Cardiologist Warns of the Dangers of 'Silent' Hypertension 0 17

Optimal blood pressure readings are considered to be 120 mmHg over 80 mmHg and below. According to cardiologist Irina Vasilieva, a persistent increase in blood pressure readings above 140/90 mmHg during a doctor's visit or above 135/85 mmHg during home self-monitoring already indicates hypertension.

Meanwhile, people with high blood pressure may not feel it at all, citing good health. The problem is that untreated hypertension can soon threaten a person with a 'random' stroke, sudden arrhythmia, or severe kidney diseases, reports Doctorpiter.

"The patient has adapted to high blood pressure readings for a long time and feels no complaints at all. But what happens in their body during this time? Target organs affected by high blood pressure suffer: the kidneys, the left ventricle myocardium, and typically the blood vessels, including the vessels of the retina, and the brain. The first symptoms of hypertension appear only when irreversible changes occur in these target organs," said Irina Vasilieva.

In fact, at the very beginning of a serious diagnosis, it can be avoided even without medication — it is enough to make lifestyle changes.

What Symptoms Should Not Be Ignored

One should not wait for any signal or occasion to start monitoring their blood pressure. According to the cardiologist, hypertension is a low-symptom disease, the first signs of which can be quite subtle. Thus, the disease may be indicated by such manifestations as:

• headache,

• flashes of flies before the eyes,

• nosebleeds,

• ringing in the ears.

"All these symptoms are absolutely nonspecific, so I would recommend that anyone, even if they have optimal blood pressure readings, check their blood pressure at home with a sphygmomanometer or during a doctor's visit during some medical examinations once a year. This is a perfectly acceptable tactic when nothing bothers you, but blood pressure readings are measured periodically," advises the cardiologist.

At the same time, the specialist noted that hypertension is discussed when there is a persistent increase in blood pressure. Periodic spikes in blood pressure readings in certain situations are normal.

"Blood pressure is a fairly labile value, and it changes many times throughout the day. And in fact, this is not a symptom of hypertension. If we did not have adaptive changes in certain situations — for example, during physical exertion or at the peak of psycho-emotional stress — we would have problems. A person could faint," added the candidate of medical sciences.

In the opinion of the bb.lv editorial team, the main danger of hypertension lies in the fact that the disease can develop almost unnoticed for years. That is why regular blood pressure monitoring and careful attention to one's lifestyle often turn out to be more important than treating already arisen complications.