As we all know, the prevalence of hypertension in China continues to increase, with almost 1/3 of the adult population suffering from hypertension or having blood pressure above normal high values. This means that the number of people with hypertension in China is large, with some statistics exceeding 300 million. Among the patients seen in outpatient clinics, there are even many patients who have no obvious symptoms of hypertension, but whose blood pressure is already significantly higher when measured. Such people do not pay attention to their own blood pressure level, and believe that no symptoms of elevated blood pressure is not care. Does the absence of hypertension symptoms mean that there is no damage to the body? In fact, this is not true. In fact, as soon as blood pressure rises, it begins its damage to our blood vessels, heart, brain, kidneys, retina and other multi-organ tissues. I. The effect of high blood pressure on blood vessels
The continuous increase of blood pressure will lead to the pressure on the blood vessel wall, the thickening of the blood vessel wall, and the reduction of blood vessel elasticity, which is what ordinary people call long-term hypertension leading to the hardening of blood vessels. This is also clinically known as atherosclerosis. How to combine with high blood lipids, diabetes and other risk factors, that is more likely to lead to intima thickening, a large number of lipid deposition in the vessel wall, and eventually the formation of the formation of atherosclerotic plaque, but further narrowing of the lumen of the blood vessel, or even occlusion. After the arterial vascular occlusion, it will lead to infarction of the relevant tissues and organs supplied by blood vessels, for example, myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction and so on. Second, the impact of hypertension on the brain
The brain is an important tissue and organ of the human body, our carotid artery and vertebral artery provide blood supply for the brain and maintain the normal work of the brain. Long-term high blood pressure will be a large pressure flushing our arteries, as described above, leading to atherosclerosis, making the blood vessels more and more rigid, narrower and more serious, will cause strokes
The latter includes ischemic stroke. The latter includes ischemic stroke, which is often referred to as cerebral infarction, and hemorrhagic stroke, which is often referred to as cerebral hemorrhage. When blood pressure is elevated and fluctuates widely, it can cause hypertensive encephalopathy, leading to cerebral infarction or cerebral vascular rupture to form cerebral hemorrhage. Once a stroke occurs, hemiplegia, aphasia, or even life-threatening in severe cases may occur. Third, hypertension damage to the heart: the heart is a pump organ, it is responsible for collecting venous blood throughout the body, after pulmonary circulation gas exchange, pumping out oxygen-rich arterial blood to the body to supply the whole body, maintain the whole body tissues and organs to provide the necessary blood supply. Long-term elevated blood pressure directly leads to an increased load on the heart, and in order to meet the blood supply to the body’s tissues and organs, the heart needs to do more work in order to transport enough blood to the periphery. Over time, the heart’s muscles become enlarged, heart function becomes impaired, and heart failure occurs. High blood pressure is also a risk factor for atherosclerosis of the heart. 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 blood supply is reduced, resulting in coronary heart disease and even the occurrence of myocardial infarction. Therefore, heart failure and coronary heart disease are the two main damages of hypertension on the heart. Fourth, hypertension damage to the kidneys
The human urinary system is like a “wastewater excretion system”, which plays an important role in maintaining the physiological balance in the body. The kidney is an important organ in the urinary system, and its main function is to excrete the body’s metabolites outside the body to maintain the balance of the internal environment. Long-term hypertension will lead to abnormal changes in the structure and function of the renal artery vessels, which in turn will cause lesions in the structure and function of the kidney and eventually renal insufficiency or even renal failure. Five, hypertension on the retina impact
In clinical practice, the fundus examination of patients with early hypertension is mostly normal and does not combine with retinopathy. When hypertension develops to a certain degree and remains at a relatively high level for a long time, it is very likely to lead to spastic constriction of the retinal arteries and arterial narrowing. With further development of the disease, the retina may develop hemorrhage, exudation, edema, and in severe cases, optic nerve papillary edema. In the long run, these exudate materials are deposited on the retina and can cause visual impairment in patients. The damage of hypertension on human tissues and organs is a long-term chronic process, especially on blood vessels. Many patients with hypertension have mostly insignificant clinical symptoms in the early stage, but if the blood pressure level is not controlled early, once the relevant clinical symptoms appear, the damage of hypertension to major tissues and organs is actually irreversible. In summary, it is recommended that patients with hypertension be detected early, treated early, and met early to minimize the damage to vital organs caused by hypertension.