The hypertension It is the disease that develops when the blood pressure in the blood vessels of the human body is too high (140/90 mmHg or more). It generally does not cause symptoms and the only way to detect it is take your blood pressure. It is a disorder that affects one in three adults worldwide. Uncontrolled, it can cause cerebrovascular attacks (CVA), myocardial infarctions, heart failure, kidney damage and many other health problems.
With the arrival of the New Year 2024 it is a good time to go to take your blood pressure and make healthy changes if it becomes altered. The number of people with high blood pressure doubled between 1990 and 2019, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). It went from 650 million people with the condition to 1.3 billion.
Almost half of people with high blood pressure worldwide are currently unaware that they suffer from this condition. More than three-quarters of adults with high blood pressure live in low- and middle-income countries.
“In the region of the Americas, among people between 30 and 70 years old, more than a third of men and a quarter of women are unaware that they suffer from high blood pressure,” he told Infobae the doctor Antonio Saltarín Bilbaopresident of the central chapter of the Colombian Society of Cardiology and Cardiovascular Surgery.
“The worst thing is that among hypertensive people who receive treatment, only 36% are controlled,” he added.
The risk of suffering from hypertension can increase due to advanced age, genetic causes, overweight or obesity, lack of physical activity, eating too much salt and drinking too much alcohol. To lower high blood pressure, there are 5 keys to keep in mind:
Hypertension is often referred to as the “silent killer” because it may have no symptoms. A consensus of experts published in the scientific journal The American Journal of Medicine established guidelines for measuring blood pressure in the doctor’s office. They recommend that measurement be performed with automatic blood pressure monitors, as it eliminates human error associated with manual devices and requires less training. They also minimize interactions between the patient and the health professional, thus reducing distractions during the preparatory and measurement phases.
Pablo Rodríguezdoctor specializing in Cardiology, Internal Medicine and Arterial Hypertension, 1st vice president of the Argentine Hypertension Society and head of the hypertension clinic Cardiovascular Institute of Buenos Aires, also highlighted that “the best blood pressure measurements are carried out outside the clinic, at home, and that the guidelines are fully extrapolated.” Validated automatic equipment should always be used.
The person must take 3 consecutive pressure measurements in the office. Outside the office, there are 2 shots, Rodríguez stressed, in dialogue with Infobae. If values equal to or greater than 140/90 mmHg (or 14/9 as popularly mentioned) are obtained, it is key to go to the doctor to follow a comprehensive treatment program.
Blood pressure is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg). The upper number is the “systolic”, that is, the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats. The lower number is the “diastolic”: the pressure in the arteries when the heart rests between beats.
Both are important, but for those over 50 the higher figure is more important. It must be considered because high systolic pressure in people over 50 years of age implies a greater risk of stroke or heart disease than high diastolic pressure.
When hypertension is diagnosed, medication can be crucial, while lifestyle changes must be made. exist four main types of medications to treat hypertension. They can reduce pressure through different mechanisms, and that is important because the body will try to stop them from working.
“It has been shown that the combination of medications that act on different mechanisms makes it easier to achieve the treatment goals of hypertension,” he stated. Marcos Marincardiologist and coordinator of the Arterial Hypertension section of the Medical Clinic Service of the San Justo Italian Hospital and former president of the SAHA.
“But we must also take into account that the more daily tablets the patient must take, the lower their adherence may also be,” he told Infobae. Therefore, you can opt for medications that combine 2 and up to 3 different drugs in the same tablet or capsule. “Drugs for hypertension are safe, effective, and have shown great benefit in reducing cardiovascular events,” said Marín.
They can be vasodilator drugs, such as those that block the renin-angiotensin system (a powerful vessel constrictor) and calcium antagonists. But there are also drugs that reduce cardiac minute volume, such as diuretics and beta blockers, he clarified.
This is absolutely key: The more salt you consume, the higher your blood pressure will be., even if the person is taking antihypertensives. Sometimes there are people who consider that they are not consuming salt because they do not add it to their meals.
However, salt can be ingested without being aware of its consumption when eating baked goods, such as sweet or savory breads. Also in all packaged products from cookies to canned legumes. “If you go to the supermarket shelf you will see that all packaged foods contain salt, since it is used as a preservative,” he commented in Infobae the doctor Daniel Lopez Rosettipresident of the Stress section of the World Federation for Mental Health.
In addition to reducing salt consumption and taking the indicated medication, people who are diagnosed with hypertension should take care of losing excess weight, abandoning tobacco products, including vaping, and engaging in regular physical activity, Saltarín Bilbao advised. , based on scientific studies that show that controlling risk factors is important.
More consideration should be given to foods with potassium, which helps the body eliminate sodium and reduces pressure on blood vessels. Foods rich in potassium include bananas, green leafy vegetables, sweet potatoes, nuts (without salt), seeds, tomatoes, avocados, apricots, peaches, among others.
María Elizabeth Ardila Cárdenasmember of the Colombian Society of Nephrology and Hypertension (ASOCOLNEF)commented to Infobae: “It is known to be difficult, but patients with hypertension should commit to making a real life change. The priority should be to maintain a healthy lifestyle physically, mentally and spiritually.”
They should get out of their minds – said Ardila Cárdenas – the idea that medicines are magic. “When you adopt a better healthy lifestyle and better control your risk factors, you will need fewer medications and the disease will be better controlled,” she said.
From the WHO, it is considered that hypertension can be easily treated with safe, widely available and low-cost generic medications, through programs such as the HEARTS.
More than 40 low- and middle-income countries, including Bangladesh, Cuba, India and Sri Lanka, have adopted this program for primary health care and have already enrolled more than 17 million people in treatment programs.
Countries such as Canada and South Korea already offered comprehensive national programs for the treatment of high blood pressure and, in both cases, the 50% rate for blood pressure control in adults with high blood pressure was exceeded.
“Blood pressure management is comprehensive and individualized. Therefore, no person should consume the medicine that their neighbor takes,” emphasized Ardila Cárdenas.