The relationship between blood pressure (BP) and the incidence of stroke or coronary heart disease has been confirmed by numerous studies of the population of countries in different geographical regions. The identified pattern indicates that lowering blood pressure is the most effective method of preventing cardiovascular diseases.
The causes of high blood pressure are varied. Based on etiology, they distinguish between primary (essential) hypertension, which causes 90-95% of cases of hypertension, and secondary symptomatic hypertension, which manifests itself as a symptom of a disease.
The causes of primary hypertension are still under study. Essential hypertension is a disease in which many factors are involved in the development and formation. This is a disease of adults under 30 years of age, including children and adolescents, it is extremely rare. Pathology is often detected unexpectedly when measuring blood pressure, since hypertension at the initial stage tends to be asymptomatic.
Causes contributing to the development of hypertension
The risk of developing hypertension varies depending on age, gender, health status and lifestyle:
- High blood pressure develops at different ages under the influence of various factors. In young people, the occurrence of hypertension is often associated with smoking, addiction to alcohol, drugs, congenital pathology of the renal vessels, adrenal glands, and pituitary gland. In middle age, obesity, heart disease, kidney disease, and neuropsychic stress come to the fore. In old age, blood pressure rises due to atherosclerotic changes in blood vessels.
- In women, changes in blood pressure occur due to hormonal changes. Before menstruation, the level of the hormone progesterone in the blood increases, which provokes psycho-emotional lability (nervousness, tearfulness) of a woman and causes blood pressure surges. During pregnancy, complications (eclampsia) also cause a sharp increase in blood pressure. After childbirth, blood pressure stabilizes, but there remains a risk that hypertension will persist in the future. During menopause, when the activity of the ovaries fades and the concentration of estrogen decreases, the vessels lose collagen, which gives them elasticity. This becomes a prerequisite for the formation of hypertension.
- Obesity. With high levels of lipoproteins and cholesterol in the blood, atherosclerotic plaques appear on the walls of blood vessels. The lumen of the arteries narrows, the walls become rigid, and blood is difficult to push through the narrowed lumen of the vessels.
- Frequent stress, nervous tension. An increase in blood pressure in response to stress is the oldest adaptive human reaction that occurs in the event of danger and is aimed at overcoming a threatening situation. Hormones of “aggression” are released into the blood - adrenaline, norepinephrine, which sharply increase pressure, including in the muscles of the limbs, so that a person can quickly hide. In modern conditions, chronic stress leads to hypertension.
- High blood pressure persists in people who abuse salty foods, because sodium ions, retaining fluid in the body, significantly increase the amount of blood in the vascular bed and increase the sensitivity of the endothelium of the wall to vasoconstrictor mediators.
- Vegetovascular dystonia (VSD) is a cause of unstable blood pressure in adolescents and young adults. The appearance of hypertension occurs due to impaired coordination of the autonomic nervous system, when the pressure is unstable: it rises sharply, then drops to normal numbers. To a large extent, this is due to the peculiarities of the body’s constitution and personality traits.
- Physical inactivity. With insufficient physical activity, the heart muscle weakens and vascular tone decreases. The body, trying to compensate for tissue hypoxia, produces mediators that constrict blood vessels. If this condition continues long enough, hypertension develops.
What pressure is considered normal?
Before we begin to find out why blood pressure increases, the reasons and factors influencing this process, let's define what can be considered the norm. Many people, even those who have nothing to do with medicine, are ready to immediately answer that a blood pressure of 120 over 70 is considered normal. Is this correct? Yes and no, oddly enough. The values indicated are the ideal pressure. Such figures are the standard for young and vigorous people, twenty or thirty years old.
But if the age limit of thirty has already been passed and the person is slightly overweight and does not move much, then his blood pressure may well increase by a dozen units - 130 to 80. And this will also fall within the normal range. Those. You obviously shouldn’t count on a sick leave with such BP figures. But if a patient at thirty years of age or younger has a blood pressure of 140 to 90, then this is a cause for concern. This symptom may indicate a tendency to hypertension. But for people of an older age category - after 45 years - 140/90 can also be considered the norm. In the event that higher blood pressure levels are observed, this requires medical examination and treatment.
Genetic factor
In more than half of cases of primary hypertension, a hereditary predisposition is detected.
It is considered established that hypertension has a polygenic mode of inheritance. Genetic defects are found in any links that provide regulation of blood pressure.
Hereditary predisposition is realized during a person’s life under the influence of unfavorable environmental factors.
Signs of high blood pressure
Unfortunately, it happens that a person may not feel at all that his blood pressure has increased. That is why among doctors, hypertension is commonly called the “silent killer.” If you do not take timely measures and do not lower your blood pressure, this can lead to a stroke or heart attack. But most people have more sensitive bodies, and they can determine by how they feel that the pressure is tending upward. Here are a number of symptoms characteristic of this condition:
- Dizziness.
- Pressing or throbbing headaches.
- Darkening in the eyes (with a sharp jump in blood pressure).
- Interruptions in heart rhythm.
- Sometimes - increased sweating, feeling hot.
- In severe cases - shortness of breath, edema formation.
If you are alarmed by any of the above, then perhaps there is no reason for special concern yet. But if you have a whole bunch of symptoms, then it’s better not to joke with your own health and undergo a preventive examination or buy a tonometer and measure the pressure yourself.
Endocrine disorders
Endocrine organs: the thyroid gland, adrenal glands, pituitary gland, through the production of special mediators - hormones, actively influence the level of pressure.
The causes of high blood pressure in diseases of the endocrine organs are due to the overproduction of hormones that have a pressor effect on the arteries, retention of salts and fluids in the body, and increased work of the sympathetic department of the autonomic nervous system.
- Acromegaly is a disease caused by a tumor of the pituitary gland, characterized by increased synthesis of growth hormone. One of the links in pathogenesis is associated with the accumulation of sodium ions in the blood, which leads to fluid retention in the body and an increase in the volume of circulating blood. Peripheral vascular resistance increases - hypertension occurs.
- In thyrotoxicosis, high blood pressure occurs when there is an excess concentration of thyroid hormones. This condition appears with diffuse toxic goiter, tumors, and autoimmune thyroiditis. Under the influence of hormones, the heart rate changes, cardiac output increases, and blood vessels constrict. As a result, persistent hypertension develops. The high level of pressure persists constantly, aggravating the course of the underlying disease.
- Primary hyperaldosteronism develops with increased synthesis of the hormone aldosterone, synthesized in the adrenal glands and responsible for the water-salt balance in the body. Overproduction of aldosterone causes persistent hypertension, which is very difficult to treat with antihypertensive drugs.
- Pheochromocytoma is an active hormonal tumor of the chromaffin cells of the adrenal medulla. This form is characterized by sharp rises in pressure - hypertensive crises. In most cases (up to 70%), the patient does not experience constant high blood pressure. A sharp increase in pressure occurs only when the tumor releases catecholamines into the blood.
- Cushing's disease and syndrome occurs with tumors of the pituitary gland and adrenal glands. Hypertension in this disease is malignant, and the prognosis depends on the degree of production of glucocorticoid hormones.
Upper and lower pressure
People often ask why lower blood pressure rises. There are two indicators of blood pressure: upper pressure (systolic) - it determines the force with which the heart pushes blood into the arteries, and lower (diastolic) - it measures the blood pressure parameter at the moment when the heart is as relaxed as possible. Upper blood pressure affects the force with which the heart pushes blood into the arteries, lower pressure is responsible for vascular tone.
It often happens that while the upper pressure remains almost normal or increases slightly, the lower blood pressure creeps up and the difference between the two indicators becomes very small. This is not a good sign. Why does lower blood pressure increase? There is no clear answer to this question. The attending physician must understand each individual case. The reason may lie in a serious disease of the cardiovascular system. If the lower blood pressure constantly fluctuates between 90 and 99 mm Hg. Art., this indicates the presence of stage 1 hypertension; indicators from 100 to 109 mm Hg. Art. indicate stage 2, and if the numbers go off scale above 110 mm Hg. Art., this means that hypertension has already developed to the third, most dangerous stage.
Spinal problems
One third of the blood supply to the brain is supplied by the vertebral arteries, which pass through the cervical vertebrae. With degenerative changes in the cervical vertebrae - osteochondrosis - bone tissue grows, which compresses the vessels, causing a disruption in the blood supply to the brain. An attempt by compensatory mechanisms to eliminate ischemia leads to vasoconstriction, and the pressure begins to rise.
Taking medications
Sometimes, while using oral contraceptives, especially in women with kidney disease or with a genetic predisposition to hypertension, a persistent increase in blood pressure occurs. If hypertension does not go away with drug withdrawal, a thorough examination is necessary to determine the causes of the pathology.
Anti-inflammatory drugs have side effects:
- Diclofenac,
- Ibuprofen,
- Movalis.
Not only an increase in blood pressure, but also a deterioration in the hemodynamic parameters of the heart muscle.
How to measure blood pressure
You can measure your blood pressure yourself at home. Before going to the doctor and asking why your blood pressure rises at night or in the morning, it would be good to measure your blood pressure over several days, at different times of the day. To do this you need to have a special pressure gauge. Today in the pharmacy you can freely purchase both mechanical and mercury, as well as automatic devices for measuring pressure. The latter are the most convenient, as they do not require any special skills. To obtain more accurate figures, it is recommended to follow the following rules:
- Half an hour before measuring blood pressure, you should refrain from taking medications, food, strong tea or coffee, and smoking.
- The arm on which the cuff is attached should be approximately at the level of the heart.
- The first blood pressure measurement should be taken alternately on the left and right arms. If there is a difference in readings equal to 10 mm Hg. Art. or exceeding this figure, then repeated measurement should be carried out on the arm where the pressure is greater.
- The cuff is fixed 2 cm above the elbow; pressure must be applied evenly.
Each blood pressure measuring device comes with detailed instructions that tell you step by step how to use it.
Poor nutrition
Excessive consumption of table salt (sodium chloride) worsens the condition of blood vessels. They become less elastic. It is better to give preference in food to fresh products and, if possible, avoid the use of preservatives.
Salt also retains fluid in the body, complicating the functioning of the kidneys and heart. It is recommended to consume no more than 3.8 g of salt per day. People with excess body weight, kidney disease, genetic predisposition and the elderly should especially limit the consumption of sodium chloride.
Another consequence of salt abuse is an increase in circulating blood volume. Due to the discrepancy in the volume of the bloodstream, hypertension develops.
Another factor closes the circle: with excess accumulation of sodium chloride in the body, the threshold of taste sensitivity to salt increases. And this, in turn, leads to a loss of control over its use in acceptable quantities. This factor is more pronounced in smokers and people who drink alcohol in large quantities.
Causes of hypertension may be related to the consumption of saturated fatty acids. They are present mainly in palm, coconut, and animal fats (sour cream, butter, etc.). There are also hidden fats: cheese, sausage, cookies, cakes, chocolate, fast food. In addition, these foods are very high in calories; their excess consumption can cause obesity, which also causes the development of hypertension.
