Wang Jianbin, Department of Internal Medicine, Eye Hospital, Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine: I don’t have any discomfort, why should I continue to take medication? Does the absence of symptoms in hypertensive patients mean that they do not need treatment? The answer is of course no! Whether you have symptoms or not, your blood pressure needs to be controlled in the normal range. As long as your blood pressure exceeds 140/90mmHg, it is definitely harmful to your body. These numbers are not just set out randomly, but are based on a large number of population surveys. This is because when blood pressure exceeds 140/90mmHg, it is harmful to your body organs, and this harm is long-term, damaging your health every moment. Our body has the ability to cope with various changes, and when your body regulates itself to the elevated blood pressure, the symptoms may not show serious or even uncomfortable, but it does not mean that there is no damage to your body. Therefore, if you are diagnosed with hypertension, you will need to adhere to treatment to keep your blood pressure within the normal range and to minimize the harm that elevated blood pressure can cause you. An elevated blood pressure greater than 140/90 mmHg is outside the normal range and can damage the brain, heart, kidneys, etc. Damage to cerebral blood vessels caused by high blood pressure: The brain is the general headquarters of the human body and cannot afford to have any problems. The blood vessels that provide nutrients to the brain maintain the normal working needs of the brain. Ischemic (e.g. cerebral infarction), hemorrhagic (e.g. cerebral hemorrhage) and transient cerebral ischemia in the cerebral vessels can lead to physical disability and even death. The main cause of these diseases that occur in the brain is the result of chronically elevated blood pressure. And in many cases, the discomfort is not very obvious to some patients before these diseases occur. Epidemiological surveys have shown that a 10 mmHg increase in systolic blood pressure is associated with a 50% increase in the incidence of stroke, and a 5 mmHg increase in diastolic blood pressure is associated with a 46% increase in the incidence of stroke. Long-term good control of blood pressure can reduce the incidence of stroke by 35%-40%. From these two sets of data, it is easy to see the damage of hypertension to the cerebral vessels and the benefits of antihypertensive treatment to the brain. The heart is the source of blood supply. It is a pump whose contraction and diastole provide the necessary blood supply for the tissues and organs of the body. Two conditions are necessary for the heart to work well: good heart muscle function and good blood vessels (i.e., coronary arteries) that supply the heart with nutrients. Elevated blood pressure causes an increased load on the heart, which needs to work harder to transport enough blood around the body. In the long run, the heart muscles will become hypertrophic, heart function will be impaired, and heart failure will occur. Hypertension is also a risk factor for cardiac atherosclerosis. Long-term increase in blood pressure hardens the arteries throughout the body and produces plaque, especially in the coronary arteries, where the lumen becomes narrow and the blood supply decreases, and the heart does not get enough blood supply, leading to coronary heart disease and even myocardial infarction. Therefore, heart failure and coronary heart disease are the two main damages of hypertension on the heart. Elevated blood pressure increases the incidence of heart failure by six times and coronary heart disease by more than 40%, while well-controlled blood pressure can reduce the incidence of heart failure by 50%, coronary heart disease by 15% and myocardial infarction by 25%. Hypertension damage to the kidneys:The main function of the kidneys is to excrete the body’s metabolites outside the body and maintain the balance of the internal environment. Long-term hypertension will lead to changes in renal artery function and pressure, causing changes in kidney structure and function, and eventually renal failure. This is one of the common complications caused by hypertension. Controlling blood pressure can reduce renal function damage by about 25%. Patients who also have combined diabetes should pay more attention to the protection of kidney function, and in such patients, blood pressure needs to be controlled below 130/80mHg. The damage of elevated blood pressure to major organs is a long-term chronic process. In the early and middle stages, most of the clinical symptoms are not obvious, but once clinical symptoms appear, especially dysfunction, it may already be advanced, and irreversible damage to the brain, heart and kidney has already occurred, so early detection and control of hypertension can completely avoid or delay organ damage. Some middle-aged friends who suffer from hypertension often think: “I’m already taking antihypertensive drugs, it’s OK”, but this is not the case. Our real goal is not to take the drugs, but to make your blood pressure reach normal standards after taking the drugs, so as to reduce the harm caused by hypertension. Some patients take antihypertensive drugs for a period of time, the blood pressure is normal, they think they can stop the drug, this is also wrong. Most patients with hypertension need to take medication for a long time, or for life. Very few or special types of hypertensive patients may be able to stop taking anti-hypertensive drugs, but such patients should also gradually reduce or stop taking them under the guidance of a specialist. High systolic blood pressure (high pressure) and low diastolic blood pressure (low pressure) indicate that atherosclerosis has occurred. Hypertension combined with diabetes is more likely to cause cardiac, cerebral and renal damage, and pure Chinese medicine cannot satisfactorily control blood pressure, but can assist in the treatment of complications. Wang Jianbin, Department of Oncology, Xiyuan Hospital, Chinese Academy of Traditional Chinese Medicine
Patient: Hello: My mother has been suffering from diabetes for many years. After hospitalization, she has improved. However, her hypertension, which was usually stable, suddenly came on. And the low pressure is always too low, every day is dizzy. She has no energy at all. In general, if you are not in a hurry. Blood pressure is normal. Can I achieve the desired effect through herbal treatment. Laboratory and test results.