Hypertension in early adult women is lower than in men, while hypertension is significantly higher in men after age 60, and the incidence of hypertension is significantly increased in women over 50 years of age.
Studies have shown that women are significantly more obese than men in adolescence, while obese women generally have earlier menarche, and the earlier the age of menarche, the greater the risk of high blood pressure.
Female hypertension is related to osteoporosis, with the average bone mineral loss rate of 5.9% in women with higher blood pressure, while the average bone mineral loss rate in women with normal blood pressure is 3.4%.
Women's blood pressure fluctuations are related to the menstrual cycle, pre- and postmenopausal hormone levels, and the degree of fluctuation is much higher than that of men, so the postmenopausal estrogen secretion decreases, and the incidence of hypertension and cardiovascular disease also increases.
Effects of birth control pills on high blood pressure
Women with hypertension take contraceptives to reduce the efficacy of antihypertensive drugs, and make blood pressure difficult to control, resulting in a sustained increase in blood pressure.
Hypertension in pregnancy
Gestational hypertension increases the risk of complications such as placental abruption, cerebral hemorrhage, disseminated intravascular coagulation, acute liver failure, acute renal failure and fetal intrauterine growth retardation, and is one of the important causes of maternal and fetal mortality.
The survey found that the incidence of hypertension increased significantly in women with a maternal age of less than 18 years or older, multiple pregnancies, and a history of hypertension in pregnancy and a family history. Pregnancy with hypertension accounts for 5% to 10%, of which 70% is gestational hypertension and 30% is hypertension before pregnancy.
Fluctuations in blood pressure during menstruation
Premenstrual tension syndrome generally refers to the syndrome of physical, mental and behavioral changes that affect daily life and work, such as fatigue, irritability, depression, and mild weight gain, edema and mild increase in blood pressure in the first 2 to 3 days of menstruation, such as fatigue, irritability, depression, and mild increase in body life and work in women during the luteal phase (1 to 10 days before menstruation).
Menopausal hypertension
Menopausal hypertension is generally a rise in hypertension with little or no change in low pressure. Specific manifestations are: obvious fluctuations in blood pressure, symptoms are variable, accompanied by dizziness, headache, tinnitus, dizziness, forgetfulness, insomnia, dreams, night terrors, irritability, fatigue, agitation, lack of concentration, waist and knee soreness, hot and cold (head fear of heat, cold lower limbs), oliguria, limb edema and other symptoms. The awareness rate of menopausal hypertension is low, so menopausal women need to measure blood pressure frequently, and menopausal hypertension generally lasts for 3 to 5 years.
Postmenopausal hypertension
Postmenopausal hypertension may be associated with changes in women's salt sensitivity due to hormonal changes in the female body. Young women who do not use oral contraceptives are not sensitive to salt, while salt sensitivity increases significantly in postmenopausal women. Renal hemodynamic regulation is clearly associated with female hormones, and the excretion of sodium is also associated with female hormones. This mechanism may also explain why diuretics are used better in older female patients.
Polycystic ovary syndrome associated hypertension
Polycystic ovary syndrome with hypertension, often manifested by sparse menstruation or amenorrhea, infertility, masculinization, predisposition to obesity, metabolic syndrome, dyslipidemia, diabetes mellitus, elevated inhibitors of plasma fibrinogen activity, increased coronary artery calcification integrals, and increased thickness of the medial lining of the carotid artery on ultrasound. Elevated blood pressure is mainly related to insulin resistance leading to sympathetic nervous system activation, endocrine disorders, increased cardiac output, decreased vascular elasticity and other factors.
The basic treatment of different types of hypertension is actually the same, mainly to maintain a healthy lifestyle: stay away from tobacco and alcohol, control weight, low-salt, low-fat, low-sugar diet, adhere to exercise, etc.
The difference is that female hypertension should receive more attention because of gender characteristics such as menstruation, pregnancy, fertility, and menopause, and female hypertension patients should get more understanding and more love!
*Excerpt from "High Blood Pressure, Please Note!" by Wang Xing
About the Author
Wang Xing (Cardiovascular Dr. Wang), deputy chief physician, graduated from the People's Liberation Army Air Force Military Medical University (formerly the Fourth Military Medical University) in Chinese, and has worked in the Cardiovascular Center of the Third Class A Hospital for more than 20 years. He has been engaged in cardiovascular clinical and scientific popularization for a long time, and has always adhered to the principle that problems that can be solved with healthy life do not use drugs; and problems that can be solved with drugs do not require surgical treatment.
He has participated in major tasks such as security for the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games and the military parade for the 90th anniversary of the founding of the army. From 2006 to 2016, he was awarded 1 third class merit and 9 commendations. In the winter of 2017, he was injured in the line of duty, and since then he has withdrawn from the front line and devoted more energy to medical science popularization.
From 2018 to 2021, its popular science articles were read by more than 1.4 billion people, and its popular science videos were read by more than 1.2 billion people. During the COVID-19 epidemic, he often stayed up until 2 a.m. to answer questions for free online, totaling about 80,000 people. Due to the recurrence of cervical spondylosis due to the long-term sitting in front of the computer to answer questions for everyone, dr. Wang reduced the frequency of answering questions online as the epidemic was controlled. Under the influence of Dr. Wang's science popularization, tens of thousands of people have changed their unhealthy lifestyles, adhered to healthy lifestyles, and begun to prevent the three highs and prevent cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases.
He has won dozens of popular science awards, such as the Outstanding Science Popularization Figure of the Chinese Medical Association, the High-quality Science Popularization Author of "Science Popularization China", the People's Daily Health Science Popularization Pioneer Award, the China Cardiovascular Alliance Science Popularization Special Contribution Award, the China Cardiovascular Alliance Science Popularization Promotion Award, the National Anti-epidemic Science Popularization Contribution Award, the People's Good Doctor, the Great Wall Heart Science Popularization Pioneer Award, the Doctor's Newspaper Health Heart Science Popularization Special Contribution Award, etc.
At present, he is the leader of the China New Media Expert Group for Science Popularization and Health, the Science Popularization Ambassador of Myocardial Infarction of the China Cardiovascular Alliance, the Science Popularization Expert of CCTV1 "Life Circle" of CCTV, the Science Popularization Ambassador of great wall heart disease, the Science Popularization Expert of People's Daily Health Times, and the special science popularization author of many newspapers and magazines.
Insisting on popular science and letting more people stay away from the three highs and away from cardiovascular diseases is the cause of his lifelong struggle.
"High Blood Pressure, Attention! 》