Pressure in the generally accepted sense refers to the force with which the blood presses on the great vessels. In most cases, this indicator is sufficient to determine the quality of health in general and the state of the cardiovascular system in particular.
There are blood pressure standards adopted by the World Health Organization for adult patients. They are defined by the range from 100 to 140 mmHg at 60-90. It reflects the individual norms of individual patients.
It is necessary to make a reservation: the individual norm can be 10 mmHg higher or lower than the accepted one, this also does not pose a danger. In all other cases we are talking about pathologies of varying degrees of severity.
When assessing the blood pressure level, you need to decide on what border it is located. Above 140 over 90 is hypertension or hypertension (not a disease, but a condition), below 100 over 60 is hypotension.
What option should we talk about: normal or pathological if the tonometer shows a pressure of 140 over 80 or figures close to it: 140 over 75, 145 over 80? In this case, the working pressure of a particular person is taken into account.
If the patient’s normal indicator is on the border of 100-120 per 80 or slightly lower, this is hypertension. Otherwise, we can talk about a variant of the clinical norm.
Is blood pressure normal at 140 over 80?
If you follow the recommendations of the World Health Organization, yes, quite normal. But it is necessary to take into account the individual characteristics of a particular patient’s body. Figures divorced from life in such a situation say little.
It is important to start from several factors at once, assessing them as a whole: age, gender, health status, the presence or absence of somatic diseases, the use of certain medications, body type, professional activity.
Age
It does not play a primary role, but it determines pressure in many cases. So, in a teenager, an increase in the tonometer reading to 140 to 80 mmHg is normal.
A hormonal storm is raging in the body of a young man or girl, vascular tone is rapidly changing, and an attack of hypotension is followed by an increase in blood pressure.
This is a temporary phenomenon, you need to wait it out. However, if the tonometer readings continue to rise, especially if by the end of puberty (puberty) the blood pressure level does not stabilize, this is a reason to go to the doctor. Perhaps the problem lies much deeper.
Older patients are also more likely to develop hypertension. The burden of diseases accumulated over a lifetime affects the overall vascular tone. Pathological changes are especially noticeable in chronic smokers and people suffering from alcoholism.
Thus, in older adults and adolescents, an increase in blood pressure to these levels is possible and often occurs as a variant of the clinical norm.
Floor
Representatives of the fairer sex are more susceptible to developing hypertension.
Paradoxically, heart attacks and strokes more often occur in men, despite the ratio of hypertensive patients not in their favor. This is not an axiom, but a common occurrence.
Peak hormonal conditions that are not pathological:
These include pregnancy, menopause, puberty (already mentioned) and the menstrual cycle.
Attention:
During pregnancy, blood pressure often drops, bradycardia (decreased heart rate) is observed; if blood pressure increases, you need to look for the cause.
The menstrual cycle is always associated with hormonal fluctuations. Options are possible: a drop in blood pressure or its increase, it all depends on the characteristics of the patient’s body.
Menopause is accompanied by a decrease in specific active substances in the female body. Therefore, hypertension with sharp jumps in blood pressure up to levels of 140 to 80 and above is a common occurrence in women from 45 to 55 years old. This condition is corrected under the supervision of a competent cardiologist.
Taking medications
An increase in blood pressure is possible when taking anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and some other medications that increase vascular tone and retain fluid in the body.
It is also possible for the so-called withdrawal syndrome to develop: when the patient abruptly stops taking antihypertensive drugs.
In such a situation, a tonometer reading of 140 to 80 mmHg is the least that can happen. A hypertensive crisis is likely.
Physique and professional activity
The larger the patient, the higher his body weight, the more likely the development of hypertension. Persistent, chronic increases in blood pressure are typical for athletes and manual workers.
These are the basic physiological factors that do not require specific treatment. Pathological causes carry a much greater danger.
Content:
- Why is hypertension dangerous?
- High blood pressure: causes
- Secondary hypertension
- Why does high blood pressure occur in a child?
- Brief conclusions
Hypertension is a leading risk factor for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular disorders. It is characterized by a persistent increase in blood pressure to 140/90 or more. It can occur at any age, but is more often diagnosed after 35-40 years. Found in 40% of people in the older age group. Of these, 58% are men, 42% of patients are women.
Pathological factors of pressure deviation from normal
A blood pressure of 140 over 80 is not normal in some cases. The reasons for this may be pathological. What diseases most often cause the onset of hypertension?
Endocrine disorders
They are diverse in nature and localization of the primary process:
- Itsenko-Cushing's disease or hypercortisolism. Develops as a result of disruption of the production of corticotropin by the anterior pituitary gland. The more hormone is produced, the more significant the tonometer readings are. Primary hypercortisolism is possible as a result of the course of tumors and injuries to the adrenal glands themselves, previous operations.
- Hyperthyroidism. In other words, increased production of thyroid hormones. In high concentrations they produce a toxic effect on the entire body. The body begins to work for wear. The pressure increases significantly, and regular hypertensive crises are observed.
- Diabetes. It affects all organs and systems, including the cardiovascular and endocrine systems. Requires urgent medication correction or diet if the cause is obesity.
Other diseases
- Pathologies associated with cerebral circulation disorders. Including vertebrobasilar insufficiency, etc., the trophism of special regulatory centers of the brain is disrupted. Vessels cannot adequately respond to dynamic changes in the body.
- Kidney pathologies. A pressure of 138-140 to 80-85 may mean the initial stage of pyelonephritis, glomerulonephritis, nephritis, renal failure, nephropathy. All diseases are associated with a high risk of developing secondary hypertension as the process progresses.
- Atherosclerosis of the aorta, blood vessels, and brain structures. There are two types: stenosis (narrowing) or blockage. In any case, the lumen of the vessel narrows, an increase in blood pressure occurs, and the blood has to overcome greater resistance.
Also, the reasons for a regular increase in indicators can be subjective: alcohol abuse, smoking, excessive consumption of salt and salty foods, physical inactivity, improper drinking regimen.
Features of treatment
If necessary, blood pressure can be adjusted to 140/70 (140/60) using medications or traditional medicine. Massage and exercise therapy will also help.
Medications
Medicines are prescribed by a doctor; if blood pressure is 140/70 (140/60), special care is needed in selecting medications so as not to lower the diastolic reading. Use:
- ACE inhibitors for lowering blood pressure against the background of expanding the diameter of the lumen of blood vessels: Lisinopril, Captopril, Enalapril.
- Calcium antagonists to block the penetration of element ions into the cell: Norvasc, Amlodipine.
- Antispasmodics that relax smooth muscles: Spazmalgon, Drotaverine, No-shpa.
- Diuretics: Triampur, Veroshpiron, Spironolactone.
- Antioxidants and drugs that improve metabolism: vitamin C, E, Mildronate, Actovegin.
Folk recipes
Traditional medicine must be previously agreed upon with the doctor. The most popular: rosehip decoction, motherwort, oregano, hawthorn, St. John's wort. Beet and carrot juices. Apple cider vinegar lotions.
Nordic walking is the most effective exercise therapy; massage of the collar area gives good results.
What does a fast or slow pulse indicate?
Heart rate values may vary, but they do not indicate any particular disease, but only the etiology of the process.
It is necessary to evaluate the blood pressure indicator, only secondarily look to see if there is tachycardia (pulse more than 80 beats per minute) or bradycardia (less than 60 beats per minute).
When the heart rate increases, the cause is sought in the heart, blood vessels, endocrine pathologies and kidneys, and when it decreases, the cause is found in the anemic process (iron deficiency) and cerebrovascular accidents.
When is emergency medical care needed?
Calling an ambulance is necessary when the blood pressure is 140/70 (140/60) and the pulse is critically slow, which is an indication for urgent surgery and installation of a pacemaker. The condition is dangerous due to disruption of the blood supply to vital organs.
In addition, calling an ambulance may be necessary if there are sudden complaints of chest pain, shortness of breath, cold profuse sweat and a feeling of fear of sudden death - this is a sign of developing ischemia, life-threatening.
What can you take at home?
If objective diagnostics confirm that a reading of 140 to 80 is normal for a particular patient, nothing needs to be done. It will only get worse.
In case of proven hypertension, taking medications on your own is completely contraindicated. Absolutely all emergency antihypertensive drugs have pronounced activity and sharply lower blood pressure.
The consequences of such amateur activity can and will be disastrous. Per hour, you can reduce the pressure by no more than 40-60 mmHg. Precise dosing of such medications is required, which is the responsibility of a cardiologist.
Self-medication is not an adequate option. If the patient does not feel well, you need to call an ambulance or, at the first opportunity, contact a cardiologist for a thorough diagnosis.
Before the ambulance arrives, you need to take a horizontal position, calm down, you can drink Valocordin, motherwort or valerian tablets. These are mild sedatives that gently lower blood pressure levels. The doctors will do the rest.
Symptoms requiring consultation with a specialist
The main manifestations that require therapeutic intervention in a planned manner are the following:
- Headache. Usually of a sharp, stabbing, shooting nature. Pulsates in time with the beat of the heart. It may feel like being hit on the head with a hammer. This is a dangerous manifestation. It is quite possible to develop a stroke.
- Dizziness. Due to local circulatory disorders in cerebral structures. The cerebellum is primarily affected.
- Visual impairment: photopsia, spots before the eyes. Indicates the involvement of the retinal vessels in the process.
- Weakness, drowsiness. It is caused by insufficient blood circulation in the brain and hemodynamic disturbances.
How is constant pressure of 140 over 80 treated?
Regular or constant pressure of 140 over 80 in an adult, for whom such indicators of the device are not considered normal, is treated with different methods, depending on the primary pathology.
The basis of therapy is the fight against the root cause. These may be diseases of the kidneys, cerebral structures, heart and blood vessels. The general treatment plan includes the prescription of drugs from the following pharmaceutical groups:
- ACE inhibitors.
- Diuretics (diuretics, but with great caution, you can “plant” the kidneys).
- Calcium channel blockers.
- Beta blockers.
It is possible to prescribe other drugs. For proven vegetative disorders, the use of light sedatives based on herbal components is indicated.
For emergency help, medications like Capoten are used.
Barbiturates are also used in minimal dosages. They have a calming effect. These are mandatory conditions for treatment.
Atherosclerotic plaques are eliminated by taking special medications. Calcified lesions may require surgery (a relatively rare occurrence).
Does it need to be adjusted?
In elderly patients, in the absence of complaints about general health and pathological symptoms, nothing should be done; this is an age-related physiological norm. In children and adolescents, blood pressure 140/70 (140/60) on an ongoing basis is always a reason to consult a doctor to identify the root cause of the symptom and appropriate treatment. In young people, everything is decided by concomitant symptoms and general well-being. If there are no negative symptoms, dynamic observation is needed with the development of an individual nutrition program and exercise therapy.
In pregnant women, the determining factor when blood pressure is 140/70 (140/60) is the condition of the fetus. Any minimal deviation from normal development is a reason for medical correction of the condition in a hospital setting.
