High blood pressure, one of the most common chronic diseases, is all too familiar. Data show that the number of adults with hypertension in mainland China is estimated to exceed 200 million. However, there are still many misunderstandings in the understanding and prevention of hypertension.
May 17 is World Hypertension Day, and we hope that these tips from industry experts will help you stay away from high blood pressure.
The number of people with high blood pressure has doubled in 30 years
In 2023, the World Health Organization released the Global Report on Hypertension, which shows that hypertension affects one-third of adults worldwide.
The number of people with hypertension (systolic blood pressure ≥ 140 mm Hg, or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90 mm Hg, or taking antihypertensive drugs) has doubled in the past 30 years, from 650 million in 1990 to 1.3 billion in 2019.
Nearly half of people with hypertension are unaware of their condition, and about four out of five are not adequately treated. All adults should have their blood pressure measured regularly. ①
Photo by Shi Wei, Health Times
Who is susceptible to high blood pressure?
Hypertension is a systemic disease characterized by increased blood pressure. The National Health Commission suggested that in the absence of antihypertensive drugs, blood pressure exceeding 140/90mmHg three times on the same day can be diagnosed as hypertension, and lifestyle intervention and drug treatment can be started.
"Individual differences in blood pressure are affected by factors such as individual constitution, disease, mental and psychological state, and some genetics may also make some people more susceptible to hypertension." Ma Wenjun, deputy director of the Hypertension Center of the National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases and Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said.
It is worth noting that in recent years, there are many young people and even children and adolescents with hypertension, and unhealthy lifestyles are often the culprits.
"Hypertension in the elderly is mostly simple systolic hypertension, which is associated with physiological changes such as arteriosclerosis; Hypertension in young people is mostly manifested as increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure, or simply increased diastolic blood pressure, which is mainly related to lifestyle, eating habits and work pressure. Ma Wenjun said.
Experts say that people who have been in a high-intensity or high-stress work environment for a long time, or who prefer a high-salt and high-fat diet for a long time, lack of exercise, stay up late, drink excessively and smoke, are relatively prone to high blood pressure. Factors such as overweight, obesity and genetics may increase the risk of hypertension in children and adolescents.
Ma Wenjun reminded that it is best for young people to check their blood pressure regularly. If symptoms such as persistent dizziness, headache, palpitations, chest tightness, blurred or decreased vision, and nosebleeds occur, it indicates that you may have high blood pressure and should seek medical attention in time.
If you have high blood pressure, you can't do without blood pressure medication?
Some people think that once you are diagnosed with high blood pressure, you will never be able to get rid of blood pressure medications, but this is not necessarily the case.
Liu Longfei, vice president of Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, said that more than 90% of patients suffer from essential hypertension, the cause of which is unknown and difficult to cure, but most of them can be controlled; The rest are secondary hypertension, which is caused by other diseases, and the primary lesion can be detected and targeted treatment can be targeted to control blood pressure or return to the normal range.
Experts generally agree that lifestyle interventions are the key to preventing and treating hypertension.
Guo Ming, deputy chief physician of the cardiovascular department of Xiyuan Hospital of the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences, said that patients with mild hypertension with blood pressure below 150/100mmHg are relatively easy to get rid of drugs. ”
Cao Yu, chief physician of the Department of Cardiovascular Medicine of the Third Xiangya Hospital of Central South University, said that if the blood pressure of new hypertension patients, especially young patients, does not exceed 160/100mmHg, has no obvious symptoms, and does not have any heart, brain and kidney diseases, their hypertension is mainly caused by obesity, bad lifestyle habits and other factors, and may return blood pressure to normal by improving lifestyle.
The "Dietary Guidelines for Adults with Hypertension (2023 Edition)" recommends that adult patients with hypertension should increase the intake of potassium-rich foods, eat a light diet, and eat less foods containing high fat and high cholesterol; Eat more fruits and vegetables rich in dietary fiber; Moderate intake of cereals and potatoes; Appropriate protein supplementation, you can choose more milk, fish, soybean and their products as protein sources.
In addition, experts also recommend that patients with high blood pressure and people with high blood pressure should insist on exercising, maintain a healthy weight, quit smoking and limit alcohol, reduce mental stress, regularly monitor blood pressure, and do a good job in self-health management.
With so many blood pressure medications, are you using them right?
According to reports, there are many types of antihypertensive drugs, and different classes of antihypertensive drugs will be used clinically according to the patient's etiology, degree of blood pressure increase, risk factors, target organ damage, comorbidities and other specific conditions.
Experts say that long-acting antihypertensive drugs are recommended for long-term blood pressure control to avoid blood pressure fluctuations; In patients with a sharp increase in blood pressure, short-acting antihypertensive drugs are sometimes needed temporarily to control blood pressure more quickly and more forcefully; Combination preparations, on the other hand, are a combination of two antihypertensive drugs of different types, which are easy to use and can enhance patient compliance.
Ma Wenjun reminded that blood pressure fluctuations are a normal physiological phenomenon. Different antihypertensive drugs have different durations of action, and if patients reduce or stop taking them without authorization, they may cause blood pressure to rise again and fluctuate, and repeatedly increase the risk of cardiovascular disease.
For example, patients with a long course of disease, severe arteriosclerosis, high blood pressure, and more comorbidities should insist on taking Western medicine to lower blood pressure under the guidance of cardiovascular doctors, and at the same time, they can take traditional Chinese medicine to assist in lowering blood pressure, and Chinese and Western medicine complement each other.
In addition, for celery, garlic, hawthorn and other natural "antihypertensive drugs" circulating in the market, experts said that these foods do contain antihypertensive ingredients, and studies have also shown that these ingredients will have a certain antihypertensive effect in experimental animals, but if hypertensive patients want to lower blood pressure, they cannot only rely on these so-called "antihypertensive drugs on the table" to achieve.
Summer is not a "safe period" for high blood pressure
Every summer, many hypertensive patients find that their blood pressure has "decreased", mistakenly thinking that hypertension will usher in a "safe period" in the summer, and some patients reduce or even stop taking their medication by themselves. Doctor reminds: Do not stop the drug by yourself, as severe cases may lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular accidents.
Liu Ming, deputy chief physician of the Institute of Hypertension of Jiangsu Provincial Hospital of Traditional Chinese Medicine, once said in an interview that summer is the "eventful" season of hypertension, and more attention should be paid to it.
Many patients are confused by the "illusion" that hypertension is "cured without medicine" in summer, and they are completely unaware of the greater danger brought by the practice of blindly reducing and stopping drugs. Arbitrary reduction and discontinuation of drugs will lead to increased blood pressure fluctuations, and may lead to a "retaliatory rebound" of blood pressure. ②
In summer, the temperature is high, the blood vessels are in a state of dilation, the blood flow resistance is small, the pressure is small, and the blood pressure is naturally reduced.
Many patients think that the blood pressure of hypertensive patients generally drops on hot days, and it is not important to temporarily stop the drug.
In fact, patients with high blood pressure are different from normal people, and their ability to adapt to the ambient temperature is poor, and when the temperature is high, blood pressure rises sharply, blood viscosity may increase, and finally blood clots are formed, which is more dangerous than in winter.
This is due to the fact that patients with high blood pressure have cerebral arteriosclerosis, blood clotting tendency, high temperature, sweating, blood concentration, and blood vessels are easy to block. Therefore, people with high blood pressure should not take it lightly in the summer. ③
There are a few truths about high blood pressure to know
This article is synthesized from:
(1)2023-09-21World Health Organization's WeChat official account "First <全球高血压报告>release: prevention and control of hypertension requires a multi-pronged approach"
(2)2022-08-12Community News "High Blood Pressure Summer is "Not High" Doctor Reminder: Do Not Reduce and Stop Drugs by Yourself" (Lu Dongni, Sun Qian)
(3)2023-07-12Lizhi.com "Hypertension enters the "safe period" in summer? Experts refute rumors: Don't stop taking medicine by yourself! (Wang Huasu)
Source: Xinhua Daily Telegraph Comprehensive Xinhua News Agency (reporters Tian Xiaohang, Peng Yunjia, Shuaicai), Health Times, People's Daily client