The arrival of cold weather can generate an increase in blood pressure values, generating hypertension. It is a chronic disease that affects the body’s arteries and is the most common cardiovascular risk factor. It is called the “silent killer”, since it generally does not present symptoms, generating injuries to the blood vessels and consequently to vital organs if it is not detected or controlled in a timely manner. It is estimated that it affects one in three adults. To find out how to prevent and treat it, UNO spoke with specialists on the subject.
Lautaro Savat, cardiologist and president of the Society of Cardiology in Entre Ríos, confirmed that “the cold increases blood pressure values,” although he clarified that “not all people affect it in the same way.” On this point, he stated: “There are people who are much more variable regarding their blood pressure, depending on the season of the year; There are some patients who take the same medication all year round and there are others for whom the dose must be increased in winter and lowered in summer. “We have to control that.”
Savat pointed out that a control can be carried out on children as well, and in the case of the adult population, at least an annual control should be carried out. “We should all get a check-up and control our blood pressure. The ideal would be to do it two or three times a year, once during the annual clinical or routine check-up; and then at home if you have access to a validated home blood pressure monitor; but in a pharmacy or in a health center, where in general they can take a measurement.”
In this context, he said: “A part of the population has hypertension, but since medical checks are not carried out there are many people who are not diagnosed. We recommend control because hypertension is one of the main risk factors for cardiovascular disease and has a high prevalence: 30% of the adult population is hypertensive; that is, one in three people over 18 years of age.”
Risk factors for high blood pressure
Although high blood pressure can appear at any age, it usually increases over the years. “This is because arteries become stiffer, partly due to aging, and that causes blood pressure values to rise. But it does not mean that it is normal to have those higher values. Normal pressure is always around 120-80, or 12-8, as they usually say on the street, and hypertension in isolated controls is around 140-90 or 14-9. If one of the two values is high, it is already hypertension, it is not that both do not have to be above normal,” he explained.
At the same time, he stressed that the family history affectsand another of the great risk factors that has grown in recent years is the great epidemic of overweight and obesity. In this regard, he indicated: “To avoid the appearance of hypertension, in the early stages it is necessary to incorporate a low-sodium diet, that is, low in sodium; do physical activity, and control weight. “They are three fundamental pillars for the prevention of hypertension and for control in the early stages.”
In this context, he clarified that if, after complying with these premises, blood pressure continues to be high, medication must be resorted to. “When you are diagnosed, you do not necessarily have to take medication, sometimes with changes in habits you can control it; But there are other patients who will still need medication. It will depend a little on the pressure values, when the hypertension is more advanced. And it is very important to comply with the treatment,” he stressed.
Following treatment is essential
Immediately afterwards, the doctor expressed: “What I always advise is that if we have any problem, for example, financial, regarding medication, one can approach the doctor to find another strategy; not unilaterally or one on one’s own account modify it. So consider it if you cannot afford a certain drug, because there are medications that are more expensive, others that are lower cost, and we have to try to find a way around it to be able to control the pressure values with drugs that we can continue. These are all chronic non-communicable diseases, and we have to remember that the main cause of death is cardiovascular disease, so we have to do everything in our power to reduce that risk.”
Take care of low temperatures
Joaquín Serra, cardiologist, who has a master’s degree in Arterial Hypertension, former president of the Entre Ríos Cardiology Society, and current member of the Argentine Hypertension Society, agreed that “in general with the cold the pressure tends to rise” and specified : “In contrast, with heat the pressure drops. So, always, mainly patients who are hypertensive, have to be attentive, because when the cold season comes and many more in years like this, which came so suddenly and so abruptly, blood pressure begins to increase with the decrease in blood pressure. the temperatures”.
“There are several theories that explain it: one of the reasons is that when you are cold, vasoconstriction occurs, that is, the vessels close. That’s why the hands turn white. It is the opposite with summer: when you turn red there is vasodilation. But it is not the only mechanism by which pressure increases, but also the fact that with the cold one has shorter days and less desire, often one has a tendency to do less physical activity. And physical activity is a great pressure controller. If you are hypertensive, one of the recommendations that the doctor will surely make is that you do physical activity; It is part of the treatment of hypertension,” stressed the specialist.
Likewise, he stated: “Also in autumn and winter it is common to have a diet of foods such as locros, stews, which are more composed and generally have products that are salty. This obviously makes one eat more salt and causes an increase in blood pressure. In addition to all these issues, you gain weight. And weight and pressure go hand in hand. “If you gain weight, your blood pressure goes up.”
Regarding the adjustment or change of medication this season, he clarified: “There are patients who are very stable and have the same treatment for years, but there are also many people who need adjustments, either increasing the dose a little or reinforcing the treatments. during the winter, and the opposite is in the summer: there are times that we lower the dose or remove some of the antihypertensive remedies. But that should always be done by the doctor, who has to make the necessary decision.”
Serra also recalled that high blood pressure does not produce any symptoms: “What pressure produces are always consequences. And controlling yourself and following treatment will reduce the risk of the consequences of hypertension, which are always serious, such as stroke, heart attack, kidney problems that can lead to dialysis; problems with circulation in the legs, which can lead to gangrene. The reason why there are campaigns is because hypertension is asymptomatic, if they don’t take it for you and you don’t go to the doctor to have your blood pressure taken, you could go for years with high blood pressure,” he said.
Finally, he emphasized that there is a worldwide campaign “Know and control your blood pressure,” in which Argentina has participated for years. “Argentina is the first country in Latin America in the number of people tested: there were more than 200,000, and there they are finding hypertensive patients who were not known before. “We in Paraná in July are going to do an activity of this type.”