Classification and stages of hypertension

This disease is called a "silent killer" because it silently and imperceptibly leads to irreversible consequences for the human body. "Arterial hypertension" is a term that is widely used in Europe and the United States. In the post-Soviet space, the name "hypertension" is more common. In fact, these concepts are identical, since in Greek it means the same thing: super-stress.

Hypertension: the crux of the problem

The disease manifests itself by a steady change in blood pressure upward. There are fluctuations, starting with the following indicators:

• Systolic: from 140 mm Hg. P.
• Diastolic: more than 90 mm Hg. Art.

This unpleasant syndrome mostly affects the elderly population. And at a younger age, hypertension is more common in men. Statistics in general on the planet are disappointing: 20% of humanity suffers from the consequences of arterial hypertension. The reasons for its appearance are different, but it is noted that often this emotional affliction is affected by emotional people. Some scientists call hypertension "a disease of hidden emotions." This means that unspoken claims, grievances or wishes accumulate, turning over into a severe chronic illness.

Distinguish between essential (primary) and secondary, or symptomatic hypertension. The primary develops due to the following reasons:

• Age: for women the threshold of onset of morbidity is 65, for men - 55 years;
• Dependence on nicotine;
• Emotional overload, stress, psychological trauma;
• Hypodynamia;
• overweight;
• diabetes.

Symptomatic hypertension appears on the basis of already existing diseases, such as:

• Disturbances in the endocrine system;
• Serious cardiovascular disruptions;
• A malfunction in the urinary system;
• pregnancy;
• Chronic alcoholism;
• Abuse of medicines.

Sometimes the disease manifests itself violently, and sometimes it is not felt by patients even at the last stages of the development of the disease. Like everything else in medicine, this question is individual and requires careful study.

So, hypertension: the stages and the degree of risk, what to take to stop the disease - these topics will be discussed in the article. You will find in it complete information on this issue.

Arterial hypertension: stages and degrees

It is necessary to distinguish the concepts of the stage of arterial hypertension and the extent of this ailment. Stages are a description of the symptoms and damage caused to the organs during the course of the disease. And degrees are those data of arterial pressure which allow to classify the disease. For the successful treatment of any disease, it is necessary to find out its cause, therefore in this review it is necessary to identify several major groups of pathologies that cause arterial hypertension:

1. Pulmonary . This type of hypertension develops due to disruption of the pulmonary vessels, resulting in a reduced blood flow. This situation negatively affects the cardiac activity. This is a rare and extremely dangerous pathology, which causes heart failure and general exhaustion of the body.
2. Malignant . This type of disease is characterized by an increase in pressure to 220 (upper) and 130 (lower) mm Hg. St., Which entails a radical change in the fundus and venous thrombosis. The final reason for the transformation of normal hypertension into malignant is not yet clear.
3. Renovascular, or vasorenal. This type is associated with violations in the work of the kidneys, namely with malfunctions in the blood supply of this organ. Typically, such violations are determined by an overestimated diastolic index. The vast majority of secondary hypertension arise precisely for this reason.
4. Labile. As a rule, episodic instability of pressure is not a disease, but the possibility of its development into true hypertension exists.

Symptoms of hypertensive disorders can be headaches, numbness of the limbs, dizziness, but sometimes there is a complete lack of symptoms. This often occurs when the patient has hypertension of stage 1.

Onset of the disease: first degree

To detect such ailment can only be a regular measurement of blood pressure. And this should happen in a calm environment and at least three times in a certain period. Only in this case it is possible to judge the presence or absence of such a common disease as hypertension. The stages and degrees of ailment, as already mentioned, are fundamentally different, although even some doctors confuse these concepts. The first degree is often detected by chance, for example, during routine examination. The range of blood pressure in this category is:

• Systolic (upper): 140-160 mm Hg. P.
• Diastolic (lower): 90-100 mm Hg. Art.

This is an easy degree, which is often not pronounced in terms of symptoms. It is noteworthy that there is not only an arterial hypertension of the 1st degree ( stage 1 ). A patient whose pressure amplitude corresponds to 1 degree may suffer, for example, in the second stage of the disease. Everything depends on the degree of damage to organs and the individual state of the body.

Moderate hypertension

The average degree of hypertension is expressed in the following pressures:

• Upper: 160-180 mm Hg. P.
• Lower: 100-110 mm Hg. Art.

There are times when pressure increases occur in a specific way, rather unevenly. For example, above the norm, only diastolic parameters are raised. Or there are cases of increased pressure only in certain circumstances, for example, at a doctor's appointment. At home, the figures come back to normal. This happens with patients who have an unstable or labile type of nervous system.

Again, depending on the condition of the patient there is an arterial hypertension of 2 degrees (2 stages), But such coincidences do not always happen. Sometimes the pressure indicators correspond to the power amplitude, and the symptoms are not limited to headaches (stage 2 of the disease). On the contrary, they increase rapidly, leading to serious malfunctions in the heart, kidney system and brain failure.

Severe hypertension: when the pressure is high

The last degree of hypertension is characterized by extremely undesirable overestimated indices of blood pressure:

• Systolic: from 180 mm Hg. P.
• Diastolic: from 110 mm Hg. Art.

There are situations when normal values exceed only systolic pressure. Similar disorders are most often observed in elderly patients. Hypertension of this type is called an increase in pressure of the 4th degree, which in itself is not correct.

Stages of hypertension: the first

If you analyze the stages of hypertension, Then the first of them is the easiest and inconspicuous for the patient. But it becomes the beginning of serious problems in the future. Therefore, even if hypertension is still insignificant, this is not a reason to ignore it. Symptoms as such during the first stage of hypertension are not observed, apart from, of course, slightly and irregularly elevated blood pressure. But the very tendency to change these important indicators should alert and induce to action. If there is an arterial hypertension of the 1st stage, the patient sometimes complains of a bad dream, episodic headache or nosebleeds. Treatment in this case can be limited to compliance with a diet that reduces the amount of salt, and optimizing the regime of the day.

Arterial hypertension 2 stages: symptoms build up

If the disease for some reason is not treated at the initial stage, then a more severe stage occurs, characterized by a complicated course. Symptoms are increasing to such an extent that it is no longer possible to ignore them. Headaches become intense, frequent and protracted, nosebleeds get regular, disturb the pain in the heart? Such signs are often characterized by hypertension of 2 degrees, 2 stages. For normalization and adjustment of the condition, the patient is forced to seek help from a doctor. It happens that Consequences of high pressure, which exhausted the body for quite a long time, Lead to the fact that there is an arterial hypertension of 2 stages, 3 degrees. And this situation can pose an immediate threat to the life of the patient. Of course, it is necessary to strictly comply with all the prescriptions of the doctor in order to avoid complications, when the diagnosis is finally established, "Stage II arterial hypertension." The risk of stage 3 in the case of a careless attitude to the treatment strategy is very large. In addition to the mandatory intake of medications, you must give up alcohol, nicotine, to balance the diet by practically eliminating salt from it.

Third stage: organs suffer

Arterial hypertension of the third stage is characterized by the severity of complications that arise from the pernicious effect of borderline high pressure on all organs and systems. Especially in such cases, the heart, kidneys, eyes and brain suffer. With insufficient or incorrect treatment, severe consequences can occur in the form of strokes, encephalopathies, heart attacks, kidney and heart failure, arrhythmias, irreversible lesions of the eye vessels. Untreated hypertension of stage 3 (the risk of the 4th stage in this case increases dramatically), threatens to develop into isolated systolic hypertension. Subjectively, patients experience memory impairment, impaired mental activity, frequent loss of consciousness.

Correct diagnosis

If it is a question of symptomatic hypertension, then it is necessary to identify the cause that caused it. For this, a basic complex of analyzes is necessarily carried out:

• A blood test (with the mandatory determination of hematocrit);
• Urinalysis (advanced);
• A blood test to determine sugar and cholesterol;
• Detailed examination of blood serum;
• electrocardiogram.

In addition, there are additional methods for setting up a differential diagnosis, which the doctor will appoint as necessary. Also important is the authentically collected anamnesis. Secondary hypertension, as a rule, begins abruptly, reluctantly treatable, is not inherited. Often this condition is observed during pregnancy. Gestational hypertension usually appears at the 5th month of pregnancy, and after birth disappears. But such women in childbirth are on the register in order to adjust the medical care during childbirth. Women with a similar diagnosis are included in the group for the possible occurrence of preeclampsia.

Patients are usually divided into groups at risk, depending on how hard the arterial hypertension is. The degree, stage - the risk of complications depends on these factors. There are four categories that are delimited according to the principle of the probability of damage to internal organs in the future:

• Less than 15%;
• about 20%;
• From 20 to 30%;
• over 30%.

The worst prognosis is in patients who are diagnosed with the 3rd degree, with 2-3 stages of arterial hypertension. These patients are at the 3rd or 4th risk group and need immediate comprehensive treatment.

What can trigger a hypertensive crisis?

This dangerous complication threatens patients with the presence of 2-3 stages of hypertension. This state is characterized by a sharp jump in blood pressure to highly inflated values. This process has a harmful effect on the cardiac and cerebral circulation. The hypertensive crisis is a life-threatening condition requiring urgent medical attention. In severe cases, the patient is hospitalized.

The following factors may provoke this complication:

• Adverse weather conditions;
• Emotional shocks;
• Physical overload;
• Pre-eclampsia;
• Use of narcotic drugs;
• Abuse of nicotine or alcohol;
• Untimely reception of necessary medicines;
• Certain types of tumors;
• Head trauma;
• Use of an inadequate amount of liquid and salt.

By eliminating these factors, you can reduce the risk of occurrence of a dangerous condition.

The main symptoms of this ailment are:

• A sharp headache;
• nausea;
• Blurred vision;
• Vomiting;
• Fuzziness and confusion;
• Bleeding from the nasal cavity;
• dyspnea;
• Pain behind the sternum;
• Anxiety, fear;
• Convulsions;
• fainting.

In the vast majority of patients due to the hypertensive crisis, the work of at least one target organ is disrupted. A quarter of all patients are at risk of contracting two or more organs.

It is necessary to help the patient even before the arrival of an emergency care coach. It is necessary to pack a person, give him a sedative and medicines, which he usually takes in the presence of chronic hypertension.

Preventive measures and therapeutic tactics

If the first degree and the same stage of arterial hypertension occur, the disease can be reversed if adequate help is taken in time, while adjusting the diet and lifestyle. Starting with the second degree, the disease is considered incurable and chronic. But the phenomenon of the ailment is that, for all its danger and complexity, it is controlled. If you regulate the diet, observe the regime of the day, regularly monitor the pressure, then you can normalize the condition and avoid complications.

Diet in the occurrence of such health problems involves the exclusion from the diet of such products:

• Any type of fat, including lamb;
• Fatty meat;
• Rich broths;
• Cocoa, tea, coffee;
• Hot snacks, pickles;
• By-products;
• Baking;
• Cream cakes;
• Chocolate products.

If the patient overcomes obesity, which can also cause hypertension, it is better to take food in fractional portions, moderately reducing its caloric value. Such restrictions will remove excess fluid from the patient's body and will surely save him from excess cholesterol.

Treatment of the initial degree of arterial hypertension is reduced to non-medicamental measures: physical therapy, diet, rejection of bad habits, weight normalization. Further, with medium and severe forms of hypertension, a combined drug therapy based on beta adrenoblockers, diuretics, inhibitors is prescribed. In any case, a competent method of treatment will be selected by the doctor.