October 8, 2023 is the 26th National Hypertension Day. The theme of this year's National Hypertension Day is "Healthy Living, Ideal Blood pressure". According to the "China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2022" released by the National Cardiovascular Disease Center, the prevalence of cardiovascular disease in China is continuing to rise, and the number of hypertension patients in China is about 245 million.

Hypertension is a common and frequently-occurring disease worldwide. CAI Jianfang, director of the renal Department of the National Cardiovascular Disease Center and Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said that if it is found that it is not timely or improper treatment, hypertension is easy to cause complications such as stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure and chronic kidney disease. Therefore, everyone should know their own blood pressure and learn about blood pressure.

The NHC suggests that in the absence of antihypertensive drugs, blood pressure exceeding 140/90mmHg three times on different days can be diagnosed as hypertension, and lifestyle intervention and drug treatment can be started. When blood pressure is above 130/80mmHg, attention should be given.

How to determine whether the blood pressure is up to standard? CAI Jianfang suggested that in general hypertension patients, blood pressure dropped below 140/90mmHg; In patients with diabetes, coronary heart disease, heart failure or chronic kidney disease with proteinuria, blood pressure should be controlled below 130/80mmHg; Blood pressure drops below 140/90 MMHG in patients aged 65 to 79 years and can further drop below 130/80 MMHG if tolerated; Patients aged 80 years and older can be controlled to less than 140/90 MMHG.

In addition to the basic knowledge related to blood pressure, the public should also learn to identify some knowledge misunderstandings.

Some members of the public think they have "high blood pressure, but without any discomfort, then it is not a serious problem."

"Most people with high blood pressure have a gradual increase in blood pressure, so it doesn't feel obvious, but even so, high blood pressure is still damaging your blood vessels, heart, kidneys and other organs." If left untreated, high blood pressure can lead to stroke, heart attack, kidney failure, aortic dissection and other health problems, CAI said.

Some people think that "young will not get high blood pressure", the answer is no.

"High blood pressure is not an 'old age thing'. It can happen at any age." Lai Jianqiang, director of the National Action Office of the National Healthy Lifestyle Action and the Chronic Disease Department of the Chinese Center for Disease Control and Prevention, said that at present, the prevalence of hypertension in the national population increases significantly with the increase of age, and hypertension in young people is also worth noting, and regular hypertension screening is also necessary.

Experts remind that the home should always have a blood pressure monitor, regular measurement, help to see blood pressure changes, timely detection of problems, control risk factors.

There are also patients who believe that "lifestyle management can cure high blood pressure without taking drugs." Feng Xue, director of the National Cardiovascular Disease Center and the Cardiac Rehabilitation Center of Fuwai Hospital of the Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences, said that although lifestyle is the basic means to prevent or manage hypertension, if there is still high blood pressure after 3 months of strict lifestyle management, or people with high blood pressure at high risk, antihypertensive drug treatment should be carried out immediately.

Exercise can relieve tension and reduce weight, experts recommend that patients according to their own conditions for 150 minutes a week of moderate intensity aerobic exercise, such as fast walking, jogging, swimming or cycling, while appropriate muscle strength exercises and flexibility exercises.

"People with high blood pressure who want to control their blood pressure are advised to eat less salt and eat a light diet." Wang Boshi, deputy director of the clinical nutrition department of Peking University People's Hospital, said that long-term scientific salt restriction can delay the rise of blood pressure with age. At the same time, people with high blood pressure should also eat more whole grains, fruits and vegetables and low-fat dairy foods, and eat less foods rich in saturated fat and cholesterol.

Experts said that in addition to diet, patients should focus on five aspects, including weight loss for overweight and obese people, moderate exercise, smoking and alcohol cessation, and maintaining a positive and optimistic attitude.

Latest hypertension standard

In November 2022, the "China Hypertension Clinical Practice Guidelines 2022" jointly formulated by the Chinese Medical Doctor Association, the Cardiovascular Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, the National Cardiovascular Disease Center and other professional committees was officially released, and the new guidelines have been adjusted in many aspects, including the following four points.

1. Definition of hypertension

The diagnostic line for hypertension in adults was moved forward from the original systolic blood pressure ≥140 and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥90mmHg (140/90 MMHG) to the systolic blood pressure ≥130mmHg and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥80mmHg (130/80 MMHG).

2. Hypertension classification

According to the level of blood pressure, adults with hypertension are divided into grade 1 and grade 2. Grade 1 blood pressure ranges from 130/139/80-89 mmHg, and grade 2 blood pressure ranges from ≥140/90 MMHG.

3. Pressure reduction target

Most patients with hypertension should reduce their blood pressure to below 130/80mmHg, and the rest, such as elderly patients with hypertension and hypertensive patients with stroke, should adjust the target of blood pressure reduction according to the situation.

2. High blood pressure is the Silent Killer

"China Cardiovascular Disease Health and Disease Report 2021" pointed out that the current prevalence of cardiovascular disease in China continues to rise, has become the first cause of death in the country, how to prevent cardiovascular disease is the top priority.

According to preliminary estimates, among the 330 million cardiovascular patients in China, the number of hypertension patients reached 245 million. Once hypertension occurs heart, brain, kidney and other vital organs serious complications, or disability, patients lose labor, long-term treatment becomes a burden; It can be fatal, and countless people die from complications of high blood pressure.

Nowadays, high blood pressure is getting younger and younger, why do so many people have bad blood pressure control?

First, the improper use of antihypertensive drugs

After the diagnosis of hypertension, some patients can not use antihypertensive drugs correctly, or worry about the side effects of drugs and reduce the drug, stop the drug, or want to quickly reduce blood pressure and increase the drug volume, and the medication compliance is poor. These unsystematic drug treatment methods are bound to lead to excessive fluctuations in blood pressure, and various cardiovascular accidents are more likely to occur.

Second, neglect of non-drug treatments

Blood pressure medication alone can stabilize blood pressure? In fact, the treatment of high blood pressure "depends half on drugs and half on lifestyle." If you do not change bad living habits, antihypertensive drugs are also ineffective, only healthy life and medication synchronously, in order to stabilize blood pressure in the normal range.

Third, do not take high blood pressure seriously

Young people, in particular, believe that they are strong, do not care about the rise in blood pressure, and even think that they can "carry it". In fact, this is the wrong idea! If hypertension is not properly treated and controlled, the risk of various cardiovascular diseases will gradually increase.

Three, away from complications, several types of food to eat less

As mentioned above, high blood pressure causes heart failure, coronary heart disease, stroke and other serious complications, for patients, want to stay away from complications, it is recommended to eat less of these three types of food.

1, pickled vegetables, preserves and other high-salt foods

Foods high in salt raise the level of sodium ions in the body, affecting osmotic pressure and increasing blood volume. At the same time, high-salt foods can also shrink the blood vessel cavity, accelerate the aging of blood vessels, resulting in increased blood pressure. The daily diet of patients with hypertension is not so much to control salt as to control sodium, therefore, chicken essence with high sodium content, MSG, pickled vegetables, preserves, etc., should be eaten less.

2, drinks, snacks and other high-sugar foods

High-sugar food will promote sodium ions into the cell, resulting in excessive sodium ions in the body, not only lead to high blood pressure, but also cause irreversible damage to blood vessels. In addition, high-sugar foods will raise insulin levels, easily trigger sympathetic nerves, resulting in a faster heart rate and increased blood pressure.

3, fried, brain flowers and other high-fat food

High-fat food will lead to the increase of cholesterol and blood lipids in the body, which is easy to deposit in the blood vessel wall, causing arteriosclerosis, affecting normal blood flow, leading to abnormal blood pressure, and even plaque detachment causing myocardial infarction and cerebral infarction.

In addition to following the doctor's advice to take antihypertensive drugs, patients with hypertension should also develop good eating habits, summarized some suggestions for everyone:

1) Low salt diet

In particular, we should pay attention to the daily control of salt intake, it is recommended that 6g per day, while eating less pickled food.

2) Balanced nutrition

Should be mainly vegetables, whole grains, while increasing the intake of protein, calcium, magnesium, potassium, moderate intake of fruit, so as to achieve a balanced and comprehensive nutrition.

3) Cut down on high-fat foods

High fat foods such as animal offal and braised meat should be eaten with caution and not excessive.

In addition, patients with hypertension should also insist on exercise, exercise for more than half an hour 3 to 5 times a week, ensure adequate sleep, and do not stay up late.