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Hypertension
Is high diastolic pressure considered high blood pressure?
If the diastolic blood pressure exceeds 90 mmHg, hypertension should also be considered. Patients with a high diastolic blood pressure who do not actively undergo hypotensive treatment can suffer long-term damage to target organs such as the heart, brain, and kidneys, as well as severe hypertensive complications. For patients with high diastolic blood pressure, it is also necessary to adopt effective lifestyle adjustments and choose clinically frontline antihypertensive drugs for long-term treatment. Only by effectively controlling elevated diastolic pressure in the long term can severe target organ damage and hypertensive complications be avoided, thus improving the clinical prognosis for patients with hypertension.
How to prevent high blood pressure
The main methods to prevent hypertension are as follows: 1. Maintain a balanced diet, avoid long-term excessive intake of sodium salt, and make sure to consume plenty of fresh vegetables and fruits to supplement adequate amounts of potassium salt and dietary fiber; 2. Regularly participate in sports and physical labor, maintain an active lifestyle, avoid a sedentary lifestyle, and prevent significant weight gain; 3. Combine work with rest to avoid repeated fatigue and staying up late; work should be flexible, and ensure sufficient sleep at night; 4. Maintain a good mood, avoid frequent emotional fluctuations, and also avoid long-term mental overstrain; 5. Do not smoke and avoid excessive drinking.
The difference between hypertensive nephropathy and renal hypertension
Hypertensive nephropathy and hypertension due to kidney disease need to be differentiated, as this affects the treatment approach and prognosis assessment differently. Hypertensive nephropathy refers to patients with long-term high blood pressure, which causes arteriosclerosis of small vessels leading to renal pathology. Often, there is also arteriosclerosis in other organs, such as the retinal arteries, which can be confirmed through funduscopic examination. On the other hand, hypertension due to kidney disease occurs when a patient has kidney disease first followed by hypertension, where the causes and types of kidney diseases vary and can frequently lead to hypertension. The difference between the two lies in the sequence of occurrence. Hypertensive nephropathy is characterized by initial high blood pressure and commonly associated with arteriosclerosis in other vessels, which can be preliminarily identified through funduscopic examination. In cases of hypertension due to kidney disease, the patient has other kidney disorders first, followed by hypertension. If a patient's 24-hour urine protein quantification exceeds 2g, it is likely due to kidney disease rather than hypertensive nephropathy. If differentiation remains challenging, kidney biopsy can be performed for further differentiation.
How to lower high blood pressure
Patients with hypertension need to adopt a comprehensive approach to reduce their blood pressure, primarily comprising two aspects: On one hand, they should regulate their lifestyle for treatment purposes, which includes maintaining a long-term low-salt and low-oil diet, consuming more vegetables and fruits, regularly engaging in physical exercises and labor, keeping a healthy weight level, avoiding fatigue, not staying up late at night, and maintaining a good emotional state. On the other hand, suitable antihypertensive medications should be chosen based on the specific conditions of the patients and used long-term. If necessary, a combination of antihypertensive drugs may be required. Effective control of blood pressure can only be achieved by combining lifestyle adjustments with medication.
Can high blood pressure be hereditary?
Hypertension has a certain level of heritability, and research indicates that if parents have hypertension, their children’s risk of developing this condition significantly increases. Of course, genetic factors are only one of the reasons for the development of hypertension. The presence of genetic factors does not necessarily lead to hypertension; postnatal environmental factors are also very important. Maintaining good lifestyle habits over time, including healthy dietary habits, regular physical exercise, reasonable weight control, and a positive mindset can help prevent hypertension. Moreover, even without a family history of hypertension, poor lifestyle habits can still lead to the development of the condition.
Normal blood pressure, high blood pressure, and low blood pressure ranges.
Normal adult systolic blood pressure is between 90-139mmHg, and diastolic pressure is between 60-89mmHg. When the systolic pressure exceeds 140mmHg and the diastolic pressure exceeds 90mmHg, this condition is medically referred to as hypertension. When the systolic pressure is below 90mmHg and the diastolic pressure is below 60mmHg, this condition is medically referred to as hypotension. Regardless of whether it is hypertension or hypotension, it often causes symptoms in patients, such as headache, dizziness, and fatigue. Therefore, whether it is hypertension or hypotension, one should visit the hospital's department of cardiology for a formal examination. The doctor will assess the situation on-site to determine if treatment is necessary and how to administer it.
How is hypertensive nephropathy treated?
Long-term hypertension can lead to abnormal kidney structure and function, also known as hypertensive nephropathy. Once hypertensive nephropathy is diagnosed, comprehensive treatment measures are often adopted, including both pharmacological and non-pharmacological treatments. In terms of non-pharmacological treatment, patients should maintain a low-salt diet in their daily life, focusing on a light diet, with a daily salt intake of about 4 grams. Regarding pharmacological treatment, the main goal is to control the patient's blood pressure and reduce urinary protein. Medications that can be used include angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors or angiotensin II receptor antagonists. Any of these medications can be chosen and used long-term to control blood pressure, protect kidney function, and reduce urinary protein. (Medications should be used under the guidance of a physician, and self-medication should be avoided.)
How to treat high blood pressure?
Hypertension is a common and frequently occurring disease in clinical practice. Hypertension can cause certain damage to the body, especially long-term hypertension which can lead to cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It is necessary to adjust the dietary structure, paying attention to a low-fat and low-salt diet. Meanwhile, according to the severity of the blood pressure, effective antihypertensive drugs should be used under the guidance of a doctor to adjust the blood pressure within the normal range, avoiding serious damage to the cardiovascular and cerebrovascular systems, and also engaging in aerobic exercise. Mild hypertension patients can lower their blood pressure to the normal range through dietary adjustments and aerobic exercises.
Is a blood pressure of 180 considered severe?
Blood pressure reaching a systolic level of 180 mmHg is considered severe hypertension, which is quite serious. This type of blood pressure requires active treatment with antihypertensive medications to gradually bring the pressure back to normal levels. This kind of blood pressure often requires the combination of different antihypertensive drugs with various mechanisms of action to effectively control it. It is recommended to select antihypertensive drugs under the guidance of a specialist doctor based on individualized treatment principles, starting with small doses. The reduction in blood pressure should not be too rapid nor should it cause the pressure to drop too low. In addition to standard antihypertensive treatment, long-term adjustments to lifestyle habits and changes to unhealthy behaviors are also necessary. If there are other related cardiovascular risk factors, they should also be actively managed.
What can you eat to lower high blood pressure?
Patients with hypertension may experience some reduction in blood pressure by consuming certain vegetables and fruits, such as celery, winter melon, spinach, kiwifruit, hawthorn, and bananas. Additionally, drinking some types of tea, like kuding tea, Eucommia tea, Apocynum tea, and kudzu root tea, can also help lower blood pressure. However, these effects are not very strong and these items should not be relied upon for blood pressure treatment. Patients with hypertension need to adopt standardized treatment methods for long-term blood pressure control, actively improve their lifestyle, and choose appropriate first-line antihypertensive medications for long-term treatment. It is essential to maintain blood pressure control to prevent adverse outcomes caused by hypertension and improve prognosis.