Arterial hypertension (hypertension, hypertension) is a term characterized by a repeated or persistent increase in blood pressure to ≥140/90. This is a serious disease due to its high prevalence and risk of cardiovascular and cerebral complications. Most patients suffer from primary hypertension, the exact cause of which is unknown. Only 10% are diagnosed with secondary hypertension that has an identifiable cause. This means that it is always necessary to carry out diagnostics to identify possible causes. The main prevention of hypertension is the elimination of risk factors.
Basic methods of combating the disease
Prevention of hypertension is possible to some extent. It is important to create the right life habits based on adherence to the principles of a healthy lifestyle. The most important rules for preventing high blood pressure:
- avoidance of pollutants;
- to give up smoking;
- limiting the consumption of alcohol, coffee;
- reduction of fatty, salty foods.
An important role is played by calorie intake from food, which must correspond to energy expenditure. The main factors used in the prevention of hypertension are the ability to constructively and calmly solve problems, control aggression, and avoid stress if possible. An equally important factor in preventing hypertension is timely treatment of all emerging diseases.
Some nutritional supplements can both prevent the occurrence of high blood pressure and be a good prevention of complications of hypertension. The most commonly used preparations are herbal teas, plant-based tablets or drops. As a rule, all cholesterol-lowering foods are beneficial for the prevention of both arterial hypertension and hypotension.
Folk remedies for preventing disease
To prevent hypertension, you can also turn to traditional medicine methods. To prevent an increase in blood pressure, you should use healing decoctions and teas that have a calming and anti-sclerotic effect.
Instead of coffee, it is recommended to brew tea with mint or lemon balm. A calming effect can be achieved through the use of decoctions based on motherwort and valerian root.
Berries of hawthorn, viburnum, and rowan can reduce blood pressure and can be used to successfully treat the disease.
Read also: Propolis tincture for hypertension
Important! Treatment of hypertension with folk remedies, involving herbal and natural preparations, is lengthy but effective.
Diet and exercise are indispensable companions in the fight against pathology, helping to achieve sustainable positive results.
Primary prevention of hypertension
Primary prevention of hypertension includes measures and actions aimed at preventing the occurrence of the disease. Prevention and non-pharmacological treatment use lifestyle changes based on scientific evidence. Their role in the primary prevention of arterial hypertension is constantly growing, since as part of lifestyle changes, factors that often cause high blood pressure are eliminated.
The basis of preventive measures is to actively educate the population about a healthy lifestyle, achieving and maintaining ideal body weight, limiting the use of fats, alcohol, and salt. Prevention of hypertension also includes increasing physical aerobic activity, limiting smoking or quitting it completely.
Education of the population is based on increasing its awareness and education in order to protect, preserve, and restore health. The mechanisms of development of hypertension are closely related to mental stress, especially with feelings of anger, apathy, and disappointment. Primary prevention of high blood pressure in men and women is also associated with the adjustment of social relationships, self-regulation, and self-esteem.
Reminder for the prevention of hypertension
Arterial hypertension is characterized by elevated blood pressure, nausea, and headache. The general condition of the patient leaves much to be desired. Taking timely measures can maintain normal vascular tissue, improve blood circulation and prevent the development of the disease.
Important! Prevention of arterial hypertension is an essential component in the fight against this insidious disease.
| Rule | Recommendations |
| 1. Follow a diet | For patients with cardiovascular diseases, diet No. 10 is recommended. It excludes sweets and carbonated drinks, limits the consumption of foods containing animal fats (occasionally a little red meat is allowed), allows fermented milk products in moderation and large quantities of fruits and vegetables. |
| 2. Lose weight | Every 10 kg of excess weight lost reduces systolic pressure by 5-20 mm Hg. |
| 3. Reduce salt intake | It is necessary to reduce the amount of table salt (NaCl) to 3-5 g per day, this contributes to a further decrease in systolic pressure. |
| 4. Play sports | Walking at an accelerated pace several times a week for half an hour will help restore good health. Biking or swimming are also possible. The main thing is to prevent excessive stress, fatigue and shortness of breath. |
| 5. Limit alcohol consumption | The safe limit for drinking strong alcoholic drinks is 50 ml or one glass of red wine. Beer is strictly contraindicated for hypertensive patients! |
| 6. Ensure healthy sleep | During sleep, physiologically, blood pressure decreases and gives rest to the arteries and heart. |
| 7. Limit fluid intake | A hypertensive patient should receive no more than 1.5 liters of fluid per day, and no more than 800 ml for swelling. |
| 8. Eat potassium-containing foods | Potassium-containing foods, such as prunes, raisins, peas, etc., will help restore the full functioning of the heart muscle due to its diuretic effect. |
| 9. Get enough calcium | Calcium maintains the stability of the heart, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, and promotes blood clotting. Regular intake of calcium for people under 50 years of age in the amount of 1 mg per day, and for older people - 2 mg per day, lowers blood pressure by about 10-15 mm Hg. Art. |
| 10. Ensure magnesium intake | Magnesium relieves vascular spasms and has a relaxing effect on the central nervous system. It is necessary to double the consumption of foods containing magnesium. |
| 11. Consume Omega-3 Fatty Acids | Eating vital Omega-3 fatty acids from fish or fish oil will help normalize blood pressure. |
| 12. Stop smoking | As a result of smoking, atherosclerosis actively develops, irreversible changes occur in the heart and blood vessels, brain and lungs. |
| 13. Avoid stress | Due to an increase in the stress hormone adrenaline in the blood, blood pressure rises, the heart beats faster, blood vessels wear out, and blood pressure readings become consistently high. |
Treatment of hypertension, its prevention and lifestyle characteristics of patients are important issues that many do not take seriously. However, the pathology is dangerous because it can lead to serious illnesses. Having an idea of how to prevent hypertension and what measures to prevent arterial hypertension described in the leaflet to take, you will be able to keep your heart and blood vessels healthy.
Secondary prevention of hypertension
Secondary prevention of hypertension is the early detection of existing hypertension by measuring pressure at every doctor’s visit, monitoring pressure in people at risk, regardless of the patient’s age. Secondary prevention of arterial hypertension is aimed at preventing the occurrence and development of organ changes and vascular complications, as well as their successful treatment.
Important! Both primary and secondary prevention of hypertension depend on nursing care combined with patient cooperation.
How to prevent the development of arterial hypertension
Hypertension, its prevention and treatment are important issues in modern medicine. Treatment of the disease should be carried out comprehensively and determined by the stage of the disease, its severity, gender and age of the patient.
Elderly people often have to deal with this disease. The treatment of hypertension in older people must be approached taking into account many factors. To achieve the expected effect, drug therapy should be combined with a sanatorium stay, and sufficient attention should be paid to preventive measures.
Important! It is impossible to cure hypertension completely, but it is possible to improve the condition of a person seeking medical help.
Treatment can be non-drug and medicinal.
- Non-drug therapy is based on changing the patient’s lifestyle. Unfortunately, many of those who apply do not pay due attention to this point, although compliance with certain rules is the key to successful treatment.
The diet is being reviewed first; the presence of fats and carbohydrates in the menu should be minimized; the amount of proteins and vitamins, on the contrary, needs to be increased. Dishes should have a minimum calorie content. An important component is the normalization of the drinking regime.
Important! Prevention and treatment of hypertension in the elderly must necessarily include spa therapy and climatotherapy. The doctor also prescribes therapeutic exercises and physical education.
- Pharmacological therapy
Drug therapy is based on a stepwise principle: sequential prescription of groups of drugs, since all drugs affect the mechanisms of increasing blood pressure to varying degrees. As soon as the patient's condition is stable, maintenance therapy is prescribed.
Prevention, diagnosis and treatment of arterial hypertension must be carried out in a timely manner, otherwise there is a high probability of experiencing a heart attack, stroke or kidney failure.
Tertiary prevention of severe pathology
The goal of tertiary prevention of hypertension is to restore health, ensure optimal functioning of the body within the framework of a specific disease, and prevent complications. Tertiary prevention of arterial hypertension is aimed at therapeutic rehabilitation in order to ensure the optimal physical, mental, and social condition of the patient.
Nutrition and healthy products
An important component of the prevention of hypertension is nutrition, which has a beneficial effect on overall health. Food serves as “fuel” for the heart, muscles, brain, and all other organs. When taking care of your health, first of all, you should adjust your diet.
A certain portion of the population is sensitive to the amount of sodium intake. While preventing hypotension involves slightly increasing salt in the diet, preventing high blood pressure is based on limiting the intake of sodium and foods high in sodium. Highly salted foods include the vast majority of processed foods and fast foods.
Red beetroot
Doctors often recommend eating red beets, which not only lowers blood pressure, but also helps prevent cancer.
Bananas
Bananas are a rich source of potassium, which helps lower and prevent blood pressure. This mineral also contains orange juice, low-fat yogurt, and baked potatoes with skin.
Black chocolate
High-quality dark chocolate helps reduce blood pressure. Scientists do not agree on the ideal amount, but generally it is recommended to consume about 30 grams per day.
Causes of the disease
The development of hypertension is caused by the action of several negative factors. At older ages, the appearance of hypertension is most often associated with atherosclerosis. Cholesterol deposits on the walls of blood vessels interfere with normal blood flow, resulting in increased load on the heart muscle and impaired vascular tone. Stress plays a major role in the development of a sustained increase in blood pressure. Among the factors predisposing to the appearance of a pathological increase in blood pressure:
- bad habits, primarily smoking;
- obesity;
- poor nutrition;
- chronic stress;
- systemic diseases.
Smokers are more likely to be diagnosed with hypertension because smoking changes the walls of blood vessels
Heredity plays an important role in the development of hypertension. The disease can also be a consequence of chronic diseases such as diabetes.
Smoking greatly increases the risk of developing hypertension. The negative effect of nicotine manifests itself in smokers with many years of experience and consists in disrupting the permeability of vascular walls. According to statistics, hypertensive patients who smoke experience myocardial infarction twice as often as patients without bad habits. Moreover, in 30% of cases, a heart attack caused by smoking is fatal.
What can you do at home?
At home, you can prevent hypertension with the help of herbal medicine:
- Garlic. Boil 3-4 cloves in 750 ml of water for 5 minutes. Have a drink. Do not use if you have stomach problems!
- Yeast. Take 3 times a day, 1 tsp. brewer's yeast for 14 days.
- Dill. To support cardiac activity during hypertension, use the following folk remedy. 1 tsp. Divide the dill seeds into 3 parts and chew throughout the day. Wash it down with quality green tea.
Herbal teas:
- Dandelion leaf slightly dilates blood vessels, stimulates kidney function, lowers blood pressure, and prevents heart problems. Pour in 2 tsp. leaves 200 ml of boiling water, leave for a few minutes, strain, drink 3 times a day.
- St. John's wort, white mistletoe, shepherd's purse, hawthorn, centaury are herbs that are effective in preventing high blood pressure. Pour 150 ml of boiling water over any of the herbs or mixture (1 tsp), strain after 10 minutes.
- Yarrow is a good natural medicine for the prevention of hypertension due to its ability to dilate blood vessels. Pour in 2 tsp. herbs 200 ml boiling water, strain after 10 minutes; drink 2 times a day.
- St. John's wort, lemon balm, arnica flowers, rue, horsetail are herbs that support the kidneys, strengthen the heart, and are involved in the prevention of hypertension.
Restrictions for hypertensive patients
When treating hypertension, it is recommended to avoid any white baked goods that contain a lot of salt, which increases blood pressure. Spicy and pungent foods are also not suitable for the diet of hypertensive patients. It is not advisable to drink coffee and alcohol, which can cause problems in people suffering from hypertension.
Vitamin C enhances the effect of adrenaline in its effect on increasing blood pressure. Adrenaline is a hormone secreted by the adrenal glands and part of the autonomic nervous system.
Hypertension is a disease that can go undetected for a long time, until serious complications occur (heart attack, other diseases of the heart and vascular system). The most effective method of preventing them is preventive measures, including appropriate movement and proper nutrition.
