Subscribe
Hypertension
Is hypertensive nephropathy hypertension?
Hypertensive nephropathy is a complication of hypertension, which is classified into primary hypertension and secondary hypertension. In primary hypertension, if the blood pressure is not well controlled over time, remaining above 90-140 mmHg, hypertensive kidney damage generally appears after more than five years. This is manifested as benign arteriolar nephrosclerosis. At this stage, patients may experience increased nocturia, and in severe cases, proteinuria or even elevated creatinine levels may occur. Conversely, patients with malignant hypertension often experience kidney damage in a short period of time, which can quickly progress to renal failure, leading to uremia.
Is pregnancy hypertension dangerous?
Pregnancy-induced hypertension is a relatively dangerous disease because it has a significant impact on both the pregnant woman and the fetus. Firstly, it can cause the pregnant woman to have proteinuria, edema, and high blood pressure. If the blood pressure rises further, it may lead to cerebral hemorrhage, brain herniation, convulsions, etc. Additionally, if there is a lot of proteinuria, the whole body can become swollen, and as the protein is lost with the urine, the fetus's growth and development can be restricted, leading to reduced weight. Furthermore, the fetus may also experience hypoxia, changes in fetal heart rate, and intrauterine fetal demise.
Is a blood pressure of 150 severe?
A blood pressure of 150 mmHg is not necessarily serious by itself; further risk stratification of blood pressure needs to be conducted. If the risk stratification of blood pressure is high or very high, the condition is relatively serious and active antihypertensive treatment is necessary to effectively reduce the future risk of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events, thus improving the patient's prognosis. If the blood pressure of 150 mmHg is classified as low or medium risk, this level of blood pressure is not serious, but it still requires long-term standardized treatment to control the blood pressure to the target level. If blood pressure is not well controlled, long-term hypertension can gradually make the condition very serious, increase the risk stratification, and significantly raise the likelihood of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events.
The difference between hypertensive emergency and hypertensive encephalopathy.
The so-called hypertensive emergency is a condition where blood pressure rises very quickly, reaching a very high level in a short period of time. At this time, it does not necessarily lead to hypertensive encephalopathy, which is a more dangerous condition. Hypertensive encephalopathy indicates that due to the rapid rise in blood pressure, the pressure in the brain's blood vessels becomes excessively high. This pressure causes cerebral edema. At this point, because the blood pressure is higher than the brain's perfusion pressure, the brain becomes swollen, which is extremely dangerous. If the swelling is severe, it may lead to brain herniation, which can be fatal. Therefore, relatively speaking, hypertensive encephalopathy is much more serious than a hypertensive emergency and represents a dangerous stage of progression within a hypertensive crisis. Thus, hypertensive encephalopathy is a very dangerous condition and is one of the most critical manifestations within a hypertensive emergency.
The difference between hypertensive encephalopathy and malignant hypertension
Hypertensive encephalopathy and malignant hypertension are two critical conditions that can occur in patients with hypertension, both triggered by a sudden and drastic increase in blood pressure in a short period. Literally, hypertensive encephalopathy focuses on the severe rise in blood pressure in a short term, causing some damage to the nervous system. The main mechanism is due to the too rapid increase in blood pressure over a short period, exceeding the self-regulation range of cerebral blood vessels. At this time, the pressure in the cerebral vessels increases sharply, causing the components of the blood in the cerebral vessels to spill over into the brain tissue, manifesting some neurological symptoms, mainly severe headache, dizziness, nausea, vomiting, seizures, convulsions, and even herniation of the brain, all due to brain edema and intracranial hypertension. Malignant hypertension covers a broader range than hypertensive encephalopathy. Besides the neurological symptoms mentioned above, it also affects other systems, such as acute proteinuria, renal failure, and acute heart failure, focusing on the impact on multiple systems throughout the body, including the brain. Hypertensive encephalopathy is more focused on the reactions in the brain, so these two conditions have a common pathogenesis but focus on different aspects.
What is the standard for high blood pressure?
The standard for hypertension is a systolic pressure of 140 mmHg or higher and a diastolic pressure of 90 mmHg or higher. Whether it is systolic or diastolic pressure, if either exceeds the normal range, it is considered hypertension. People with hypertension need to actively undergo antihypertensive treatment. Long-term effective control of blood pressure to meet standards is necessary to reduce the harm caused by elevated blood pressure to the body. If high blood pressure is not effectively controlled, long-term elevated blood pressure can cause damage to the heart, brain, and kidney target organs, and even lead to severe cardiovascular and cerebrovascular complications, thus severely affecting the patient's health and even endangering the patient's life.
How to monitor blood pressure in hypertensive crisis
If a patient experiences a hypertensive crisis, it is recommended that they use an electrocardiogram monitor. This can effectively monitor changes in the patient's heart rate, blood pressure, and pulse. If there is a rise in blood pressure, it can be immediately observed. The occurrence of a hypertensive crisis is very dangerous and can lead to complications, potentially causing damage to liver and kidney functions, and leading to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events. In particular, it is prone to causing cerebral hemorrhage or coronary heart disease. In such cases, it is crucial to actively use antihypertensive drugs to control symptoms. Regarding diet, it is important to maintain a light diet, especially limiting sodium intake, in order to control the phenomenon of high blood pressure in patients.
Difference between hypertensive encephalopathy and malignant hypertension
The difference between hypertensive encephalopathy and malignant hypertension can be discerned from their names, indicating they are different conditions. Hypertensive encephalopathy refers to a condition where blood pressure rises sharply in a short period, with diastolic pressure exceeding 120 mmHg and systolic pressure exceeding 200 mmHg. This dramatic increase in blood pressure causes cerebral vasospasm and increased cerebral perfusion pressure, leading to various manifestations of cerebral edema, primarily severe headache, nausea, vomiting, seizures, and even brain herniation. The emphasis is on the rapid rise in blood pressure over a short term and its impact on the brain, specifically cerebral edema. Malignant hypertension also involves a rapid increase in blood pressure to extremely high levels over a short period. However, the focus of malignant hypertension is on the impact on multiple organs throughout the body, including the brain, but also severely affecting the heart, potentially causing acute left heart failure and pulmonary edema. In the kidneys, it can lead to acute renal failure, characterized by reduced urine output or anuria. Thus, malignant hypertension emphasizes the effects on multiple vital organs, whereas hypertensive encephalopathy focuses primarily on the impact on the brain and central nervous system. Hence, there are some distinctions between the two conditions.
How to treat hypertensive encephalopathy
The treatment goal for hypertensive encephalopathy is mainly to rapidly reduce blood pressure to a reasonable range. Typically, intravenous antihypertensive drugs are administered to decrease blood pressure by 20%-25% within the first hour, followed by oral antihypertensives or continued intravenous treatment to further reduce it to a more reasonable level. Hypertensive encephalopathy often accompanies cerebral edema, and patients may experience increased intracranial pressure. At this point, it is necessary to administer dehydrating agents such as mannitol to treat the cerebral edema. If the patient experiences seizures, which can cause an increase in blood pressure or difficulty in reducing blood pressure, sedative anticonvulsant drugs must be administered to control the seizures. If the patient shows signs of heart failure, diuretic treatment should be initiated. Additionally, high concentration oxygen therapy under high pressure should be administered, which can be delivered through nasal cannula. If nasal oxygen therapy is ineffective, non-invasive ventilation or even intubation with invasive ventilation may be used to provide high concentration positive pressure oxygen therapy.
What vegetables should be eaten for high blood pressure?
Hypertension is a common disease in our daily life. What vegetables should people with hypertension eat? Pay attention to the following aspects: First, eat less salty food, especially pickled foods, such as salted pork, cured meat, and pickled fish products; these should be consumed in moderation. Second, eat more vegetables and fruits, such as celery, bitter melon, cabbage, and tomatoes. These vegetables are very helpful for our health. Likewise, fruits such as apples and pears, which are rich in Vitamin C, also assist in maintaining good health.