What is Hypertension?

Hypertension is the most common disease in the world, which also affects one out of every three people in our country. Hypertension ranks first among the preventable causes of death in the world.

Compared to people with normal blood pressure, people with untreated hypertension are at twice the risk of death, three times the risk of heart disease, and seven times the risk of stroke. One of the most critical target organs of hypertension is the kidneys. Even 15% of patients with no kidney disease but only high blood pressure are lost due to kidney failure if not treated. Many people with hypertension may not have any complaints. Even if it does not cause any complaints, it continues to cause damage to the heart, kidneys, eyes, and veins. For this reason, it is also necessary to measure blood pressure once a year in people with no complaints and treat it if it is detected as high.

In preventing and treating hypertension, attention should be paid to dietary salt restriction as much as medications.

In adults, values of 130/80 mmHg and above in measurements made at home and 140/90 mmHg and above in measurements at the doctor's office are considered hypertension. In addition, values between 130 and 140 for systolic blood pressure and between 80 and 90 for diastolic blood pressure are considered a predisposition to hypertension. Hypertension has genetic origins in most cases. The fact that some genetic factors reduce salt excretion through kidneys and increase salt and water retention in the body constitutes one of the most important causes of hypertension. Hypertension is not a heart disease but a critical and widely prevalent disease that damages the heart, kidneys, veins, eyes, and brain when not treated correctly and on time.

Genetic causes, obesity, malnutrition, excessive smoking, sedentary lifestyle, and stress increase the likelihood of developing a type of hypertension called essential hypertension, which occurs in 95% of hypertension patients, and the cause of which is unclear. Only 5% of the patients have an underlying disease that causes hypertension, and this type of hypertension is called secondary hypertension. This type of hypertension is caused by renal and endocrine diseases and some medications the most.

The Genetic Nature Of Hypertension

Essential Hypertension is principally genetically transmitted, but modifiable factors dependent on our volition, which are called environmental factors, also cause hypertension. In the presence of hypertension in the family, especially in parents and siblings, these people should monitor their blood values and beware of other factors that increase the risk of heart disease, such as being overweight, having a sedentary lifestyle, smoking, and consuming alcohol or salt.

Changes in Blood Pressure During the Day

Blood pressure may vary throughout the day depending on a person's physical activity and emotional state. It is at its lowest level during sleep at night, begins to increase when the individual wakes up in the morning and reaches its highest level at noon. It increases during work and decreases during rest. In hypertension cases whose blood pressure does not decrease at night have a higher risk of heart disease, kidney failure, and cerebral palsy. For this reason, blood pressure should be monitored at night with devices that monitor blood pressure 24 hours a day, and hypertension medications should be planned accordingly.

Symptoms of Hypertension

Many people with hypertension may not have any complaints. Even if uncontrolled high blood pressure does not cause any complaints, it continues to cause damage to the heart, kidneys, and veins. For this reason, blood pressure should be measured once a year in people with no complaints, too, and treated if detected as high. Some patients may have the following symptoms: dizziness, headache (usually in the back of the head and in the neck), rapid fatigue, shortness of breath, visual disturbances, chest pain, nosebleeds, tinnitus, palpitations, and a feeling of heaviness in the head. Since these symptoms can also be observed in other patients, they are not specific to hypertension.

Hypertension at all levels, regardless of whether the damage done by hypertension to the organs causes a complaint or not, causes significant problems if it is not treated.
Compared to people with normal blood pressure, people with untreated hypertension are at twice the risk of death, three times the risk of heart disease, and seven times the risk of stroke.

Actions To Be Taken in the Treatment of Hypertension Other Than the Use of Medication

In treating hypertension, recommendations that we call “lifestyle changes” are vital to reduce blood pressure to the desired level, either alone or as an aid to drug therapy. Lifestyle changes:

• Have a proper and balanced diet
• Exercise for 45-60 minutes 4-5 times a week
• Get down to your ideal weight and maintain this weight
• Restrict alcohol consumption
• Reduce salt (do not consume ready-made food, canned food, pickles, nuts, and tomato paste)
• Do not smoke

There is a strong relationship between salt intake and hypertension. Hypertension is more common in societies that consume too much salt. Salt restriction reduces blood pressure at all hypertension levels, can normalize blood pressure in mild hypertension, and causes a decrease in the amount of medication used in severe hypertension. The point that should not be forgotten here is that canned, processed, and frozen foods contain much more salt than the recommended daily intake, which is 6 grams. It should be kept in mind that prepared foods can be a hidden source of salt.

Medication in Hypertension

Essential Hypertension is a disease of genetic origin and lasts a lifetime. Then the treatment also continues for a lifetime. Hypertension treatment is planned specifically for the individual and initiated by the relevant specialist physicians after the patients are warned about the medication's effects and side effects. The fact that you start drug therapy when deemed necessary by your doctor will protect your body from the possible damage caused by hypertension. If the medications have been prescribed upon thoroughly investigating the causes of hypertension, they will not harm your kidneys; in fact, they will be protective. But if treatment is prescribed without investigating the cause of hypertension and is not regularly followed by a doctor, both medications and hypertension itself can damage the kidneys.

Some Medications Cause Hypertension

Analgesics, flu medications, and some psychiatric medications can cause hypertension. Moreover, some hypertension medications also can disrupt the heart rhythm when used together. If you suffer from hypertension, do not take any medications without asking your doctor, who follows you up.The duration of action of each hypertension medication is different, and sometimes it is potentially harmful to take them at the same time. Use your medications only in the way and at the time recommended by your doctor.

Make sure that you regularly measure your blood pressure or have it measured. Record your measurement results. Show the data you have recorded to your doctor on every visit.