Hypertension .. Face your silent enemy with an information weapon

The popular proverb says, "Know your enemy," and there is nothing more dangerous than an enemy who sneaks into you to take you after tightening his grip on you, in a way that is hard to dissociate. High blood pressure is one of the diseases that infiltrate into the body stealth and does not know that man is infected with the disease only after having reached a very acute stage or representing a danger of death, and is therefore called "silent killer".

To be able to face this silent enemy, you must know his potential and the weapons he uses to infiltrate your body, as well as the means to protect yourself from his ills. .

First: What is blood pressure?

Blood pressure is determined by the amount of blood your heart pumps and the degree of resistance to blood flow in the arteries. The more the heart pumps a large amount of blood and the narrower the arteries, the higher the blood pressure.

You can have high blood pressure (hypertension) for years without any symptoms and uncontrolled hypertension increases the risk of serious health problems, including heart attacks and strokes.

Despite this serious negativity of the disease, it can be easily detected with the help of a pressure device. Once you know that you are infected, he can cooperate with your doctor to control it.

Symptoms

There are no signs or symptoms in most people with hypertension, and some people may suffer from headaches, dyspnea, or nosebleeds, but these signs and symptoms are not specific and do not occur. usually only when hypertension has reached a very high level or is life threatening. .

Risk factors

Risk factors include:

– Age: the risk of hypertension increases with age. Hypertension is the most common problem in men at the beginning of middle age or at age 45. Women are more likely to have high blood pressure after age 65.

– Sweat: High blood pressure is especially common in people with black skin and is more likely to be infected sooner than whites.

– Family history: High blood pressure tends to spread among family members.

– Do not keep your physical activity: the heart rate of people with an inactive life tends to increase. The higher the heart rate, the more the heart has to work seriously with each contraction, which increases the pressure on the arteries.

Weight gain or obesity: The higher your weight, the more blood you need to supply oxygen and nutrients to your tissues. The more blood you carry in your blood vessels, the more pressure you will put on your blood. walls of your arteries.

– Tobacco: Tobacco does not immediately cause temporary high blood pressure, but the chemicals in tobacco can also damage the artery wall, which can lead to narrowing of the arteries and increased blood pressure. . Passive smoking can also increase blood pressure.

Increase sodium (salt) in the diet: an increase in sodium in your diet can keep the body in the fluid, thus increasing blood pressure.

Potassium deficiency in the diet: potassium helps to balance the amount of sodium in the cells. If your diet does not contain enough potassium, a lot of sodium can accumulate in your blood.

Stress: High stress levels can increase blood pressure. If you try to relax by eating more food, consuming tobacco or drinking alcohol, you can only increase your blood pressure problems.

Some chronic diseases: Some chronic diseases can also increase the risk of hypertension, such as kidney disease and diabetes.

5 ways to prevent blood pressure

Changing lifestyle can significantly contribute to the control of high blood pressure.

1. Exercise regularly, stop smoking and maintain a healthy weight.

2. Eat healthy foods and try dietary methods to combat high blood pressure based on fruits, vegetables, whole grains, chicken, fish and low-fat dairy products.

3 – Get enough potassium, which helps you prevent high blood pressure and control.

4 – Reduce your consumption of saturated and trans fats.

Reduce your salt intake to only 1500 milligrams a day for people aged 51 or older with high blood pressure, diabetes, or chronic kidney disease, otherwise healthy people can eat 2,300 mg or less per day.