Today (17th) is "World Hypertension Day", hypertension is one of the most common chronic diseases, according to the statistics of the National Center for Cardiovascular Disease, there are nearly 3 million hypertensive patients in China. So, what is high blood pressure? How can I tell if I have high blood pressure?

How can I tell if I have high blood pressure?

Hypertensive disease is a phenomenon in which the pressure on the walls of blood vessels is consistently higher than normal when the body's blood flows through the blood vessels. Hypertensive disorders are often referred to as silent killers and can lead to serious diseases such as coronary heart disease and stroke. Risk factors for hypertension include obesity, overweight, mental stress, smoking, alcohol consumption, and a high-salt diet.

Medical staff suggest that hypertension can be diagnosed when systolic blood pressure (hypertension) ≥ 3mmHg (mmHg) or diastolic blood pressure (low pressure) ≥140mmHg (mmHg) can be diagnosed in the absence of antihypertensive drugs. Hypertension can be diagnosed by measuring blood pressure continuously for 90-5 days at home and with an average blood pressure of ≥7/135mmHg (millimeter Hg). That is to say, hypertension is a persistent state, it should be reminded that if the blood pressure is occasionally measured, there is a transient increase in blood pressure, which cannot be defined as hypertension.

How to measure blood pressure more accurately?

How to get an accurate blood pressure measurement? When is it more accurate to measure blood pressure? According to medical staff, the first thing is to rest for ten minutes before measuring blood pressure to ensure a stable emotional state. Also, do not do strenuous exercise for half an hour before measuring your blood pressure.

Wang Zengwu, director of the Community Prevention and Treatment Department of the National Cardiovascular Center: When measuring, try to make your feet flat, and then sit upright, and then keep the level of the sphygmomanometer in the same position as the heart, in addition, when the cuff is tied, it must also be able to wrap 80% of our upper arm, and then the lower edge of the blood pressure cuff should be about two fingers away from our elbow horizontal stripe, generally required to be 2.5 cm.

Medical staff suggest that blood pressure should be measured every morning and evening, usually, morning blood pressure measurement should be carried out within 1 hour after getting up, before taking antihypertensive drugs, before breakfast, before strenuous activity. Evening blood pressure measurements are taken after dinner and before going to bed. It should be noted that the electronic blood pressure monitor should be calibrated periodically during use, at least 1 time per year.

If there are no symptoms of high blood pressure, there is no need for treatment?

The symptoms of high blood pressure vary from person to person, and some people with early hypertension have no symptoms or no obvious symptoms. Therefore, some patients think that if they do not have symptoms, they do not need treatment, is that true?

Zhang Huimin, deputy director of the National Center for Cardiovascular Disease Consultation Center for Intractable Hypertension: In fact, this is a big misunderstanding, there are many patients with high blood pressure, he may occasionally have a little dizziness, occasionally a little headache, he did not care, over time, he has tolerated this increase in blood pressure, so he has no symptoms at all, like we have seen in the clinic even blood pressure to (high pressure) 180 / (low pressure) 120 mm Hg, the patient is still asymptomatic, but when you check again, you find that his heart is damaged, The kidneys are damaged, and even this stroke occurs, so there are no symptoms, does not mean that there is no harm, there is high blood pressure must be seen in time, timely medication.

Worried about the side effects of drugs, want to lower blood pressure and afraid of long-term use of antihypertensive drugs to hurt the body, this is the problem that many hypertensive patients will encounter during treatment. So, what to do at this time?

Zhang Huimin, deputy director of the National Center for Cardiovascular Disease Consultation Center for Difficult Hypertension: In fact, if the diagnosis of clear hypertension, you must take medicine, many people are worried about the adverse reactions of drugs, in fact, the first dose of the drug is very small, will not have obvious harm to the body, the second even if some drugs have some adverse reactions, but these adverse reactions are not persistent, after stopping the drug can disappear, so we can switch to other drugs that have no adverse reactions to individuals, after you take the medicine, It will protect your cardio-cerebral and renal blood vessels.

(CCTV reporter Li Bin Yan Hong)