A sharp jump in blood pressure (BP) is called a hypertensive crisis, and the consequences of this emergency condition can be very serious in the absence of adequate therapy. The numbers of the tonometer for each patient are individual: for someone, the crisis occurs at 140/90, and sometimes the BP increases to 220/120.
Degree of severity of the crisis
The crisis happens, as a rule, with arterial hypertension (stably high blood pressure). This disease is often called hypertensive disease, and it affects most of the adult population of the Earth. High pressure exerts a destructive effect on internal organs (they are called targets), which can not immediately manifest themselves. Most often, the crisis is a consequence of the lack of treatment of high blood pressure or the abolition of antihypertensive medications. In rare cases, it is a symptom of another disease.
If the functions of the target organs (brain, heart, lungs, kidneys) are damaged, they speak of a complicated hypertensive crisis - the condition after it requires observation by the doctor. The jump in blood pressure is accompanied by a stroke, myocardial infarction, kidney failure, encephalopathy and other complications. If you do not immediately bring down the pressure, a lethal outcome is possible.
It happens that against the background of a sharp jump in blood pressure, target organs remain unscathed - this option is called uncomplicated.
Hypertensive crisis type 2 is treated at home, but continue to prevent hypertension.
What is dangerous hypertensive crisis?
The complicated crisis has several variants of consequences:
- cerebral - threatens with a violation of blood circulation in the brain (hypertensive encephalopathy, stroke);
- coronary - leads to pulmonary edema, cardiac asthma;
- asthmatic - the consequence of hypertensive crisis is left ventricular failure, pulmonary edema, cardiac asthma .
Other complications of the crisis are stratification of the aortic wall, renal failure, myocardial infarction.
What to do after a hypertensive crisis?
Often the crisis happens in people who suffer from hypertension, but who do not know about it or are accustomed to endure high blood pressure. After a crisis, leaving this issue without attention is a risk to life. Therefore, it is necessary to carry out diagnostics, to select the right treatment for hypertension. The doctor will prescribe medicines - they will have to be taken systematically, tk. it is the abolition of antihypertensive drugs that can lead to a second crisis. It is also necessary to revise your lifestyle, give up alcohol, smoke, try to avoid stress, and most importantly - all the time to monitor the level of blood pressure.