With the acceleration of the aging process of the domestic population, the number of elderly people with hypertension in China is also increasing year by year, and the incidence rate is getting higher and higher. According to relevant research, hypertension significantly increases the risk of stroke, kidney failure, and ischemic heart disease in elderly patients, posing great harm to their health and safety. It is also one of the main causes of death and disability in the elderly. Now let me popularize health knowledge about elderly hypertension to help everyone better understand the treatment and various precautions of this disease.
1、 The characteristics of elderly hypertension
1. Firstly, the blood pressure of elderly hypertensive patients fluctuates greatly, and it is particularly evident in systolic blood pressure. And this is mainly caused by the decreased sensitivity of vascular pressure receptors in elderly patients. 2. It is easy to cause changes in blood pressure due to changes in body position. The incidence of orthostatic hypotension is relatively high in elderly hypertensive patients, especially during the use of antihypertensive drugs, which is also related to the reduced sensitivity of pressure receptors in elderly hypertensive patients. 3. For the elderly patients with hypertension, due to atherosclerosis, they are more likely to have pseudo hypertension, and this type of patients will have poor tolerance when using antihypertensive drugs, which will lead to serious adverse reactions and other problems after drug use, causing greater interference to the quality of life of patients. For elderly hypertensive patients, blood pressure should not be lowered too quickly or too low. For elderly hypertension, it is mainly characterized by elevated systolic blood pressure, which poses a significant threat to the patient's heart and is prone to heart failure, as well as stroke and other related problems.
How should elderly hypertension be treated and improved?
(1) Adjusting lifestyle
The most important thing for elderly hypertensive patients is to adjust various unhealthy habits. Even with the use of antihypertensive drugs for treatment, lifestyle adjustments are necessary and must be made. Generally speaking, adjusting the dietary structure in lifestyle is also very important, that is, reducing the intake of animal based foods. At the same time, increase the intake of green leafy vegetables and fresh dairy products. In daily life, it is also necessary to strictly control weight, increase aerobic exercise in daily life, maintain a happy mood, and reduce one's own mental stress. At the same time, it is necessary to regularly monitor blood pressure in order to better assess the improvement effect of daily life and help patients adjust their blood pressure according to their own condition. It should be noted that it is important to avoid estimating blood pressure based on one's own feelings and to take timely measurements.
(2) Medication therapy
Generally speaking, patients using antihypertensive drugs for treatment will require long-term or even lifelong medication. Therefore, it is recommended that patients can use long-acting medication to lower blood pressure, which means taking antihypertensive drugs once a day. This medication method can help achieve stable blood pressure. After using antihypertensive drugs, it is necessary to continue taking them and not stop them suddenly. This sudden cessation of medication can cause a sudden increase in blood pressure, and in severe cases, it can be dangerous.
3. Precautions for elderly hypertension
(1) Keep a good mental state
When patients are in a state of mental tension and excessive anxiety for a long time, it will also lead to an increase in the incidence rate of hypertension. At the same time, long-term external stimulation and anger will also lead to an increase in the incidence rate of hypertension. These factors have a relatively significant impact on the incidence of hypertension.
(2) Smoking and drinking cessation
For patients, smoking and drinking are also factors that they need to control. Related studies have found that smoking can lead to atherosclerosis in patients, making the heart beat too fast, and then leading to increased systolic and diastolic blood pressure. Patients who smoke at the same time are also prone to developing malignant hypertension, and nicotine can also affect the efficacy of hypertension control drugs.
(3) Control salt intake
Although excessive salt intake does not necessarily mean high blood pressure, most hypertensive patients consume a large amount of salt. Too much salt intake will lead to high blood pressure, while high calcium and potassium diet will lead to lower incidence rate of hypertension, which has a good effect on controlling hypertension.
4. Conclusion
In summary, in daily life, we must try our best to avoid various risk factors that may affect cardiovascular disease. When encountering situations, we should also try to maintain a stable emotional state, quit smoking and drinking, and strictly control our weight. In terms of diet, we should also pay attention to controlling salt intake. Maintain good exercise habits in daily life to prevent hypertension.