They warn that nasal and anti-inflammatory decongestants can cause high blood pressure

Anti-inflammatories, corticosteroids, anabolic agents, nasal decongestants, oral contraceptives and antidepressants can cause high blood pressure, a disease that is generally asymptomatic and which, according to the latest national risk factor survey of 2018, affects four out of ten Argentines, specialists today alerted.

Also called "silent illness", hypertension is not generally perceived by the patient until he has heart, cerebrovascular, renal or arterial problems, that is to say when the state is already advanced and that it is often irreversible.

"HTAs are the main chronic health problem in Argentina, although chronic noncommunicable diseases (NCDs) account for 60% of all deaths worldwide, and 73.4% in our country. ", warned Veronica. Shoj, National Director of the Health Promotion and Economics Secretariat of the Government of the Nation's Health, on the occasion of the World Day of Affection, commemorating every May 17 .

According to data from the Argentine Society of Cardiology (SAC), one in four people do not know that they have endoscopic hypotrophy, while the rate of correctly controlled patients is low.

"Lack of control may be badociated with lack of symptoms, forcing many hypertensive people to ignore their health status, as well as lack of adherence to treatment, which not only consists of an improvement in diet and physical activity, but most cases usually require one, two and even three drugs simultaneously, "explained Irene Ennis, president of the Argentine Society of Hypertension (SAHA) .

One of the ways to maintain a controlled pressure is to adopt a low sodium diet.

The World Health Organization (WHO) recommends consuming between 3 and 6 grams of salt a day, but "Argentines consume more than twice," said Juan Carlos Pereira Redondo, director of the Argentine Council of Hypertension SAC and Chief Executive Officer. HTA Unit of Cemic.

"The greater amount of sodium is incorporated into processed foods and beverages, information we need to know to reduce consumption and prevent HRT," he added.

For his part, cardiologist Carlos Reguera warned that the diagnosis of hypertension in children was increasing in recent years.

It is estimated that hypertension affects between 1 and 5% of children and adolescents in Europe and the United States and appears more frequently in obese children.

"Argentina has the second highest rate of overweight among children under 5 in Latin America and the Caribbean, with 9.9%." In recent years, the prevalence of high blood pressure in children has increased, and this is largely due to obesity, sedentary lifestyle and poor nutrition, "he said. explained to Telam Reguera, head of the Department of Cardiology and Preventive Medicine of the Institute of Neuroscience of Buenos Aires (Ineba).

The doctor said that "a single recording of high blood pressure does not mean to be hypertensive".

"At least three high registers are needed to establish the diagnosis, and it is important to remember that appropriate armbands should be used for the size of the patient's arm, in order to minimize errors when taking blood pressure", he added.