Almost everyone has experienced high blood pressure at least once in their life and knows how much trouble high blood pressure causes.However, high blood pressure is not as harmless as it seems at first glance.
Severe pressure fluctuations negatively affect the body, and a chronic disease, if not treated, can have even the most catastrophic consequences.Today we will talk about the different stages of high blood pressure and what risks they carry.
Stages of headache
Section I
In the 1st stage of hypertension, the pressure does not exceed 159/99 mm.Hg Art. The blood pressure can remain in this elevated state for several days.Even regular rest and the exclusion of stressful situations will significantly help to reduce your indicators.In a more severe stage, it is no longer possible to normalize the blood pressure so easily.
This stage of the development of hypertension is characterized by the absence of signs of high blood pressure in the target organs, so in many cases the course of the disease is practically symptomless.Sleep disorders, headaches or heartaches occur only occasionally.Clinical examinations may reveal a slight increase in tone in the fundus of the arteries.
Hypertensive crises in the 1st form of the disease are very rare and are mostly triggered by external conditions such as weather or severe stress.This also often occurs during menopause in women.The stage of the disease is initial, so it is largely treatable, and lifestyle changes are often enough;drug therapy is not absolutely necessary.By starting the treatment on time and consciously implementing the individual recommendations, the prognosis is very favorable.
section II
In the 2nd stage of hypertension, the pressure level is up to 179 mm.Hg Art. (diastolic) and up to 109 mm.Hg Art. (systolic).Rest is no longer able to normalize blood pressure.The patient often suffers from pain, shortness of breath on exertion, poor sleep, dizziness and angina.
The group is distinguished by the appearance of the first signs from the internal organs.Often, this form of damage has practically no effect on their functions.There are also no obvious subjective symptoms that bother the patient.Most often, in the 2nd stage of the development of high blood pressure, the following are noticed:
- signs characteristic of left ventricular hypertrophy;
- the amount of creatine in the blood increases;
- the narrowing of the arteries occurs in the retina;
- Protein is found in urine.
Hypertensive crises are not uncommon in stage 2 hypertension, which carries the risk of developing very serious complications, including stroke.In this case, it can no longer be treated without permanent medication.
section III
The last stage of high blood pressure is the most severe and has the most extensive group of disturbances in the functioning of the entire group of target organs.The kidneys, eyes, brain, blood vessels and heart suffer the most.Blood pressure is persistent and it is quite difficult to normalize its level even if you take pills.It is not uncommon for blood pressure to rise to 180/110 mm.Hg Art. and higher.
The symptoms of the 3rd stage of the disease are in many respects similar to those listed above, but they are also accompanied by quite dangerous signs of the affected organs (for example, kidney failure).Memory often deteriorates, serious heart rhythm disturbances occur, vision deteriorates.
The most dangerous thing is that high blood pressure always affects the heart.Muscle contractility and conductivity are almost always impaired.Clinical examinations also reveal many abnormalities in other organs.
Hypertension has not only 1st, 2nd, 3rd, but also 1st, 2nd, 3rd degrees, which will be discussed later.
degrees
I degree
The first degree of severity is the mildest, in which a periodic increase in blood pressure is observed.Another feature is that the pressure level can stabilize itself.The most common cause of stage 1 headaches is constant stress.
Grade II
Moderate hypertension is characterized not only by the impossibility of independent stabilization of blood pressure, but also by the fact that periods of normal pressure are very short.Its main manifestation is a severe headache.
If the disease develops very quickly, then we can talk about the malignant course of high blood pressure.This form is very dangerous, as the disease can develop quickly.
Grade III
In the case of grade 3 hypertension, the pressure always remains in a stably elevated state.When the blood pressure drops, the person suffers from weakness and many other internal organ symptoms.The changes occurring at this stage of the disease are irreversible.
In addition to 1, 2, 3 degrees and stages, the classification of hypertension also includes 1, 2, 3, 4 risks, which we will discuss later.
Risks
Low, insignificant
The risk of complications is lowest in women under the age of 65 and in men under the age of 55 who have developed stage 1 "mild" arterial hypertension.In the next 10 years, only about 15% develop vascular or heart disease as a result of the disease.Such patients are often treated by general practitioners, as there is no point in serious treatment by a cardiologist.
If there is still a minor risk, patients should try to significantly change their lifestyle in the near future (within 6 months at the most).The doctor can observe for some time if the dynamics are positive.If such treatment does not bring results and a decrease in blood pressure is not achieved, doctors may recommend a change in treatment tactics, which entails the prescription of drugs.However, doctors often insist on a healthy lifestyle, since such therapy does not have negative consequences.
Medium
This group includes both type 2 and type 1 hypertension patients.Their blood pressure usually does not exceed 179/110 mm.Hg Art. A patient belonging to this category may have 1-2 risk factors:
- heredity,
- smoking,
- obesity,
- little physical activity,
- high cholesterol,
- impaired glucose tolerance.
During a 10-year observation, the development of cardiovascular pathologies is possible in 20% of cases.Modification of normal lifestyle is necessarily included in the list of treatment measures.For 3-6 months, drugs that allow the patient's condition to normalize with life changes cannot be prescribed.
High
Patients with hypertension form 1 and 2 should also be classified in the risk group with a high probability of complications, but if they already have several predisposing factors described above.These also include damage to target organs, diabetes mellitus, changes in retinal vessels, high creatinine levels and atherosclerosis.
It is possible that there are no risk factors, but this patient group also includes a patient with stage 3 arterial hypertension.All of them are already being monitored by a cardiologist, since high blood pressure is usually permanent.The probability of complications reaches 30%.Lifestyle changes can be used as an adjuvant strategy, but the main part of therapy is medication.The selection of medicines should be done within a short period of time.
Next, we will talk about a serious diagnosis: stage 3 hypertension, risk 4.
He is very tall
The group of patients with stage 3 hypertension, and the group of patients with stage 1 and 2, if the latter has any abnormality of the target organs, are at the highest risk of cardiovascular complications.This group is one of the smallest.The main treatment is carried out in a hospital.Drug therapy is actively carried out and often includes several groups of drugs.
The probability of developing complications is more than 30%.