With increased blood pressure (blood pressure) or hypertension, as a rule, pensioners suffer, although recently the ailment has become more and more to appear among young people.At the same time, people often do not suspect a serious problem, many write off headaches on inferior sleep or bad weather.The lack of treatment of high pressure can lead to the development of stroke, heart attack.Therefore, for the timely detection of the disease, it is necessary to study in detail the main causes of hypertension.
What is hypertension
Arterial hypertension (hypertension), hypertension or hypertension is a serious chronic disease, which is characterized by a persistent increase in blood pressure (while the indicators of systolic upper pressure are higher than 140 mm Hg, and diastolic lower pressure above 90 mm Hg).Hypertension is the most common disease of the cardiovascular system.An increase in blood pressure in the vessels occurs due to narrowing of the arteries and their small branches - arterioles.
The value of blood pressure depends on the peripheral resistance, the elasticity of the vessels.With irritation of the hypothalamus receptors, in larger quantities, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone hormones that cause spasms of microsudes and arteries, thickening of their walls, an increase in blood viscosity begin to be produced.This leads to the appearance of arterial hypertension, which eventually becomes irreversible, stable.There are two forms of high pressure:
- Essential (primary).It is 95% of cases of hypertension.The reason for the appearance of this form is the totality of different factors (heredity, poor ecology, excess weight).
- Secondary.Accounts for 5% of cases of hypertension.High blood pressure in this form is caused by disorders in the body (kidney, liver, heart disease).
The initial stage of the disease or its hidden course can be suspected if a person is noted:
- Memory deterioration;
- headache;
- unmotivated sensation of anxiety;
- chilliness;
- hyperhidrosis (increased sweating);
- small spots in front of the eyes;
- numbness of the fingers;
- hyperemia (redness) of the skin of the front area;
- heart heartbeat;
- irritability;
- low performance;
- Swelling of the face in the morning.
The causes of hypertension
With the normal functioning of the body, the heart drives blood through all the vessels, delivering nutrients and oxygen to cells.If arteries lose their elasticity or clog, the heart begins to work stronger, the tone of blood vessels increases and their diameter narrows, which leads to high pressure.The onset of hypertension is due to disorders of the autonomic and central nervous system, which are closely related to emotions.Therefore, when a person is nervous, he often begins to increase pressure.
After 60 years, the development of arterial hypertension is associated with the appearance of atherosclerosis (chronic arteries) when cholesterol plaques overlap normal blood flow.In this case, the upper pressure in the patient can increase to 170 mm Hg.Art., and the bottom remain less than 90 mm Hg.Art.Also, many doctors identify the general causes of arterial hypertension:
- violation of blood circulation of all vital organs;
- psycho -emotional overstrain;
- spasizing the muscles of the cervical vertebrae;
- genetic pathology;
- reduction of elasticity, thickening of blood vessels;
- hypokinesia (sedentary lifestyle);
- hormonal changes;
- Diseases of internal organs (liver, kidneys).
- Excessive salt consumption;
- bad habits.
In men
The appearance of hypertension, as a rule, is subject to men aged 35 to 50 years.High blood pressure is diagnosed in patients already having a stable form of the disease.This is due to the fact that men ignore the first signs of the disease.Often the causes of high blood pressure in the strong half of humanity are provoked by their work.The disease affects those people whose activities are associated with heavy physical and mental stress.Responsible workers suffer from the disease, for whom any blunder is always a strong stress.Other causes of hypertension in men:
- smoking, alcohol abuse;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- non-compliance with nutritional rules (fast food, sweets);
- kidney diseases (glomerulonephritis, pyelonephritis, urolithiasis);
- taking drugs (drugs from colds, colds, sleeping pills or hormonal medicines);
- neglect of physical activity;
- Problems with blood vessels (atherosclerosis);
- Traumatization of the central nervous system (central nervous system).
In women
The symptoms of manifestations of arterial hypertension in women and men are not particularly different (shortness of breath, headache, ears in the ears, dizziness), but the weaker sex is much more likely to encounter such a disease.The causes of hypertension in women may differ from similar in men, and this is due to hormones.There are even such forms of the disease that are not characteristic of strong sex at all - this is hypertension with menopause and during pregnancy.
As a rule, in women, hypertension is diagnosed during menopause (after 45 - 50 years).The body at this time undergoes significant changes: the number of produced estrogens begins to contract.In addition, the causes of hypertension in women may be as follows:
- reception of contraceptives;
- stress, overload;
- insufficient amount of potassium in the body;
- hypodynamia (sedentary lifestyle);
- excess body weight;
- poor nutrition;
- childbirth;
- bad habits (alcoholism, smoking);
- diabetes mellitus;
- cholesterol metabolism;
- Pathology of the kidneys, adrenal glands;
- vascular diseases;
- Obstructive apnea syndrome (respiratory arrest).
At a young age
Hypertonic disease is rarely observed in people under 25 years of age.Often an increase in blood pressure at a young age is associated with neurocirculatory dystonia (a complex of disorders of the cardiovascular system), when only the upper pressure indicators change.The cause of these violations in children can be a large load during school classes.In almost all cases, the high blood pressure in the child is a consequence of the pathology of the endocrine system, i.e.Children's hypertension is usually secondary.Developing arterial hypertension at a young age may have other causes:
- hereditary factor;
- overeating, the use of a large amount of salt;
- weather conditions;
- Diseases of the spinal column.
- electromagnetic, sound radiation;
- nervous overstrain;
- kidney pathologies;
- intake of drugs affecting the condition of blood pressure;
- overweight;
- Lack of potassium in the body.
- non -compliance with the sleep regime.
The reasons for the development of hypertension
The occurrence of hypertension in 90 % of patients is associated with cardiovascular problems (atherosclerosis, sore heart, etc.).The remaining 10% relate to symptomatic hypertension, i.e.High blood pressure is a sign of another disease (kidney inflammation, adrenal tumors, narrowing of the renal arteries), hormonal failure, diabetes, traumatic brain injury, and stress.Risk factors for the development of hypertension are classified according to two indicators:
- Unmounted.The reasons for which a person cannot affect.This includes:
- Heredity.Arterial hypertension is considered a disease transmitted through genes.Therefore, if the family had patients with hypertension, there is a chance that the ailment will appear in the next generation.
- Physiological factor.Mid -aged men are more susceptible to disease than the fairer sex.This is explained by the fact that in the period from 20 to 50 years of age, the body of a woman produces more sex hormones that perform a protective function.
- Changed.Factors that depend on a person, his lifestyle and decisions:
- sedentary lifestyle;
- Excess weight;
- stress;
- bad habits;
- insomnia;
- the use of a large amount of caffeine, salt, cholesterol;
- taking medications;
- weight lifting;
- Weather fluctuations.
Heredity
One of the factors of predisposition to arterial hypertension is heredity.These can be anatomical features that are transmitted with genes.They are expressed in the difficulty of blood flow, which affects the increase in blood pressure.The presence of hypertension in the relatives of the first link (mother, father, grandparents, native brothers or sisters) means a high probability of developing the disease.The risk of the occurrence of the disease increases if high blood pressure was observed at once in several relatives.
As a rule, hypertension itself is genetically inherited, but only a predisposition to it, this is due to neuropsychic reactions and metabolic features (carbohydrates, fats).Often the implementation of a tendency to inheritance pathology is due to external influences: nutrition, living conditions, adverse climatic factors.
Diseases
Cardiovascular diseases (heart disease, ischemia) can provoke high blood pressure.With these ailments, the gaps of the aorta are partially narrowed - it means that the pressure increases.Vascular defects in nodular polyarthritis also contribute to the growth of blood pressure.Diabetes mellitus is another cause of arterial hypertension.The presence of atherosclerotic plaques narrows the lumen of blood vessels, which is an obstacle for normal blood circulation.The heart begins to work in enhanced mode, creating increased pressure.Diseases that can provoke hypertension:
- kidney inflammation;
- pathologies of the lymphatic system and liver;
- cervical osteochondrosis;
- violation of the pancreas and thyroid gland;
- sclerosis of the arteries;
- vegetative-vascular dystonia;
- adrenal tumor;
- traumatic brain injuries;
- narrowing of the renal arteries.
Hormonal changes
Violations of the endocrine organs (thyroid gland, hypothalamus, pancreas, adrenal glands) are frequent causes of high pressure.These pathological processes slow down the production of sex hormones and their effect on the brain of the lower appendage, especially for women during menopause.Serious causes of increased blood pressure, contributing to the excessive synthesis of hormones, are the following diseases:
- Kushing syndrome;
- thyrotoxicosis (hyperthyroidism) - an increase in the functions of the thyroid gland;
- neoplasms on the adrenal glands;
- acromegaly (impaired function of the anterior pituitary gland);
- Feochromocytoma (hormonal active tumor);
- Kon syndrome.
Age
Hypertension, as a rule, is more often observed in older people.This is due to the fact that over time, arteries lose their elasticity, and this has a great influence on pressure.In addition, in people after 40 years, metabolic processes slow down, against the background of consumption of a large amount of high -calorie foods and an incorrect attitude to food, obesity develops, and then hypertension.
Today, such a cause of the disease, like age, has undergone changes.The disease is noticeably young, approximately 10% of adolescents are subject to pathology and, as they grow up, the percentage only increases.Every third resident after 40 years suffers from high pressure.Indeed, in addition to the natural decline of the resistance of the body, the influence of heredity, the lifestyle changes with age.
Life
Another cause of arterial hypertension is the lack of physical activity.Sports have a beneficial effect on blood circulation and the body as a whole, but not many people decide to begin to lead an active lifestyle in order to protect themselves from the development of hypertension.The lack of physical exercises causes obesity and overweight and, as a result, increased blood pressure.
Hypokinesia is a common disease of our time, when a person moves little, and this leads to a violation of the work of blood vessels.Unhealthy nutrition, bad habits, improper lifestyle provoke high blood pressure, since the weakening of muscle tissue and spine reduces the tone of blood vessels necessary for good blood circulation.Working at the computer also increases the risk of disease.
Nutrition
The next factor contributing to the appearance of high blood pressure is poor nutrition.Salt, sweet, fried, acute, smoked and fatty foods often provokes an unplanned rise in pressure.Indeed, to remove excess sodium from the body, the kidneys require a certain time.Until the moment this does not happen, the excess of salt holds water, which provokes swelling in people suffering from hypertension.
The lack of potassium can increase blood pressure.This element helps to relax blood vessels, and the body - free from sodium.There are a lot of potassium in tomatoes, dairy products, cocoa, potatoes, legumes, parsley, prunes, melons, bananas, green vegetables, sunflower seeds.These products should be included in the daily diet.It is necessary to refuse fat, fatty meat and smoked meats, becauseThey lead to excess weight and often accompanying high pressure.In addition, such food products are harmful to the body:
- butter;
- canned food;
- offal;
- fat sour cream, cream;
- sharp seasonings;
- flour products;
- tonic drinks with caffeine;
- Sweet soda drinks.
Bad habits
A high dose of alcohol and the hangover caused by this hangover negatively affects the state of health.Regular and excessive drinking of alcohol can enhance the heartbeat, sharply increase blood pressure, cause a heart attack.Smoking also does not affect pressure.Nicotine contributes to the increase in the pulse, the rapid wear of the heart, which leads to the development of coronary disease and atherosclerosis.
Tobacco and alcohol have a negative effect on the whole organism.When smoking and drinking alcohol, the expansion occurs first, and then a sharp reduction in blood vessels, as a result of which their spasm is created and the bloodstream worsens.Hence the increase in blood pressure.In addition, chemicals that are part of cigarettes are able to violate the elasticity of the walls of blood vessels, form plaques that clog arteries.
Excess weight
A common cause of hypertension is obesity and excess body weight.Excess weight occurs due to a sedentary lifestyle, metabolic disorders, abundant meals with a high content of fats, carbohydrates, salt.Open people are always at risk, because their high blood pressure increases with the load on the vessels and heart.
In addition, obesity increases blood cholesterol, which can provoke the appearance of diabetes.Patients more than a weight of 3 times more often suffer from hypertension than people with a normal body weight.A person with obesity is more susceptible to atherosclerosis, which is an additional factor in the appearance of high blood pressure.A weight loss even by 5 kg will significantly reduce blood pressure and improve blood sugar.
Ecology
Many people respond painfully to the weather, i.e.They are weather dependent.Even a completely healthy person who is rarely in the fresh air and leads a sedentary lifestyle can be sensitive to changing the weather.As a rule, meteocrisis in people suffering from hypertension appear in unusual climatic and landscape conditions, so before traveling, prepare a road kit.
The poor ecology of the city also seriously increases blood pressure, harming the cardiovascular system and developing hypertension.Even the short effect of harmful substances that a person inhales every day can provoke the development of hypertension.Three common pollutants of all modern cities - nitrogen dioxide, ozone, sulfur dioxide - negatively affect blood pressure and vascular function.
Stress
Nervous-emotional strain (stress, nervous breakdown, excessive emotionality) is the most common cause of exacerbation of hypertension.For human health, any negative unexpressed and depressed emotions are dangerous.A long experience of stress is a constant stress that wears out blood vessels and heart faster than this would happen in a calm atmosphere.A consequence of a nervous breakdown is often an increase in pressure and hypertensive crisis.Stress in combination with alcohol and smoking is especially harmful, becauseSuch a combination sharply increases blood pressure.
As a rule, in a person with hypertension, the pressure rises and persists longer, even with slight emotional stress.Gradually, with repetitions of blood pressure increase, which can last for many months, the apparatus responsible for regulating blood pressure gets used to the load, and blood pressure is slowly fixed at a certain level.