosis and anti-cancer effects.
(4) white refers to white oat flour and oatmeal, it has a triglyceride-lowering effect.
(5) Black refers to black fungus, which has anti-platelet aggregation, anticoagulation and cholesterol-lowering effects.
Moderate exercise
Exercise should adhere to three principles: constant, orderly and moderate. This refers to the long-term regular, gradual, persistent, according to the specific circumstances of each person moderate exercise in order to receive the maximum effect. Usually should adhere to the “three, five, seven” principle. “Three” refers to the daily walk three kilometers, more than 30 minutes; “five” refers to more than five times a week to exercise, only regular exercise to have an effect. “Seven” refers to the heart rate after exercise plus age of about 170, so the exercise is moderate. In this way, not only for health and will not produce anaerobic metabolism due to excessive exercise, resulting in adverse effects or accidents.
Quit smoking and limit alcohol
Smoking is considered to be an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease.
What are the benefits of quitting smoking?
After 20 minutes of quitting: As the nicotine level in the body decreases after quitting, the circulatory system throughout the body improves, especially in the hands and feet.
After 8 hours of quitting: The amount of oxygen in the blood reaches the level of non-smoking, while the amount of carbon monoxide in the body is reduced to half.
After 24 hours of quitting: The benefits of quitting smoking to the heart, blood pressure and blood system become apparent. Quitting for 1 year reduces the excess risk of coronary heart disease by half compared to continued smokers.
After 48 hours of quitting: Nicotine is all but eliminated and you will notice that your sense of taste and smell begin to improve.
After 72 hours of quitting: Breathing becomes easier and you will feel an improvement in your overall mental state.
After 3-9 months of quitting: Any breathing problems are improved and the efficiency of your lungs increases by 10%.
After 5 years of quitting: The risk of stroke is reduced to the level of never smokers.
After 10 years of quitting: the chance of developing lung cancer was half the normal rate.
After 15 years of quitting, the risk of coronary heart disease was similar to that of never smokers. The overall risk of death returns to the level of never smokers. Therefore, it is never too late to quit smoking at any time, and it is best to quit before serious health damage occurs.
If you are successful in quitting by age 35, your life expectancy will be the same as that of a normal person.
How to quit smoking:
1, Quit smoking Start now and quit completely or gradually reduce the number of cigarettes you smoke in a way that is usually successful in 3 to 4 months.
2.Throw away all cigarettes, lighters, matches and ashtrays.
3.Avoid participating in places or activities where you used to smoke.
4, drink water, eat fruit or walk after meals, get rid of the idea of a cigarette after meals.
5, when the addiction to smoke, to immediately do deep breathing activities, or chewing sugar-free gum, avoid replacing cigarettes with snacks, otherwise it will cause a rise in blood sugar, the body is too fat.
6, resolutely refuse the temptation of cigarettes, often remind yourself that another cigarette is enough to make the plan to quit smoking abandoned.
How to get through the first 5 days of quitting smoking? The following seven ways to quit smoking are provided.
(l) Drink 6-8 glasses of water between meals to get the nicotine out of your system.
(2) Take a warm bath every day, or shower immediately if you can’t resist.
(3) Take adequate rest and have a regular life during the 5 days of quitting smoking.
(4) Go for a walk outside after meals and take deep breaths for 15-30 minutes.
(5) Do not drink stimulating drinks, but drink milk, fresh fruit juice and cereal drinks instead.
(6) Avoid eating poultry, fried foods, candy and desserts as much as possible.
(7) can eat a variety of vitamin B complex, can stabilize the nerves to get rid of nicotine
The physician pointed out that after the first five days, you can follow the following methods to maintain the “results” of quitting smoking.
(1) Brush your teeth or rinse your mouth after meals, and wear clean, non-smoking clothes.
(2) Replace the habit of holding a cigarette with a pen or pencil.
(3) Spend most of your time in the library or other places where smoking is not allowed.
(4) Avoid going to bars and parties and avoiding the company of heavy smokers.
(5) Buy yourself a gift with the money you save by not smoking.
(6) Be prepared to quit the habit of wanting to smoke in 2-3 weeks.
Mental balance
Research shows that of all the health care measures, maintaining mental balance is the most critical. Maintaining a good and happy state of mind can antagonize almost all other internal and external negative factors.