More than a billion people living on our planet are somehow associated with hypertension. Ozerchans are no exception. But some of them don’t even suspect it, says Ksenia Kupriyanova, a therapist at the Ozyorsk Central District Hospital: “Hypertension is a dangerous disease, fatal. But we can and must fight it. It is important to know what your diet should be, what you should give up, and what loads are acceptable. If you follow all the recommendations, the disease will not progress and the condition will gradually improve.”
| What is useful for hypertension | What is harmful |
| Prolonged stay in the fresh air | Table salt, fatty, spicy and salty foods, flour products |
| Morning exercises to improve blood circulation | Alcohol and smoking destroy blood vessels |
| Breathing relaxation | Inactive sedentary lifestyle |
| Decoctions of medicinal herbs that normalize blood pressure | Heavy physical activity (bodybuilding, endurance running, marathon running) |
| Omega3, potassium and magnesium, raw vegetable and fruit juices | Stress, psychological stress, poor sleep |
For those whose blood pressure rises infrequently, you need to be careful! It is better to change your lifestyle to prevent the development of persistent hypertension and fight it throughout your life.
Controllable factors for hypertension
The reasons leading to high blood pressure and which can be avoided are:
- obesity;
- bad habits (smoking and drinking alcohol);
- violation of the daily routine;
- insufficient sleep and rest;
- sedentary lifestyle;
- chronic stress;
- professional activities associated with nervous and mental overload;
- unhealthy diet (excess salt, fatty, smoked foods, unhealthy foods, etc.)
Attention!
Even in the absence of characteristic symptoms of high blood pressure (and a history of hypertensive crisis), it is necessary to have a tonometer at home to measure blood pressure. This is especially true for all persons over 40 years of age, regardless of gender and occupation.
Causes of high blood pressure in primary hypertension
It is difficult to name the exact cause of the development of chronic hypertension. The development of the disease occurs due to disruptions in the mechanisms of blood pressure regulation, which arise for various reasons. Functional defects include poor kidney function, which causes sodium to be retained in the body. More fluid accumulates in the body, and the kidneys do not respond to random increases in pressure during exercise and stress.
Increased activity of the nervous system can lead to blood pressure disorders. Changes in its sensitivity can be caused genetically or by environmental factors - stress, chronic fatigue or pain. When the activity of the central nervous system increases, the load on the heart increases.
The cause of high blood pressure can be circulatory disorders in tissues - edema due to metabolic problems, epithelial dysfunction.
In older people, blood pressure increases with age. In adolescents and young adults, the disease can be caused by environmental factors, lifestyle or heredity. The hereditary factor for essential hypertension is not disputed by doctors. So the probability of its inheritance is 30%.
Risk factors for primary arterial hypertension include:
- An excess of saturated fatty acids in the menu, in particular cholesterol.
- High salt content in foods, such as pickles and processed foods.
- Sedentary lifestyle and excess body weight.
- Smoking and alcohol.
- Tension, stress, nervous breakdowns.
Excess cholesterol is deposited on the walls of blood vessels, which narrows their lumen and interferes with blood flow. The structure of the arteries also changes due to excess salt. Excessive use makes blood vessels fragile and impairs their elasticity.
Weight, as one of the causes of hypertension, is considered in the context of BMI - overweight. If this indicator is significantly exceeded, measures must be taken to reduce the risk of complications. The risk of developing arterial hypertension with excess weight increases 2-6 times, especially with the upper type of obesity, when waist circumference increases.
Arterial hypertension - features
The disease can be completely asymptomatic, then the person is not aware of the presence of high blood pressure. But in the absence of symptoms, the risk of complications is just as high as with negative symptoms (headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, etc.)!
An advanced condition means a high risk of stroke and heart attack, which can lead to disability and even death (according to WHO, death from cardiovascular pathologies ranks first in the world). The early stage of the disease, controlled by measuring blood pressure and taking special antihypertensive drugs, vitamin complexes and natural dietary supplements for the heart and blood vessels, is reversible, in contrast to advanced forms of the disease, which are dangerous to health and life.
The home medicine cabinet must contain first aid for a hypertensive crisis and antihypertensive drugs for regular use if a diagnosis of arterial hypertension is made. If your condition worsens, when your blood pressure rises sharply and suddenly, there is no way to urgently run to the pharmacy or see a doctor. Medicines for hypertension should always be available! Buy quality medications at affordable prices in Stolichka pharmacies.
The bloody harvest of Elbrus: who is killed first by mountain sickness
In an attempt to conquer the dangerous Elbrus, 15-20 climbers die every year. The highest mountain in Russia and Europe showed its harsh nature to 19 tourists on September 23, 2021, five of them will not return home.
According to some experts, people died due to poor preparation of the group. What factors should be taken into account when climbing mountain peaks in order not to remain forever in the networks of bloody Elbrus, cardiologist Natalya Gavrilyuk told in an interview with 5-tv.ru.
First of all, travelers encounter mountain sickness, or high-altitude hypoxia, when oxygen starvation occurs as they climb. Some doctors believe that the insidiousness of low atmospheric pressure manifests itself in an insidious way: in hypotensive patients it becomes even lower, and in hypertensive patients it becomes higher. People with chronic low blood pressure and a problematic cardiovascular system are strongly advised not to stay at an altitude of more than 3-3.5 thousand meters.
However, there is no proven direct connection between atmospheric and blood pressure, says cardiologist Natalya Gavrilyuk.
“The low atmospheric pressure found in the mountains greatly affects the partial pressure of oxygen, and in the mountains - especially above 1500 meters - the partial pressure is very reduced. Because of this, a person’s ability to absorb oxygen decreases and hypoxia appears,” the expert explained.
Oxygen deficiency manifests itself in severe shortness of breath; it provokes the body to compensate, forcing a person to breathe deeper and more often, but then even frequent, accelerated breathing does not allow the blood gases to balance. In such a situation, it is quite difficult to help yourself without drug therapy.
“When we climb a mountain, we must definitely try to climb slowly and smoothly, and make stops. And if the so-called mountain sickness develops, go down as quickly as possible, that is, to a lower altitude,” the specialist said about the strategy of behavior during a mountain hike.
To assess the tragedy that occurred on Elbrus, it is necessary to have more initial data, the doctor noted.
“Now it is difficult to reliably say whether the tourists could have been saved or not: we do not know whether they had predisposing cardiovascular diseases or respiratory diseases, and whether it was purely mountain sickness or in combination with hypothermia,” Gavrilyuk noted .
The expert added that on the day of the incident there was poor visibility on Elbrus, which could have caused difficulties with a quick descent. In addition, there is a certain set of medications that are definitely worth taking on such high-altitude hikes, but it is unknown whether these drugs were used or not. But even with certain precautions, care outside the hospital may not always be successful.
“Any drop in hemodynamics (the movement of blood through the vessels due to the difference in pressure in the vessels - Ed.), any difficult situation outside a medical institution is always associated with high mortality,” emphasized cardiologist Natalya Gavrilyuk.
As 5-tv.ru previously wrote, experts assessed the climbers’ chances of salvation and named their key mistakes.
Pressure
Many novice climbers notice that when climbing a mountain their nose begins to bleed, their general health worsens and weakness occurs. These unpleasant symptoms are caused by a decrease in pressure when rising to altitude. The human body adapts to the environment, and a person born in a lowland is accustomed to high atmospheric pressure. The enormous air pressure on a person is compensated by internal pressure in his body. However, when rising to a height, external pressure quickly decreases (by 1 mm Hg every 12 meters), and in the human body remains unchanged. Due to excessive internal pressure, blood vessels in the nose and eyes can burst, causing bleeding or red eyes. Low pressure in the mountains leads to thin air, and, consequently, causes oxygen starvation in the climber.
Surgical diseases
Surgical diseases that limit a person’s stay in the mountains include:
skeletal malformations, mild curvature of the spine (in the mountains, stress on the spine should be avoided);
surgical diseases of the gastrointestinal tract without exacerbation and with full compensation of functions.
Urolithiasis is an absolute contraindication for staying in remote mountainous areas.
A number of surgical diseases can sharply limit the possibility of active work in the mountains and often reduces it only to passive contemplation of the mountain landscape through the windows of a car or a chair on a cable car. These diseases include: diseases of the blood and lymphatic vessels, damage to the nerves of the extremities, limitation of movements in the joints of the legs, chronic purulent processes and many other diseases that we will not dwell on.
Nervous system diseases
Diseases of the central nervous system that make staying in the mountains dangerous include:
epilepsy (a disease characterized by the unpredictable development of seizures, convulsions, accompanied by loss of consciousness);
mental illness in forms that pose a danger to others;
encephalitis and their consequences;
diseases accompanied by seizures, a history of severe traumatic brain injury;
alcoholism and drug addiction.
Mild disorders of the nervous system, such as radiculitis, myositis, or previous traumatic brain injuries that left no consequences, only limit the possibility of staying in the mountains, without completely excluding it.
How does an anticyclone affect the body?
When an anticyclone approaches, the barometer needles creep up to the level of 770-780 mm Hg. The weather changes: it becomes clear, sunny, and a light breeze blows. The amount of industrial pollutants harmful to health is increasing in the air.
High blood pressure is not dangerous for hypotensive patients.
But if it increases, then allergy sufferers, asthmatics, and hypertensives experience negative manifestations:
- Headaches and heartaches,
- Decreased performance,
- Increased heart rate,
- Redness of the face and skin,
- Flickering of flies before the eyes,
- Increased blood pressure.
Also, the number of leukocytes in the blood decreases, which means a person becomes vulnerable to disease. With blood pressure 220/120 mmHg. there is a high risk of developing hypertensive crisis, thrombosis, embolism, coma.
What does the change in atmospheric pressure depend on?
A deviation of the barometer needle by 10 mm in one direction or another is sensitive to humans. And pressure drops occur for several reasons.
Seasonality
In summer, when the air warms up, the pressure on the mainland drops to its minimum values. In winter, due to heavy and cold air, the barometer needle reaches its maximum value.
Times of Day
In the morning and in the evenings, the pressure usually rises slightly, and in the afternoon and midnight it becomes lower.
Zoning
Atmospheric pressure also has a pronounced zonal character. The globe is divided into areas with a predominance of high and low pressure. This happens because the Earth's surface warms up unevenly.
At the equator, where the land is very hot, warm air rises and areas of low pressure are formed . Closer to the poles, cold, heavy air descends to the ground and presses on the surface. Accordingly, a high pressure zone is formed here.
Temperature
Simple logic dictates - the closer to the sun, the warmer. In fact, this assumption is completely untrue. The higher you go up the mountain, the colder it gets. For every 100 meters rise, the temperature drops by approximately 0.60C.
Factors leading to a decrease in temperature during ascent:
- The warmth of the earth. The main role in heating the surrounding air is played by the heat given off by the earth's surface to the environment. The closer to the ground, the more efficient the heating of air masses, and the further from the surface, the worse the heat transfer. The earth is capable of heating air to a height of 15 km, however, the higher, the weaker the heat transfer, and therefore the colder. This is due to faster cooling of the air and its rarefaction.
- Rarefaction of the air. More rarefied air at altitude has lower thermal conductivity than at normal pressure. The sun's rays are no longer able to heat the air in the mountains, as in the lowlands.
- Weather conditions. Even small clouds in the mountains effectively create shadow and, as a result, a decrease in temperature. In the shade, the air does not warm up, which means that in this section of the mountain slope, the temperature will drop significantly.
- The slope of a mountain in relation to the sun. Depending on the position of the mountain slope and its inclination relative to the sun, the temperature in the northern and southern areas will differ significantly. This phenomenon is due to the fact that the sun's rays heat the surface more effectively when falling at a right angle, that is, on the slope facing the sun.
