Age-related characteristics of different periods of a person's life, external and internal causes, changes in hormone levels, bad habits and psycho-emotional factors can affect changes in blood pressure and lead to its increase. Not always on time people go to the doctor, so hypertension takes a permanent form. The article will talk about the symptoms of hypertension and its differences with hypotension.
First manifestations
Hypertension is characterized by morphological changes in blood vessels that affect a person's overall well-being. To understand whether a person has hypertension and what symptoms are characteristic of this pathology, you need to know the simplest self-diagnosis methods that will help you correctly respond to a jump in indicators and prevent complications.
Hypertension is one of the most common diseases. Hypertension occurs in one in three people and is characterized by high mortality rates in severe stages. Only complex treatment that combines medication and maintaining a healthy lifestyle can be successful.
Hypertension is characterized by a gradual, long and slow course and is initially characterized by the absence of severe symptoms. At high pressure, the presence of the disease can be indicated by the periodic appearance of symptoms, which include:
- pain in the occipital or temporal region;
- dizziness;
- hearing loss, ringing in the ears;
- blurred vision;
- tachycardia and chest pain;
- nausea and gag reflex;
- feeling short of breath;
- anxiety;
- irritability;
- sweating or chills;
- recurrent nosebleeds.
The presence in a person of at least one of the above symptoms of hypertension, which may be the first, is a reason for visiting a family doctor or therapist for diagnostic and preventive purposes, since the disease in an advanced and untreated state can lead to formidable complications such as myocardial infarction and ischemic stroke.
Characteristics of symptoms
High blood pressure always goes away with a headache in the back of the head or in the temples, which, at the very beginning of the development of the pathology, is well stopped by analgesic drugs. Its presence is associated with a change in the lumen of the cerebral vessels in the direction of narrowing. People with high blood pressure headaches describe it as dull or cramp-like in the back of the head and sharp, stabbing, throbbing in the temporal region.
Tinnitus and hearing impairment in hypertension can be caused by a malfunction of the vessels of the hearing aid.
Important! The sudden onset of pain in the head is a direct indication for measuring pressure.
Deterioration of vision in hypertension in the form of doubled and blinking dots (flies) in front of the eyes is associated with a lack of blood supply to the retina and impaired functioning of the optic nerves.
Nausea and gag reflex occur as a reaction to the onset of headache and dizziness, and the manifestation of frequent heartbeats and pain behind the sternum is caused by a disturbance in the work of the vessels of the pulmonary circulation. The feeling of lack of air (shortness of breath) characterizes high blood pressure and most often occurs in patients with obesity at any age.
The frequent appearance of symptoms of hypertension can cause a state of hypertension. And then, the hyperemia of the skin of the face, anxiety, heart pain will join the above signs of pathology. This condition will not go away on its own and will require emergency treatment.
Important! The symptoms of hypertension that appear periodically will prompt the patient to consult a doctor and start treatment. The asymptomatic course of the disease steals a person's precious time.
Tonometer indicators
To understand if there is an increase in pressure, it is necessary to periodically measure the indicators with a tonometer under different conditions (well-being, poor) and also know their norms.
Standard values are considered 120/80 mm Hg. Art. A range of 10 units from these figures is not a deviation. Signs of an increase above 140/90 mm Hg. Art. , In combination with headache, feeling of nausea, heart pain are considered to be symptoms of arterial hypertension.
Important! The pressure in a person is always individual, it depends on the body and external causes. "Working" tone: These are the blood pressure numbers at which the patient feels good. Hypertensive patients know their normal values and control them by promptly taking antihypertensive drugs selected by the attending physician.
Characteristics of the degrees of pathology
Signs of hypertension directly depend on the degree of height of the indicators, of which there are 3 in hypertension and can be presented in the form of tables:
| Degrees of hypertension | Systolic index (mm Hg) | Diastolic numbers (mm Hg) | The main symptoms of hypertension |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 degree | 140-160 | 90-100 | They pass without a clear clinic, are characterized by periodic increases, quickly normalize. Dizziness, insomnia, heaviness in the head are rarely noted, with localization in the back of the head. |
| 2 degrees | 160-180 | 100-110 | Pain in the occipital or temporal region is strongly pronounced, accompanied by nausea, dizziness, weakness, insomnia. |
| 3 degrees | up to 182 and beyond | over 110 | Unbearable headache (especially in the morning), nausea, vomiting, tinnitus, visual disturbances, shortness of breath, sweating, tachycardia, swelling of the lower limbs, thirst, urinary disturbances. |
Hypertension clinic in the early stages can be mild. A person for a long time may not even be aware of the increased pressure and processes developing in the vessels. The first and first signs of hypertension are irritability for no apparent reason and increased fatigue.
Symptoms of high blood pressure in hypertension 2 and 3 degrees with systolic readings above 160 mm. lead to a hypertensive crisis, which is characterized by pronounced pain in the head of a different nature, a feeling of nausea, vomiting, blurred vision (fog, shroud) or flashing of small dots, as well as: tremor in the limbs, rapid pulse, feeling of shortness of breath, heart pain, arrhythmia, loss of consciousness.
What is arterial hypertension - all hypertensive patients know. It is helpful to know how to help yourself or a loved one before an ambulance arrives, when an emergency first occurs:
- Put 1 tablet of validol or nitroglycerin under the tongue.
- Organize access to air, unfasten tight clothing and give the patient an elevated position in bed (raise on pillows).
- Put mustard plasters on the calf muscles.
- To give inside 30 drops (1 tablespoon) of an alcoholic solution of valerian, motherwort.
- Take any pain reliever for head pain and lubricate the whiskey, forehead, neck area and behind the ears with menthol oil.
- You can soak your feet in hot water for 15 minutes.
Also, doctors recommend doing a simple exercise to restore breathing. To do this, it is recommended to take a deep breath, hold your breath and then exhale very slowly. This should be done 3 to 5 times. The position of the body in this case should be reclining.
Important! With untimely care of a patient with a hypertensive crisis, a stroke or myocardial infarction can develop. Since grades 2 and 3 cannot be cured, the patient must constantly monitor the rise in blood pressure.
Age characteristics
An increase in blood pressure in people over the age of 50 is often associated with incipient problems in the functioning of the heart and blood vessels, atherosclerosis, anemia, hyperthyroidism and impaired kidney function. There may be shortness of breath, pronounced swelling in the legs, cardiac arrhythmia. Compared to men, women get sick more often.
The symptoms of high blood pressure are always due to age-related changes in the vessels, causing a loss of their elasticity. In addition to the typical clinical features of hypertension, it is possible to add intermittent claudication, frequent fainting, dizziness when changing body position, noises in the head and a symptom of compressive pain behind the breastbone. There are also general malaise, reduced performance, and weakness.
Since the growth of indicators can occur in people of different ages, the symptoms of hypertension in adolescents can manifest themselves from the age of 12 (during puberty) and continue up to 17 years. This is due to the restructuring of the body and changes in hormonal metabolism. The characteristic signs of increased blood pressure in a teenager are increased sweating, attacks of a strong heartbeat, the presence of tinnitus, dizziness, headache at any time of the day, insomnia, hot flashes on the skin of the face, discomfort in the epigastric region.
Important! To make sure that in this particular case a possible pathology of the vessels occurs, it is necessary to measure the pressure in a person several times in a row, preferably every 15 minutes. These indicators must be recorded and be sure to report them to the doctor to prescribe adequate treatment. What drugs to take - the doctor will decide.
If you find several symptoms accompanied by an increase in blood pressure, you need to consult a doctor, be examined and identify the true cause of such a pathology: neoplasms, kidney, endocrine, vascular diseases. The therapist, the neuropathologist and the family doctor will prescribe the appropriate treatment based on the diagnostic data, the functional characteristics of the organism, the age group, the concomitant diseases and the tendency to allergies.
With hypertension, adrenoblockers, diuretics, ACE inhibitors, blockers of slow calcium channels are prescribed.
Apply physiotherapy - electrosleep; magnetotherapy; UHF therapy; infrared laser therapy, as well as traditional medicine. Patients with hypertension are advised to follow a diet and consume enough fruits and vegetables.
Important! Preventive measures to prevent vascular pathology and the development of hypertension include timely visits to medical examinations, the normalization of work and rest, moderation in food, the fight against excess weight, the prevention of stressful situations, l use of sufficient quantities of water, vegetables, fruits, as well as the elimination of addiction to nicotine and alcohol (if any).
Differences between high and low pressure
Along with the signs of hypertension, in which the frequency may increase, there are manifestations of low blood pressure, called hypotension.
Periodic decrease in pressure is characterized by indicators below 101/66 mm Hg. Art. It all depends on the age group, so the numbers may vary.
Although the presence of an unbearable paroxysmal headache manifests itself with both hypotension and hypertension, with a decrease in pressure the following symptoms will be present that distinguish high from low pressure:
- Poor health and weakness. Since the morning the patient feels weakness and malaise.
- Cold extremities. Hands and feet are constantly cold.
- Noise in the ears (periodic presence).
- Unpleasant sensations in the region of the heart, tachycardia. Each patient has their own feelings.
- Vertigo and frequent darkening (sometimes double vision) in the eye. Such symptoms are characteristic not only in the morning, but also during the day.
- Sleepiness during the day, sleep disturbances at night. During the day, patients feel the need to sleep all the time. The peak of activity begins in the evening. The night passes restless, sleep is superficial.
- Digestive problems. Hypotensive patients often have gastritis, liver problems, constipation, dyspepsia and dysbacteriosis.
The above characteristic symptoms are most often found in young people, most of whom are women. The reason for lowering blood pressure is stress, lack of sleep, an incorrect lifestyle, lack of vitamins, the use of strict diets, hormonal disorders, severe physical and mental stress, the presence of some somatic diseases (endocrine, cervical osteochondrosis, liver, kidney, VVD, sedentary lifestyle). Prolonged depression can be a major cause of low blood pressure.
The first "bells" about the onset of development of hypotension occur when a person gets heavily out of bed in the morning, feels overwhelmed, irritated, and does not sleep enough. After some time (all are purely individual), a headache appears, which may not go away until lunch.
Here, the common symptoms of hypertension are the appearance of nausea, vomiting, weather dependence and fainting, a long asymptomatic course. It is possible to increase low blood pressure by taking special medications, diet therapy, herbal medicine, and by maintaining a healthy lifestyle.
Therapy
Medicines that raise blood pressure include eleutherococcus or ginseng tinctures, special medicines. Caffeine has the same effect.
Herbal medicine involves taking herbal decoctions and infusions from plants such as St. John's wort, lemongrass, ginseng, immortelle, tartar, ginger.
For hypotensive patients, it is acceptable to take small doses of alcohol. A glass of red wine or 25 g of cognac for a week will benefit the body: they dilate blood vessels and improve blood circulation. A cup of coffee in the morning will bring a good mood.
Hypotensive patients should get enough sleep to feel alert (more than 8 hours a day), get enough exercise, eat a balanced diet, and also play moderate sports (morning exercises, swimming, aerobics, yoga, outdoor games), do the washing with a shower contrast, alternating them with massages.
Important! Untreated hypotension after age 40 can turn into hypertension.
Any person is advised to closely monitor their blood pressure levels. It is necessary to use the tonometer in a calm state, in good and bad health, after sleep and before the night. It is desirable to record all indicators, compare and determine "your" pressure, at which the best working capacity and vital activity are noted.
If the increase in numbers persists for a long time, you should definitely consult a doctor to protect yourself from fatal complications in the future. Be healthy!