Sodium, potassium, high blood pressure…

The study, published in the «The Archives of Internal Medicine» magazine in November 2009. The ratio of sodium to potassium in the urine of the study subjects, was much more important indicator of cardiovascular disease than the amount of sodium or potassium alone.

Researchers collected daily urine samples from almost 3,000 study participants. People with the highest level of sodium in the urine, 20 percent more likely to suffer strokes, heart attacks or other forms of cardiovascular disease. However, participants with the highest ratio of sodium to potassium in the urine, increased the probability of heart disease by 50 percent.

To reduce blood pressure, most adults need to consume 4.7 grams of potassium a day. The majority of adults consume approximately half of this amount. Food, particularly rich in potassium are: potatoes, yogurt, lima, bananas and tomato sauce.

High blood pressure and smoking

Have you ever considered that smoking and heart disease linked? And what about a relationship of smoking and high blood pressure?

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In the United States estimate that about 30% of deaths of cardiovascular system was linked with tobacco smoking. This is due to the fact that smoking – the main cause of coronary heart disease, which is reflected in the narrowing of the coronary arteries feeding the heart. This applies particularly to the young.

Most people know that there is a connection between smoking and respiratory diseases and lung cancer. But do you know the relationship of smoking and high blood pressure?

The risk of myocardial infarction increases with the intensity of smoking, and the more cigarettes a day do you smoke, the higher the risk. For example, if a person smokes 1 pack of cigarettes per day, the risk of heart disease is increased three-fold. Female smokers, who also take oral contraceptives, have high risk of heart disease, peripheral arteries disease and stroke.

Nicotine, which is present in tobacco:

* Reduces the level of oxygen in the tissues of the heart

* It increases blood pressure and heart rate

* Increases blood clotting

* Destroy cells of the coronary arteries and other blood vessels

Maybe it’s time to think, if you don’t want to suffer from high blood pressure?

Symptoms of high blood pressure

One of the most dangerous properties of high blood pressure – is that you may be unaware of its existence. In general, high blood pressure have no symptoms, so normally you don’t feel. In fact, about one-third of people suffering from hypertension, don’t know about it. The only way to know your pressure is regularly measure it. This is especially important if you have a close relative who suffers from high blood pressure.

If you have a very high blood pressure, you may find some symptoms, such as:

*Severe headache
*Fatigue or dizziness
*Vision problems
*Chest pain
*Shortness of breath
*Irregular heartbeat
*Blood in the urine

If you find one of these symptoms, immediately consult a doctor. Perhaps you have a hypertensive crisis, which can lead to heart attack or stroke.

High blood pressure can lead to serious diseases such as stroke, heart disease, kidney failure and eye diseases.

High blood pressure is a constant problem?

Patients with high blood pressure, have always said that they will have to live on pills for life. I talked with many patients, who threatened all sorts of dire consequences if they dare to refuse the tablets. “If you stop taking pills, you’ll have a hypertensive crisis” – that is to distribute the comments of doctors who believe that the pills – the only way to treat hypertension.

Although we still don’t know exactly what causes high blood pressure, still known for a number of specific factors, which are often the cause of the disease.

We also know that if their control, the high blood pressure can be reduced to normal levels, and as a result to stop using drugs.

Thus, high blood pressure should not be a permanent problem. I also don’t think that patients suffering from hypertension, one has to choose between taking drugs before the end of life or early death from stroke or heart attack.

After reading this, do not stop taking your prescription drugs. Before an attempt by the lower value of blood pressure, you should first consult a doctor. Changing your lifestyle, regularly come for a visit, respectively, to modify, and dosage of drugs. If you want to reduce consumption of tablets, it should make your doctor, and in doing so he should carefully monitor your blood pressure.

High blood pressure diet

What you can not eat with high blood pressure?

Must be remembered that hypertension can not starve and sit on a rigid diet.
Diet with high pressure is to restrict certain foods and replace them with others.
For example, you need:
- To limit their salt intake to 3-5 grams per day;
- To limit consumption of water up to 1-1,2 liters per day, including soups;
- Replace animal fats with vegetable;
- Abandon the simple carbohydrates (sugar, sweets).
Categorically not use (with high blood pressure):
- Alcoholic beverages;
- Offal (brains, liver);
- Smoked, salted, spicy and spicy dishes;
- Fatty fish, meat, cheeses, whole dairy products;
- Muffins, cakes with rich cream;
- Coffee, strong tea.

High pressure is not “working”!

There are people, especially the elderly, which, when blood pressure 180/100 and 200/110 mm Hg, even with feel quite well and believe that it is their working pressure, which is treated completely unnecessary. And what they think about it cardiologists?

“This is the most common mistake people who refuse to accept drug at high rates of blood pressure.

You have to understand that the risk of complications of hypertension (heart attack, stroke, kidney failure, decreased vision) are equally high, as patients who feel their high blood pressure (headaches, dizziness, pain in the heart) and those who no matter what not complain.

Statistics show that 50% of people with high blood pressure, are not even aware of this.

And we must once and forget about the fact that there are “working pressure”! Doctors often have to see patients who are at a pressure of 200/110 feel quite normal, but with increasing blood pressure to 250/130 mm Hg they have a little headache.

Such patients convince the start of treatment is very difficult, because they firmly believes in his great “working pressure”. But to reduce the pressure they need, because they almost hourly risk of death.

It was long thought that older people increase in systolic (upper) pressure to values of 160-170 mm Hg because of atherosclerotic vascular lesions is a normal.

But today it is proved that such hypertension should be treated to reduce the number and frequency of complications and reduce mortality from cardiovascular disease.

Oral contraceptives and risk of a stroke

I am not a woman, but this article struck me as interesting.

Women may experience a stroke at any age, if they take oral contraceptives, according to doctors Loyola University (USA). Pharmacists found that the pill is almost twice the risk of stroke. At the same time in the world there are about 100 million women who take drugs against unwanted pregnancy.

Modern oral contraceptives contain much lower concentrations of hormone estrogen than older drugs. Nevertheless, in recent decades, namely birth control pills were suspected by doctors as the main factor that increases rates of stroke among younger women. Presumably oral contraceptives cause blood clots in the arteries and raise blood pressure.

Among the 100 thousand women of childbearing age is approximately four cases of ischemic stroke. The use of contraceptive pills increases the risk of stroke in 1,9 times, because of what is already a stroke affects the 8 women out of 100 thousand for women smokers, women with high blood pressure with a history of migraines and stroke risk in the use of oral contraceptives is even higher, say clinicians .

According to cardiologists, for healthy young women without any risk factors of stroke benefits of the contraceptive pill is likely to outweigh the risks. But in poor health or presence of any risk factor of heart problems experts recommend avoiding drugs from unwanted pregnancy. At the first sign of headache, nausea, vomiting, unstable heart doctors strongly advised to stop using oral contraception and undergo a medical examination.

People of middle age, whose parents suffered from Alzheimer’s disease often complain of high blood pressure.

People of middle age, whose parents suffered from Alzheimer’s disease often complain of high blood pressure.

They also frequently found violations of arterial and markers of inflammation. All this may indicate a risk of subsequent development they have the same disease, which was the parents.

The discovery was made by scientists from the Medical Center at the University of Vriye (Netherlands). They compared 206 adult patients from 92 families with hereditary predisposition to Alzheimer’s disease and 200 people from 97 families, whose family history of this disease does not appear.

Experts measured the pressure of all participants in the experiment, blood samples were analyzed for genetic characteristics, cholesterol, and cytokines (peptide molecules that regulate intercellular and intersystem interactions), and also studied the case histories of the subjects and collected information about their diet, exercise and stress levels.

As it turned out, 47% of participants whose parents suffered from Alzheimer’s disease, were carriers of the gene APOE e4, associated with the disease. In the group of those who were healthy parents, carriers of this gene was significantly lower – 21%.

Those, in whose family history of Alzheimer’s disease was listed, was elevated blood pressure, increased the content of certain types of cytokines and there were signs of arterial disorders. However, cholesterol and glucose in the subjects was not associated with illness of parents.

Prepared according to HealthDay News.

High blood pressure = Bad memory?

High blood pressure may be the reason why some people of middle age is difficult to think clearly and remember the various things simple.

The researchers found that middle-aged people (aged 40 and older) diagnosed with high diastolic pressure – is the second number in the value of blood pressure – are more likely to experience cognitive difficulties, and problems with storing and clarity of thought. The study involved 19,836 people aged 45 years, none of the participants never had strokes, heart attacks and similar problems with the cardiovascular system. In total, the 1505 of them (7.6%) were diagnosed with cognitive disorders, and 9844 (49.6%) took medication for the hypertension.

For every 10 point increase in diastolic pressure by 7% increased likelihood of cognitive disorders, the researchers said. Results were obtained after taking into account many factors that could affect the functioning of the brain, such as age, smoking, level of physical activity, diabetes, cholesterol, education.

Hi-Pressure Diary

Unable to fully recover from high blood pressure, ie hypertension. And yet, and for this disease can and should be monitored. Doctors believe that the first thing people suffering from high blood pressure, should be educated to a certain order. As specialist advice, patients must have a diary to monitor the performance of blood pressure. The diary should indicate the date on which you measured the pressure, its state of health, indicators of pressure on the right and left hands, and which, if used, drugs. According to doctors, patients, who do so, start over with care of their health.

Statistics shows that 70 per cent of people over 60 years, has a high blood pressure. But hypertension can not be considered a disease only of older people. It is now and young people under 30 suffer from this disease. The reasons are stress, smoking, alcohol consumption at an early age, overweight, low mobility, the use of salt in large quantities. Therefore, doctors believe that it is now necessary to measure the pressure, even in adolescents.

An interesting measure, but not whether it will be too much?