My Blood Pressure My Choice – Talking About Self-Management of Hypertension What is considered normal blood pressure? CategorySystolic (mm Hg)Diastolic (mm Hg)Normal Blood PressureNormal HighHypertensionClass 1 hypertension (mild)Class 2 hypertension (moderate)Class 3 hypertension (severe)Simple systolic hypertension Why treat hypertension? The risk of cardiovascular events rises rapidly with rising blood pressure Blood pressure levels in our population start at 110/75 mmHg, and the risk of cardiovascular disease continues to increase as blood pressure rises, with blood pressure of 120-129/80-84 mmHg, the risk of cardiovascular disease increases 1-fold, with blood pressure of 140-149/90-94 mmHg, the risk of cardiovascular morbidity increases 2-fold, and with blood pressure >180/ 110 mmHg, the risk of cardiovascular morbidity increases 10-fold! Reducing cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events is the ultimate goal of antihypertensive treatment How to treat? What is a healthy lifestyle? A healthy diet, appropriate exercise, smoking and alcohol cessation, and psychological balance What is self-monitoring? Self-monitoring is more than just buying a blood pressure monitor and measuring your blood pressure every day. It is about understanding and recording your blood pressure and the functional status of your heart, brain, kidneys, aorta and other vital organs with the help of your doctor so that you can adjust your treatment plan at any time. Why is self-monitoring necessary? Many patients with hypertension have no obvious symptoms, but their blood pressure may change depending on the season, climate, and other factors. The goal of lowering blood pressure varies as the condition changes, and the medications used to lower blood pressure vary depending on the patient’s condition How do I take the medications? To date, there are no less than hundreds of medications used to treat hypertension. Moreover, it is very common to have multiple medications. When choosing a medication, be sure to go to a regular medical institution and ask your doctor to choose the right medication for you according to your specific situation. Take your medication regularly for a long period of time, and seek medical advice if any abnormalities occur during the course of taking the medication. Do not increase or decrease the type or dose of medication on your own. Several misconceptions about hypertension treatment 1. Whenever you feel dizzy, your blood pressure is high. This idea is quite common among patients. In fact, just as the saying goes, “When you enter the room of a sesame plant, you will not smell its fragrance for a long time,” there is also a phenomenon of adaptation to blood pressure. There are many patients whose blood pressure remains above 180 or even 200 mmHg for a long time without any symptoms. Therefore, it is dangerous to judge whether blood pressure is elevated by symptoms alone and then decide whether to take medication. 2. When blood pressure comes down, it means that hypertension has been cured. Hypertension is a disease with a complex pathogenesis caused by a variety of factors, and so far there is no method in the world that can completely cure hypertension. We treat hypertension in order to minimize the damage to the heart, brain, kidneys and other organs. Therefore, even if your blood pressure is normal, you should still monitor it regularly and give medication if necessary. 3. Isn’t my blood pressure high? I’m taking medication. The treatment of hypertension is a systematic project that involves lifestyle, health monitoring and medication. Taking medication is only part of the treatment, if you don’t pay attention to lifestyle control, even the best medication won’t solve the problem. “If you do not pay attention to lifestyle control, even the best medicine will not solve the problem. This medicine may not be of any use even after eating. 4, is a medicine three points of poison, the side effects are too terrible. It is undeniable that any drug has certain side effects. But a single emphasis on side effects and give up treatment, waiting for us will be more terrible complications appear. Similarly, some patients take the medicine and read the instructions at home, and if there are many side effects, they do not take it. For example: the same amlodipine benzoate tablets, a pharmaceutical company produced the brand of the instructions on the adverse reactions are written: patients can tolerate this product very well. The more common side effects are headache, edema, fatigue, insomnia, nausea, abdominal pain, flushing, cardiac muscle and dizziness. Less common side effects are pruritus, rash, dyspnea, weakness, muscle cramps, and indigestion. Similar to other calcium antagonists, very few adverse reactions of myocardial infarction and chest pain have been reported, and these adverse reactions cannot be clearly distinguished from the patient’s own underlying disease, and no abnormalities in laboratory parameters associated with this product have been identified. (136 words, not counting punctuation) The original researcher of the drug, Pfizer Pharmaceuticals Ltd. produced “Norasc”, and the instructions for adverse reactions read: Amlodipine is well tolerated. In placebo-controlled clinical trials for the treatment of hypertension or angina, the most common side effects were: Autonomic: flushing Gastrointestinal: abdominal pain, nausea Systemic: fatigue Heart rate/rhythm: palpitations Cardiovascular, general: edema Psychogenic: drowsiness Central and peripheral nervous system: vertigo, headache No significant laboratory test abnormalities associated with this product were observed in these clinical trials. Less common side effects observed post-marketing were: autonomic nervous system: dry mouth, increased sweating psychogenic: impotence, insomnia, attitude change systemic: weakness, back pain, generalized weakness, pain, weight gain/loss respiratory system: cough, dyspnea, rhinitis special sensations: taste confusion, tinnitus cardiovascular, general: hypotension, syncope, skin/attachment: hair loss, skin discoloration, urticaria Central and peripheral nervous system: hypertonia, hypoesthesia/abnormal sensation, peripheral nerve disorders, tremor Endocrine: mastocytosis, urinary: dysuria, dyspareunia, enuresis Gastrointestinal: altered bowel habits, dyspepsia (including gastritis), gingival hyperplasia, pancreatitis, vomiting Vascular (extracardiac): vasculitis, metabolic/nutritional: hyperglycemia Visual: visual disturbances, musculoskeletal: arthralgia Muscle spasmodic pain, myalgia Leukocyte/reticuloendothelial system: leukopenia Platelets/bleeding/coagulation: purpura, thrombocytopenic purpura Allergic reactions are rare and include pruritus, rash, vasogenic edema, and erythema multiforme There have been very rare reports of hepatitis, jaundice, and elevated transaminases (usually accompanied by cholestasis consistent with cholestasis). Some severe cases requiring hospitalization have been reported in association with amlodipine use. However, causality has not been established in most cases. Similar to other calcium antagonists, a few adverse events have been reported, but they are difficult to distinguish from the natural course of the underlying disease, e.g., myocardial infarction, arrhythmias (including bradycardia, ventricular tachycardia, and atrial fibrillation), and chest pain (536 words not counting punctuation). On the one hand, foreign laws are much better, and manufacturers often face high payouts in the event of a drug problem. Therefore, some of the world’s most famous pharmaceutical companies list the side effects of their products in greater detail in their manuals. On the other hand, the detailed description of side effects provides a strong reference for doctors to choose drugs, which is a more responsible way to behave. Is it just high blood pressure? Just use some drugs and lower your blood pressure. We don’t deny that lowering blood pressure is the hard truth, but we prefer to use drugs that have been clinically proven to protect our heart, brain, kidneys and other important organs for a long time. Do not eat too much, do not eat salty, not oily, not greasy good nutrition. Do not smoke, drink less, calm and not impatient. Do not be too tired, do not sleep, appropriate exercise is very important. Take your own blood pressure often, and take care of your heart, brain and kidneys. Standardized medication to control well, my blood pressure I decide!