The arteries and veins are central blood-carrying systems that supply nutrients and oxygen to the entire human organism and remove toxic metabolic waste products. A wide range of external and internal factors can cause arterial hypertension, which can affect all organs.
What is arterial hypertension?
Schematic diagram showing the anatomy and structure of the arteries and blood circulation in hypertension. Click to enlarge. Arterial hypertension is a disease that affects the arteries and is manifested by excessive blood pressure with the specific symptoms. If the blood pressure is measured, a systolic value of more than 140 mmHg occurs in arterial hypertension. The second parameter, diastolic blood pressure is above 90 mmHg. Arterial hypertension is classified as primary and secondary hypertension according to their causative factors. In addition, other classification systems for arterial hypertension exist, which were established by the World Health Organization and the Association of Scientific Medical Societies.
Causes
The causes of arterial hypertension are diverse. For the primary form, they include the so-called essential criteria or physically related triggers. For secondary hypertension, triggers include diseases of the kidneys and individual glandular systems. Various diseases that lie directly in the vessels themselves can also contribute to arterial hypertension. These include, for example, inflammation of the vessels and pathological abnormalities of the heart. Various tumor diseases, arteriosclerosis and especially toxins can equally cause hypertension. Arterial hypertension can also be observed during pregnancy and as a result of drug consumption, as well as in unity with the intake of individual drugs. In addition, elevated blood pressure may occur in the presence of Cushing’s syndrome, physical obesity, and angina pectoris.
Symptoms, complaints, and signs
Arterial hypertension is manifested by various physical and mental symptoms. Initially, affected individuals experience a general reduction in well-being. There is increased faintness and lack of strength, but also phases of increased activity. As the disease progresses, there are balance problems and morning headaches, which are particularly intense after prolonged periods of lying down. The cardiovascular system is also affected: Palpitations, cardiac arrhythmias and circulatory problems are the result. The increased heartbeat can cause anxiety and panic attacks, which are manifested by nervousness, sweating, and generally feeling very unwell. In addition, nausea and vomiting may occur. Some sufferers experience dizziness and impaired consciousness, as well as fatigue and insomnia. Externally, arterial hypertension is manifested by a reddened face and clearly visible veins, among other symptoms. The increased blood pressure also leads to nosebleeds and can also cause other complaints. The circulatory disorders cause numbness and tingling in the arms and legs. If blood pressure is severely elevated, visual disturbances, angina pectoris and breathing difficulties, even shortness of breath, may occur. The feeling of thirst increases and the affected person has to urinate more frequently. Overall, the physical and mental resilience decreases significantly.
Diagnosis and course
Arterial hypertension is characterized by symptoms that are initially expressed as a general reduction in physical condition. Patients complain of permanent lassitude and lack of strength, as well as disturbances of balance and morning headaches. These are typical in a patient who has been lying down for a long time in particular. If arterial hypertension leads to an extreme increase in blood pressure, shortness of breath during physical exertion and disturbances of vision develop. Irregularities of the heart, expressed in an abnormal heartbeat, are perceived quite often. The heart races, does not beat evenly, and may thump hard. Abnormal sensations in the terminal areas of the body are also classic in hypertension. There is a numbness or tingling sensation due to the circulatory disturbances.
When should you go to the doctor?
Since arterial hypertension can cause damage to vessels and organs at an early stage, it can only be advised to see the doctor as early as possible. This is because irreversible late effects can only be avoided by drug therapy of excessively high blood pressure. Arterial hypertension is an insidious disease, because it usually causes no symptoms at all, especially at the beginning, which is why the doctor is often consulted too late, namely when there is already noticeable damage to organs or vessels. Even healthy people should have their blood pressure measured at least once a year, even if they do not yet have any symptoms that indicate hypertension. This is because the discovery of arterial hypertension is often an incidental finding. Blood pressure can be measured at the pharmacy or at home using a hand-held or upper-arm measuring device suitable for this purpose. As soon as systolic values of 140 and diastolic values of 90 mmHg are exceeded during a self-measurement of the blood pressure, a visit to the family doctor should be made immediately. For patients with previous damage to the heart or kidneys, the threshold values for preventing arterial hypertension are set even lower. If arterial hypertension is not treated in time, hypertensive crises with damage to blood vessels and organs or heart attacks and strokes may result.
Treatment and therapy
The clinical picture of arterial hypertension is not always the same. The treatment of elevated blood pressure depends on the individual symptoms and on the measured blood pressure values. Therapy includes medication and specific interventions in addition to general medical methods and lifestyle modification. Reducing body weight, abstaining from alcohol and nicotine, and limiting fatty foods are initially significant in arterial hypertension. Intake of omega-3 fatty acids can also achieve a reduction in high blood pressure. When it comes to drug treatment, physicians prescribe drugs from the ACE inhibitor, beta blocker, diuretic and calcium antagonist groups. The active substances contained in these drugs promote a reduction in excessively high blood pressure in diagnosed arterial hypertension. Modern medical approaches also include advanced vaccine substances and alternative treatment concepts such as so-called renal denervation and baroreceptor stimulation.
Outlook and prognosis
The prognosis for arterial hypertension depends on whether the patient has primary or secondary hypertension and how long the elevated blood pressure has been present. If hypertension is detected early and appropriate treatment is initiated, the outlook is very good. In this case, vessels and organs are usually not yet damaged. The prognosis is also influenced by improving one’s own lifestyle. This includes, for example, a healthy diet, weight reduction, sufficient exercise or smoking cessation. If the disease goes unnoticed for a very long time, secondary damage to vessels and organs can occur. In the early stages, arteriosclerosis is still easily treatable; later, therapy is directed only at preventing progression of the disease. In later stages, arteriosclerosis can lead to a heart attack, stroke, impaired vision, kidney failure or an abdominal aortic aneurysm. Thus, the longer untreated elevated blood pressure persists, the more likely damage to organs and vessels will occur. If blood pressure can be normalized, the risk of suffering a stroke or heart attack is reduced by 20 percent. It is also very important to have regular check-ups with your doctor, who will determine whether your blood pressure is within the healthy range.
Prevention
Prevention of arterial hypertension can be practically implemented if there is a healthy lifestyle, including regular physical exercise. Abstaining from alcohol and nicotine also plays an important role in prophylaxis against hypertension. Continuous medical monitoring of medications with arterial hypertension as a side effect can also reduce the risk of developing high blood pressure. These medications can be replaced with other drugs. Excessive intake of table salt in the diet is suspected of promoting high blood pressure.If foods are seasoned less with table salt and more with herbs, arterial hypertension can be prevented.
Follow-up
In arterial hypertension, there are many options in aftercare to improve the quality of life in the long term. As a result, it may even be possible to manage without medication, depending on the severity of the hypertension. First and foremost, it is important in the aftercare of arterial hypertension to lead a healthy lifestyle. This includes, for example, reducing any excess weight and reducing stress. Both factors have a significant impact on blood pressure. It is equally important to get enough exercise to strengthen the cardiovascular system in the long term. Physical activity of 3 times 30 minutes is recommended in the follow-up of arterial hypertension. A healthy lifestyle, which usually follows follow-up care, also includes a balanced diet. Particular attention should be paid to reducing the amount of salt in the diet. Following the Mediterranean diet can be a good guide in this regard. Since smoking and alcohol also have a very negative effect on blood pressure, these things should, if possible, be avoided during follow-up care. If medications continue to be prescribed after acute treatment, they should be taken in accordance with a doctor’s prescription in any case. By observing these points, it is possible in the long term to reduce the dose of medication or even do without medication altogether. However, this depends on the form of arterial hypertension.
Here’s what you can do yourself
In the many cases of so-called idiopathic or primary arterial hypertension, the causes that led to the high blood pressure are not known. In support of medication prescribed by a physician, self-help measures are suitable for improving blood pressure. Two sets of measures that complement each other are light to moderate endurance sports and relaxation exercises in the form of meditation, autogenic training, Qi Gong or yoga. Blood pressure is subject to controls by the excitatory sympathetic nervous system and the antagonistic parasympathetic nervous system, both of which are part of the autonomic nervous system. Light endurance sports serve to reduce the high level of stress hormones more quickly and thus support the parasympathetic influences to reduce stress hormones. Practicing the relaxation techniques mentioned above also ensures giving space to the parasympathetic influences. In the positive case, this allows blood pressure to return to normal. However, it is assumed that the vascular muscles of the arterial walls can follow the hormonal stimuli for widening or narrowing and that there are no arteriosclerotic changes. Similar relaxing effects also occur with concentrated activities, if a “flow” is established with it. Diet is also an important self-help measure. It should contain as many natural components as possible, such as fresh fruits and vegetables with a rich supply of enzymes, vitamins, minerals, trace elements and fiber.
