Detect and treat high blood pressure early
If we take the blood pressure values of people over 55, on average every second person nationwide is affected by high blood pressure. The risk of hypertension increases with age. But Hypertension can occur even in young people.
High blood pressure (hypertension) is a disease of civilization. According to estimates by the German Hypertension League (DHL), around 20 million people in Germany suffer from this disease. If you take the blood pressure values of people over 55, on average every second person nationwide is affected by high blood pressure. The risk of hypertension increases with age. But high blood pressure can also occur in young people - due to obesity and lack of exercise, the number of children and young people affected has been steadily increasing in recent years.
However, many people are unaware of their illness, because high blood pressure initially causes no symptoms, apart from the acute emergency of a hypertensive crisis. "Around 50% of those affected do not know that they are a patient. But with chronically high blood pressure, the risk of damage to vital organs such as the heart, brain, kidneys and eyes increases. Heart attack, heart failure, Stroke, kidney failure or loss of vision,” explains Dr. Reinhold Lunow, internist and medical director of the practice clinic for Diagnostics and Preventive Medicine in Bornheim near Cologne and Bonn.
High blood pressure causes heart failure and stroke
If blood pressure is high for years, for example, the heart has to work harder to pump blood into the main artery (aorta). The heart muscle adapts to this increased strain over time and thickens. In addition, more connective tissue forms between the muscle fibers. These remodeling processes make the heart muscle stiffer overall. Another problem: the blood flow to the heart muscle does not keep pace with its growth. The high pressure often constricts the smaller arteries running through the heart muscle, so that the deeper layers of the heart muscle no longer receive sufficient oxygen and nutrients. Over time, chronic heart muscle weakness (heart failure) develops with enlargement of the heart chambers. Cardiac arrhythmias and atrial fibrillation are the result. Finally, high blood pressure promotes arteriosclerosis, including the coronary arteries, a major risk factor for coronary heart disease (CHD) with painful chest tightness (angina pectoris) and for a heart attack.
Since high blood pressure promotes the development of arteriosclerosis, it is also the most important risk factor for stroke. The blockage of a brain vessel is often caused by a blood clot that has broken off from a calcification of the vessel wall inside a carotid artery or the large body artery.
If blood pressure is chronically elevated, the body reacts by increasing the target value: the pressure receptors, which automatically regulate a purely situationally elevated blood pressure down by dilating the blood vessels (baroreceptor reflex), get used to the higher pressure - and register it as normal. They now only dilate the blood vessels when blood pressure values are above the chronically elevated pressure. Due to the chronic pressure load, the muscle cells in the artery wall continue to multiply, so that the resistance and thus also the blood pressure continue to increase - a vicious circle that increasingly aggravates the situation.
High blood pressure is often detected too late
Difficulty falling asleep and staying asleep, easy excitability, inner restlessness, headaches or dizziness - these symptoms can indicate high blood pressure. In women around 50, signs such as hot flushes and mood swings can resemble menopausal symptoms. In middle-aged men, erectile dysfunction can indicate untreated high blood pressure. "When such warning signs occur, you should see an internist for clarification," advises Dr. Lunow.
A single blood pressure measurement is not enough to detect hypertension. It is recommended to measure blood pressure several times and at different times of the day under normal stress conditions in order to create a daily profile. Further tests include long-term blood pressure measurement or a Stress ECG Two values are used to determine blood pressure: systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Systolic pressure (upper measurement value) corresponds to the maximum pressure developed during the contraction and ejection phase of the left ventricle. Diastolic blood pressure (lower measurement value) corresponds to the lowest pressure during the relaxation and expansion phase of the heart muscle, when the ventricles fill with new blood. According to DHL, blood pressure is optimal at a value of 120/80 mmHg. It increases during exercise, and then falls again in normal conditions. Hypertension is present when blood pressure does not fall below 140/90 mmHg without exercise.
An important examination to detect calcification of the carotid arteries at an early stage is the Ultrasound examination using color Doppler technologyAn abdominal aortic aneurysm (dangerous vascular dilation) should also be ruled out using this examination technique.
Also one Echocardiography to assess the heart muscle is essential. Ultimately, the decision as to whether therapy is necessary is made after evaluating many test results. Laboratory values, Stress ECG, Long-term blood pressure measurement, measurement of vascular elasticity and much more. We therefore recommend a complete health checkMany small mosaic pieces then create an accurate picture of the individual risk profile.
Blood pressure can be easily controlled
It may take a few days to adjust the blood pressure to the correct level using medication, as the body is used to the high blood pressure. But untreated hypertension ultimately leads to dangerous damage to the body. If the consequences are felt, the damage is usually irreversible. "That is why you should regularly take comprehensive health checks High blood pressure can also be ruled out. If treated in time, the Disease under control,” says Dr. Lunow.
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