They warn about two errors that threaten the control of high pressure

If you are under 50 and perceive yourself as a healthy person just because you do not experience alarm symptoms, you may be lucky enough to be right or, on the contrary, be one of the many who unknowingly lives with the “silent enemy” number one: hypertension, which is the main cause of premature mortality.

“Argentina is the fourth country with the highest prevalence of hypertension worldwide. Some 14 million inhabitants live with the disease. Of the total, almost 40% do not know that they have high blood pressure and, among those who know their diagnosis, only 1 in 5 have the disease well controlled,” he told Clarion Nicolás Renna, president of the Argentine Society of Arterial Hypertension (SAHA).

From the SAHA, they consider “alarming” and “scandalous” these figures. With the aim of raising awareness about the importance of expanding the detection and control of the disease, on Friday, coinciding with the World Hypertension Daylaunch the 8th edition of the campaign Know and Control your blood pressure.

This year, the focus is on the younger population, which tends to make two common mistakes: believing that high blood pressure is a problem of old age (when in reality two thirds of those affected are under 65 years of age) and not controlling yourself in the absence of symptoms.

“Usually you take your blood pressure when you go to the doctor. And the young man is one of those who go the least. It can range from the sports check-ups of adolescence to the age of 45/50, when he goes to the doctor for the first time to have a check-up done. general check-up -said Renna-. That’s why we want to focus on this population that, even if you consider yourself healthy or without symptomsgo to the doctor’s office for a routine checkup that includes blood pressure measurement.”

Like other chronic and metabolic diseases, hypertension is also advancing. “Three decades ago, the midpoint at which the diagnosis was made was around 55 years old. Today it is much lower and has to do with lifestyle. Some risk factors improved in Argentina, such as smoking, there are fewer people smoke. But obesity, overweight and a sedentary lifestyle are worse and that means that the cut-off point is lower and we find it. younger high blood pressure patients“said the president of SAHA.

“He excessive salt consumption and overweight or obesity from an early age can trigger short- and long-term cardiovascular health problems, such as high blood pressure, and increased risk of serious complications such as kidney damage, cerebrovascular accident (CVA) and myocardial infarction, a problem that is believed It is only in adults and older people, it tends to be increasingly common in adolescents and young adults,” agreed Analía Aquieri, cardiologist at the Arterial Hypertension Laboratory of the UBA Hospital de Clínicas and director of the Argentine Arterial Hypertension Council of the Society. Argentina of cardiology (SAC).

The problem is even appearing in pediatric offices. “In recent years, there has been a worrying increase in childhood hypertension due to obesity and other unhealthy lifestyle factors. Controlling blood pressure in children is vital and requires the use of appropriate measuring equipment,” added Marcela Tripolone, president of the Arterial Hypertension Committee of the Argentine Federation of Cardiology (FAC).

The worst scenario is when the diagnosis of hypertension occurs due to an emergency in which life is at risk. “Many times these people who until hours before considered themselves completely healthy, enter a health center with a heart attack, a stroke, or a hypertensive crisis,” Renna commented.

“We are arriving too late, with evolved disease -he lamented-, we need to arrive as early as possible and the only way is to control the pressure to make a diagnosis and start treatment.”

“Hypertension is one of the diseases easier to diagnosesince it can be detected by the individual themselves at home, carrying out controls with a validated blood pressure monitor, if their average measurements are equal to or greater than 135/85mmHg, they should consult a specialist to confirm the diagnosis,” Aquieri encouraged.

How often is it advisable to check yourself? “People over 16 years of age should have an annual blood pressure checkeither by self-measurement or through a health agent,” said Sebastián Obregón, head of the Center for Arterial Hypertension and Cardiovascular Aging at the Austral University Hospital.

And he agreed with his colleagues: “The level of ignorance that people have about their own blood pressure is really alarming.”

“That’s why we run campaigns and ask people to go, even if it’s just to the pharmacy, to take their blood pressure with validated automatic equipment,” Renna insisted. “And that’s how you detect, like checking your car, signs or warning points.”

The treatment of hypertension involves two fundamental pillars, which are implemented simultaneously: healthy habits and drugs.

“You should always start by introducing changes in eating habits and lifestyle and, if necessary, depending on each case, gradually incorporate antihypertensive medications. However, the underdiagnosis and the number of patients who do not have their disease under control are still very high,” Aquieri stressed.

Why do we fail so much in controlling hypertension? For Renna, it is due to a combination of factors, social, cultural and fundamentally economic (the possibility of going to the doctor or accessing drugs and a good diet), to adherence and therapeutic inertia.

“The most important has to do with adherence to medical indications, the degree of commitment that patients give us to what we recommend. According to various studies, out of every 10 patients, 4 comply. And one year after treatment, half abandon it. But not everything is the patients’ fault, we also have responsibility. Medical inertia also influences, many times, even though it is necessary, it takes time to intensify treatment,” he admitted.

Although it is proven that to achieve good control of high blood pressure, most people need two or more drugs simultaneouslyIn Argentina, epidemiological studies showed that 70% of treated patients receive monotherapy (a single antihypertensive drug).

“One of the main recommendations is to reduce sodium consumption, something key in Argentina, where consume triple the recommended sodium to avoid high blood pressure,” Obregón said.

“Other strategies for prevention are maintaining a healthy weight and doing some physical activity daily, aerobic (which allows the muscles to adequately consume the energy accumulated from sugars and fats) and strength (for muscle development). No Let us forget that, in addition, sports activities have the additional benefit of sociability which, in the long term, also increases the survival of patients with cardiovascular pathology,” he added.

For Miguel Schiavone, head of Arterial Hypertension at the Cardiology Service of the British Hospital, it is “Do not panic and keep moving to take care of your heart.

“Eat a healthy diet, rich in fruits and vegetables, low in sodium, with fiber and doing physical activity, associated with strategies that reduce stresssuch as yoga or mindfulness, are habits that help prevent the onset of the disease,” he concluded.

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