Specialists encourage blood pressure to avoid serious symptoms

On the occasion of World Hypertension Day, commemorated on May 17th, warn that this chronic disease does not cause symptoms and that, therefore, medical checks and healthy habits are essential to prevent heart attacks, strokes and other serious consequences. .

Those who do not control their blood pressure regularly run the risk that the first evidence of hypertension that they manifest is a serious illness, such as a stroke or heart attack. It is because this chronic and prevalent disease, which affects 3 out of 10 Argentines, is a silent disease that does not give any specific symptoms. As a result, one-third of those affected are unaware of their condition.

To raise public awareness of the need to take the pressure regularly, the Ministry of Health of the province will launch this Friday, May 17, World Health Day, a series of actions including the installation of two staffed positions. specialized health teams. in the center of La Plata (in the angles of 8 and 48 and 12 to 47 from 10 to 15) and the first update course on the management of hypertensives, which will be transmitted by telemedicine from El Cruce Hospital in Florencio Varela, to the municipal health teams

"What people are mentioning as headaches or visual disturbances, they are not really symptoms of high blood pressure," said Alejandro Koch, coordinator of the cardiovascular disease prevention program of the Buenos Aires Ministry of Health. , and stressed that "it is unfortunately a disease with no symptoms, so the measurement of blood pressure is the only way to make the diagnosis."

Anyone over the age of 18 will be diagnosed as hypertensive if, at least two or more consultations, non-consecutive days, the mean values ​​are ≥ 140 mmHg systolic blood pressure and / or ≥ 90 mmHg diastolic blood pressure.
The increased pressure causes lesions in large and small arteries, which causes circulatory problems in the heart, brain, kidneys and lower limbs.

One of the main measures to prevent it is to reduce the consumption of sodium contained in food. Koch pointed out that most of the excess salt we consume "does not come directly from salt shakers, but from processed foods such as bread, ready meals and instant meals, meats and processed condiments" .

Small control

A third of the Argentinian population suffers from hypertension. Of this total, a third party does not know. Of the other two-thirds who are aware, 97% are medications, but only 25% are well-controlled, that is, they benefit from medical follow-up, control the pressure and adopt healthy habits.

"Many people badume that there is enough medication, then choose foods that contain sodium, do not do physical activity, do not measure pressure, and there are serious health risks," Koch concluded.

HABITS THAT HELP KEEP THE ARTERIAL PRESSURE OF RAYA (Supplementary treatment of the drug in hypertensive persons)
– Achieve and maintain a normal weight
– Regularly check the blood pressure

– Add at least 30 minutes of daily aerobic physical activity on a continuous or split basis

– Reduce the use of salt and the consumption of high sodium foods.

– Increase the consumption of fruits and vegetables

– avoid smoking and pbadive exposure to cigarette smoke