In the hospital, you can often meet some young people who have high blood pressure, and many people wonder, is high blood pressure not a disease of the elderly?
Does having high blood pressure indicate that your blood vessels and heart are aging?
Of course not!
If we say that we are older and find high blood pressure, then it may be related to arteriosclerosis, which is what everyone calls blood vessel aging. But that's one of the reasons, not to mention that high blood pressure and heart aging have nothing to do with it.
So why does high blood pressure occur at a young age, and what should be done if you find high blood pressure?
First, the cause of high blood pressure in young people?
1. Secondary hypertension is not excluded
If high blood pressure is discovered at a very young age, such as around the age of 20, then the first thing to think about is whether high blood pressure is secondary hypertension. Hypertension is divided into two types: primary and secondary, secondary hypertension, that is, high blood pressure caused by a certain disease or a clear cause.
Because most of the primary hypertension, relatively speaking, is more likely to occur in middle-aged and elderly people. Therefore, the younger you are, the more you find high blood pressure, the more you must exclude renal artery stenosis, renal insufficiency, nephritis, renal failure, primary hyperaldosteronism, pheochromocytoma and so on secondary hypertension.
2. Most of them still belong to primary hypertension
Although secondary hypertension is not excluded, in reality, more than 90% of hypertension is still primary, and even in young people, most of hypertension is primary.
Primaryity is the only cause that is not clear, but is caused by multiple factors.
For example, genetic factors, parents have high blood pressure before the age of 55, the risk of children's high blood pressure will increase; in addition to genetics, more factors of young people's high blood pressure, in fact, their own life is not healthy enough. For example, obesity, unhealthy diet, non-exercise, staying up late, stress, long-term bad mood and other reasons are all factors that lead to high blood pressure.
So young people with high blood pressure, first ask yourself if you have these unhealthy lifestyles.
Second, what level of blood pressure does your blood pressure belong to?
1. Blood pressure grading
Before taking antihypertensive drugs:
Blood pressure at 140-159/90-99 mmHg, belonging to the category 1 hypertension;
Blood pressure at 160-179/100-9109 mmHg, belonging to the category 2 hypertension;
It is 180/110 mmHg higher and belongs to the category 3 hypertension.
2 measurements each time, 5 minutes apart, take the average, is their own blood pressure data; if the difference between blood pressure is 5mmHg higher than the two times, it is recommended to measure 3 times and take the average.
The higher the blood pressure, the more dangerous it is naturally, but this is not the only dimension for evaluating hypertension, and we evaluate hypertension in combination with risk stratification.
2. Hazard stratification
Whether there are risk factors such as diabetes, hyperlipidemia, obesity, smoking, alcohol consumption, etc.;
Whether there are carotid artery plaques, ischemic attacks, coronary heart disease, cardiac insufficiency, renal insufficiency and so on.
The more factors that are combined, or the more diseases caused by high blood pressure have already appeared, the more dangerous it is.
3. What relevant tests do I need to do when I have high blood pressure?
With high blood pressure, the most basic thing is to monitor blood pressure, before it is well controlled, measure 2-3 times a day until blood pressure drops to the ideal level.
After the control is stable, it should also be measured 1-2 times a week to avoid blood pressure fluctuations, especially the change of seasons, large changes in temperature, poor sleep, mood fluctuations, overweight, forgetting to take medicine, dizziness and swelling and other discomfort, in these cases at any time to measure blood pressure.
Monitor blood pressure, just like eating on your own, develop habits, and if you have the opportunity to go to the hospital to check blood lipids, blood sugar, homocysteine, uric acid, etc. Hyperlipidemia, diabetes mellitus, hyperuricemia, and hyperhomocysteinemia are excluded, as these disorders often cluster.
At the same time, it is also necessary to check kidney function, liver function, blood potassium electrolytes, blood routine, etc.; check ecG, cardiac ultrasound, carotid ultrasound, kidney ultrasound and so on.
Fourth, do you want to take antihypertensive drugs right away?
1. You can temporarily skip medication
Hypertension must be controlled, otherwise it will significantly increase the risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases, and many years later there may be myocardial infarction, cerebral infarction, heart failure, kidney failure and other malignant diseases.
But controlling high blood pressure does not mean taking antihypertensive drugs right away.
For mild hypertension, such as grade 1 hypertension, there are no symptoms and there are no comorbidities. Then you can first control your blood pressure by controlling your diet, insisting on exercise, controlling your weight, avoiding staying up late, and so on.
About 3-6 months of persistence, some people can control their blood pressure, then continue to adhere to a healthy lifestyle and control their blood pressure.
If the effort of half a year can not be sustained, or the effect is not clear, blood pressure is still high, then it is necessary to cooperate with regular antihypertensive drugs.
2. The situation that you must take medicine immediately
If new-onset hypertension is already above level 2 hypertension, exceeding 160/100 mmHg, then antihypertensive therapy needs to be initiated.
Or even if it is grade 1 hypertension, but there are symptoms, or diabetes, or have complicated cardio-cerebral and kidney disease, then you also need to start antihypertensive drug therapy yourself.
5. Which antihypertensive drugs have few side effects?
If you need to take medicine, which antihypertensive drug has the least side effects?
In fact, there is no so-called antihypertensive drug with the least side effects, and each antihypertensive drug has its own characteristics and its own side effects.
Therefore, you need to find a professional doctor to evaluate and see which antihypertensive drug is suitable for you.
For example, commonly used antihypertensive drugs, horizons can cause lower extremity edema, hyperglyctic gums, puly can cause dry cough, diuretics can lead to electrolyte disorders, high uric acid, lol can cause bradycardia, sartan will lead to elevated blood potassium and so on.
So there is no perfect antihypertensive drug, as long as it suits you.
Here I would like to add that for young male patients, because some antihypertensive drugs may cause sexual dysfunction in some people, pay attention to observation when taking antihypertensive drugs.
If sexual dysfunction occurs, avoid drugs such as lore, dipaline, and diuresis, and choose a praline or sartan-type antihypertensive drugs to avoid these side effects.
In short, we have high blood pressure, we must first figure out these 5 things; the purpose of clarifying these 5 things is to better control blood pressure and prevent complications of high blood pressure!