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High blood pressure is one of the most common cardiovascular diseases, affecting up to 45% of the world’s adult population. It is often accompanied by other conditions such as obesity, or elevated cholesterol or serum blood glucose levels.
All these factors can contribute to an acute myocardial infarction or a stroke, the complications being asymptomatic.
“High blood pressure doesn’t hurt until it’s too late. Should a single increased value scare us? If we talk about a systolic value of 170-180 mmHg, of course. Presenting to the doctor as soon as possible is the way to go. If the blood pressure values are not so high, but still exceed 140/90 mmHg, it is good that our program in the next few days includes a visit to the cardiologist “, explained Dr. Răzvan Macarie, primary cardiologist, within the “Babeș Lesson” project, initiated by the Infectious Diseases Hospital from Timișoara.
Hypertension, left untreated, leads to damage to organs called target organs. This results in ocular (hypertensive retinopathy) or renal (hypertensive nephropathy) complications, damage to the heart with thickening of its walls, increased stiffness of the peripheral arteries and, last but not least, a decline in brain function.
„By combining the values of blood pressure with the number and magnitude of the risk factors, as well as the damage to the target organ, we will obtain the classification of hypertension in 3 degrees and 3 stages, which is more useful to the doctor in establishing an appropriate treatment., said Dr. Răzvan Macarie, primary care cardiologist.
How do we approach the treatment of high blood pressure?
“The key to success is to change your lifestyle. Regular exercise, a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, fish and as little fat as possible, weight loss, quitting smoking and low salt intake are more than half the way to reach values. appropriate voltage. Of course, the drug treatment, prepared taking into account the other diseases of the patient, will complete the necessary measures to lower blood pressure to normal values. All this will prevent damage to the target organs or, if this has happened, will slow down or stop the progression to severe forms such as myocardial infarction, stroke or chronic kidney failure. “ the doctor also explained.
“The lesson from Babeș” is a project in which various medical topics are explained, in order to properly inform the population.
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