Hypertension is a disease accompanied by a pronounced increase in blood pressure. High blood pressure destroys blood vessels and they become narrowed and damaged in a short period of time. The vessels cannot withstand the strong blood flow and rupture, causing hemorrhage. Increased pressure can be observed in patients of any sex, and the causes of the pathology can be very different. Among the main reasons are genetic factors, consumption of large amounts of alcohol, pregnancy and age-related changes.
Factors provoking the development of the disease
Experts argue that any deviations from the norm are individual for each patient. Taking this factor into account, in a patient diagnosed with hypertension, the causes and symptoms are different and not always sufficiently expressed. For each patient with this pathology, a specific treatment is selected and it is impossible to use any models.
What can cause hypertension in a person and what signs of the disease should we pay attention to? The following risk factors that can provoke the development of the pathology are identified:
- Extra pounds on the human body often cause high blood pressure. This is due to the fact that blood saturation of adipose tissue is a rather complex process. Even gaining just a few extra pounds causes increased stress on the blood supply system and can cause disturbances in the functioning of the heart and arterial bed.
- Constant stay indoors and lack of fresh air with the necessary oxygen content can have a negative impact on human health. Vasodilation makes it possible to compensate for the hypoxic mixture in the lungs, and prolonged stay in poorly ventilated environments causes the appearance of symptoms of arterial hypertension.
- Another provoking factor under the influence of which juvenile hypertension may occur is the growth of testosterone in the body. The result of this is the appearance of signs of the disease and the gradual development of hypertension.
- Frequent stressful situations and emotional stress can cause an increase in blood pressure. With the chronic nature of its course, all organs are in constant tone, and the result of this is the wear of the vessels and a decrease in their elasticity.
- Various injuries and brain damage can cause hypertension. They cause a narrowing of the canal lumen and the body has to actively fight against the resulting hypotonicity.
In fact, high blood pressure is not only detected in cases of atherosclerotic changes that already exist in the blood vessels. The development of hypertension is possible with an increase in the concentration of cholesterol in the human body, which creates certain difficulties in blood circulation. The fact is that cholesterol plaques are an atherosclerotic process.
Etiology and causes of the disease
To prescribe effective treatment, it is important to identify all possible causes of hypertension. It is necessary to establish factors that could subsequently provoke an increase in pressure. The causes of hypertension are quite diverse and continue to be studied by doctors to this day.
The causes of pulmonary hypertension in patients of any sex and age lie in the narrowing of the diameter of small vessels. Gradually, the vascular walls begin to feel blood pressure, and the consequence of this is the development of hypertension. The etiology of the development of this disease has not yet been fully studied by specialists. Many experts claim that the causes of hypertension are disturbances in the functioning of the circulatory system.
The causes of hypertension, in most cases, cannot be established, as they can be many. At the same time, we can identify the most common causes of pathologies that provoke the development of the disease:
- Congenital hypertension.Many diseases are hereditary and hypertension is no exception. In about half of patients, the cause of hypertension is hidden in heredity. If your parents have high blood pressure, your risk of developing it doubles.
- Poor nutrition.The pathogenesis of the development of vascular diseases may be poor nutrition. Salty foods can cause high blood pressure and cause illness. It will take time for the kidneys to remove excess sodium from the body, and until this happens, the excess salt will retain water. The result of this is the appearance of edema and an increase in circulating blood volume in patients with hypertension.
- Smoke.Tobacco contains nicotine, which increases heart rate and blood pressure. Chronic smoking poses a danger to the smoker and everyone around him.
- Alcohol abuse.Drinking large amounts of alcohol and having a morning hangover has a negative impact on health and blood pressure. Statistics show that people under the influence of alcohol often suffer various injuries. Alcohol abuse, from a young age, often causes hypertension and many pathologies of the heart and vascular system.
- Many sufferclimate dependence, that is, they are especially sensitive to climate change. Even healthy people, who move little and stay at home for a long time, can depend on the weather. Meteocrises in hypertensive patients develop predominantly in unusual climatic conditions.
In the case of high blood pressure, one of the causes is physical inactivity, that is, low physical activity. At the same time, active sports can have negative consequences for the body. Patients with excess weight, pathologies of the heart and vascular system will have to refuse increased physical stress on the body.
Hypertension occurs in 1/3 of the adult population and is predominantly an independent disease. In all other situations of arterial hypertension, the causes lie in the progression of human pathologies of other organs and systems, for example, lungs or kidneys.
In medical practice there is secondary hypertension. The main causes of this hypertension are the following:
- renal hypertension develops when the arteries supplying the kidneys are blocked;
- tumors appear in the adrenal glands, causing increased hormone production;
- obesity and metabolic syndrome.
When a person develops hypertension, it is accompanied by the development of certain symptoms. It is important to consult a specialist as soon as the first signs of the disease appear, which will allow treatment to begin in a timely manner.
At what age can hypertension develop and the first signs?
Hypertension can begin to develop at a young age, but is most often detected in patients after 40 years of age. In its development, hypertension goes through several stages and each of them is accompanied by the appearance of certain symptoms. At the initial stage of development of the disease, pressure indicators increase to 140-159 mm Hg. Additionally, signs of hypertension may appear as follows:
- headache located in the temples and back of the neck;
- impaired performance combined with constant desire to sleep and decreased appetite;
- the appearance of spots on the eyes and especially with a sudden change in body position;
- attention and memory problems;
- shortness of breath with little physical exertion;
- change in facial skin color.
The first signs of hypertension usually appear in a mild form and disappear after a while. Despite this, it is essential to consult a specialist, as hypertension can be successfully treated early in its development.
As high blood pressure develops, symptoms of the disease may appear, such as nausea, frequent dizziness, bleeding from the nasal cavity and numbness in the fingers. When hypertension reaches the final stage of its development, complications such as stroke, heart attack, arrhythmia and cardiac dysfunction may develop.
Features of the development of the disease in men
The development of hypertension in women is less pronounced than in men. This pathological condition is tolerated by them much more easily and does not cause serious health problems. With the development of hypertension in men, the skin on the face turns bright red already at the initial stage of development of the pathology.
Why is hypertension diagnosed more often in men and not in women? The fact is that representatives of the weaker sex are protected from the development of this pathology by female sex hormones and regular menstrual bleeding. Furthermore, women are much more attentive to their health than men.
In high blood pressure, the etiology in men is obesity, bad habits, sedentary lifestyle and stress at work. Hypertension is considered a serious burden on the male body and causes dangerous complications. The stronger sex often develops problems such as angina pectoris, heart attack, stroke and kidney pathologies.
High blood pressure represents a serious danger at any age, for both women and men. When the first signs of the disease appear, it is necessary to seek medical help, which will help avoid the development of many complications. To successfully treat hypertension, the symptoms and causes of the pathology must be identified as early as possible and their elimination must begin immediately.