Cardiology Specialist Dr. Ebru Özenç gave information about the subject. Hypertension is a health problem that is very popular in the society, talked about in friendly assemblies, and almost everyone has a few words to say. If we do an interview on the street and ask what is hypertension, the number of people who can actually describe it will not be much. Of course, the fact that the recipe is unknown and one of the most talked about topics makes the event interesting!
Hypertension to be explained in the most understandable way; It is an increase in the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the vessels in which it circulates. High blood pressure is a condition that requires treatment, it must be accepted. It is really important to bring the blood pressure value to normal in the body, sometimes with medicated and sometimes non-drug approaches. One of the most common mistakes is that if someone with high blood pressure does not have complaints such as headaches or nosebleeds, they do not accept the diagnosis and do not want to approach treatment with a thought like "my body is used to this blood pressure value". “The drug is addictive. Unfortunately, with rumors such as "It is not possible to stop once it starts, the avoidance of doctors and drugs is increasing. The truth of the matter cannot be known without going to the doctor. As such, hypertension often turns into a parasite that insidiously damages the body. In order to make the importance of the event more understandable to my hypertension patients who come to the clinic, I often use the following expression: "The more normal your blood pressure value is, the longer and healthier you will live". Yes, that's true, because studies have shown that people with blood pressure below 130/80 mmHg have higher event-free survival. (1) If you ask what is the ideal blood pressure value today, the approach is to gradually decrease below the 130/80 mmHg limit. Today, the hypertension limit has been set to this value in the USA, while it is 140/90 mmHg in European guidelines, and it is likely to be updated in the future.
How blood pressure should be measured is also a situation that requires special attention. If you've noticed, you've had your blood pressure measured many times, and most of the time, you'll see that the device we call a statescope is stuck under the cuff attached to the arm by the nurse or doctor. However, this is a wrong and common practice. Stateskop should be placed freely about 1 finger below the cuff. Otherwise, blood pressure may be higher. Measurements should be taken after resting for at least 2 minutes, ideally 5 minutes, in a sitting position with the arm resting on a support at heart level. Another point to note is that smoking temporarily raises blood pressure and this effect lasts for about 30 minutes. Although patients are advised to quit smoking, blood pressure measurements of smokers should be taken about 30 minutes later. There can normally be a difference of up to 10 mmHg between the two arms. Often, the blood pressure value may be higher in the right arm than in the left. If there is more difference than this value; While congenital cardiovascular disease is often considered primarily in young people, occlusive vascular diseases may be considered in older patients.
Although hypertension in young people may be due to genetic reasons, congenital aortic stenosis is one of the first investigated causes. This narrowing can be detected by evaluating the heart ultrasound, which we call echocardiography. Another common cause is kidney disease. In recent years, the prevalence of hypertension has increased with the increase in obesity in young people. Obesity and hypertension, which develop due to malnutrition or hormonal diseases, can form a chain that follows each other. Pregnancy is one of the conditions that can develop hypertension in women. Postpartum improvement may occur, or it may be permanent for life.
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