Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Ankara
Hypertension is a chronic disease that is common all over the world. Hypertension, which can be defined as high blood pressure above normal, paves the way for many diseases, especially cardiovascular diseases. It can be controlled with medical treatment methods and lifestyle changes. However, when left untreated or not paying attention to lifestyle, it can become more serious and reduce the person’s quality of life. You can find more detailed information about hypertension in the continuation of our article. For all your questions about cardiovascular diseases, you can contact clinic of Prof. Basri Amasyalı in Ankara.
What is Hypertension?
Before defining hypertension, let’s talk about what blood pressure is:
Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the heart on the arteries as it circulates throughout the body. In order for the person to feel physically vigorous and healthy, this pressure should be at normal levels. High blood pressure or low blood pressure can lead to serious heart diseases.
Normal blood pressure is different for everyone. Variables such as lifestyle, weight, age and gender determine normal blood pressure values. Blood pressure in the veins is divided into systolic and diastolic. We also know these as “low blood pressure” and “high blood pressure“. Systolic blood pressure, that is, high blood pressure, is the blood pressure exerted by the blood on the vessels. It should be no more than 140 mmHg in an adult. Diastolic blood pressure is the blood pressure that continues when the heart relaxes. Diastolic blood pressure should be no more than 80 mmHg in adults.
If the diastolic and diastolic blood pressure values exceed 140 mmHg and 80 mmHg (we can also say 14 and 8), this condition is called hypertension.
What Causes Hypertension?
The majority of hypertension patients, that is approximately 95%, have primary hypertension. Primary hypertension is a rise in blood pressure for no known reason. Many factors, especially lifestyle and dietary habits, are effective in the emergence of hypertension. It is known that genetic transmission plays a major role at this point. If a person has a family history of hypertension, the probability of developing hypertension in that person is quite high compared to other individuals. Except for genetic factors;
- Excessive salt and oily diet
- Stenosis in the aortic vessels
- Crohn’s disease and imbalances in hormones secreted from the adrenal glands
- Tumor structures in the kidney
- Acute or chronic kidney diseases
- Thyroid gland diseases
- Diabetes and cholesterol disease
- Pregnancy
- Long-term use of certain medications such as steroids or pain relievers
- Obesity, alcohol and cigarette use can cause hypertension.
What are the Symptoms of Hypertension?
Hypertension cannot show symptoms immediately in every patient. Nearly half of people with blood pressure travel for years without being diagnosed. Most of them are noticed by the blood pressure values measured during the check-ups. The most common symptoms in hypertension patients are as follows:
- Dizziness and recurrent headaches
- Frequent urination (especially waking up frequently at night and going to the toilet)
- Visual disturbances, blurred vision
- Edema in the legs
- Shortness of breath, weakness and fatigue
- Tinnitus
- Nose bleeding
- Irregularities in heartbeat
What Is Good For Hypertension?
- Exercising regularly every day: brisk walking for an average of 5-6 km or 1 hour a day is the best exercise. This will both prevent you from gaining weight and help control your blood pressure.
- Salty meals increase blood pressure. Therefore, patients with hypertension should avoid salt as much as possible.
- Stress-free living: taking up hobbies can help.
- Fruit and vegetable-based diet and fiber diet are very effective in reducing hypertension. Preferring liquid oils instead of margarine and fats and avoiding alcohol and smoking are also effective ways to control hypertension.
- Lemon water and garlic help to lower blood pressure and should be consumed in abundance.
How to Treat Hypertension?
It is done with a multidisciplinary approach. In other words, the treatment of a blood pressure patient begins with changing the lifestyle that will be realized by the individual’s own effort. Therefore, before starting drug treatment, the patient is first asked to change his lifestyle. If the person stops consuming excessively salty and ready-made foods; if he gains a fruit and vegetable-based diet and starts sports, hypertension can be controlled to a large extent. Special diets should be given to overweight individuals to return to their ideal weight. Medical drugs come to the fore if hypertension cannot be controlled after all these efforts. However, hypertension is a chronic, lifelong disease. Therefore, it should be checked at regular intervals. The drug doses given by the doctor can be increased or decreased according to the course of the disease. At this point, the patient should follow the doctor’s instructions completely and take care to use their medications without interruption.
