The most common cause of call ambulance is the hypertensive crisis, the symptoms of which are familiar to about a third of patients with essential hypertension. Crisis requires urgent medical care, which consists, first of all, in lowering blood pressure (BP).
Classification
There are the following types of crisis:
- Hyperkinetic - is typical for the early stages of arterial hypertension and develops rapidly. In the classifications of the past decades, this condition was called the neurovegetative hypertensive crisis - its symptoms are in the so-called. "Vegetative signs". The patient experiences trembling in the muscles, sweats profusely, the heartbeat is increased, redness can appear on the skin. Such a crisis takes 3 to 4 hours.
- Hypokinetic - makes itself felt in the late stages of hypertension, and develops slowly and lasts from 4 hours to several days.
Signs of hypertensive crisis
For a crisis of the first type is characteristic:
- increase in pressure (preferably the upper limit, ie systolic) to 200 mm Hg. Art. and more;
- increased heart rate;
- increase in pulse pressure (the difference between the upper and lower blood pressure).
The above-described "vegetative signs" are observed, the patients are overexcited. During the hyperkinetic crisis, adrenaline predominates in the blood, because of which systolic blood pressure increases, tachycardia and hyperglycemia develop (glucose level increase). The head is very sore in the nape of the neck, before the eyes flies "flies", pressure is felt in the temples.
The main symptoms of hypertensive crisis of the second type consist in an increase in blood pressure - both the upper and lower reaches the large figures, however, the rise in diastolic blood pressure prevails, in the blood there is a lot of norepinephrine. Patients look inhibited, experience drowsiness, dizziness, headache, nausea.
Often, the hypertensive crisis has symptoms that are inherent in both the first and second type. In some cases, the patient may begin seizures, paralysis, a violation of consciousness.
Causes of hypertensive crisis
The development of the crisis is influenced by the following factors:
- abolition of antihypertensive drugs taken against a background of hypertension;
- sudden changes in weather conditions;
- psychoemotional stress, stress ;
- taking alcohol or lots of salt.
In addition, the causes of hypertensive crisis can be covered in the presence of the disease, the symptom of which it is. So the crisis often happens in patients with:
- damage to the vessels of the kidneys;
- pheochromocytoma;
- Cushing's disease;
- Connes syndrome, etc.
However, people with arterial hypertension (stable high blood pressure) are most affected by the development of the crisis.
First aid
Since the hypertensive crisis has serious consequences, symptoms should be removed immediately. To do this, use pressure-reducing (antihypertensive) drugs:
- propranolol or other beta-blockers are appropriate for tachycardia (rapid heart rate);
- Captopril is effective if there is a history of diabetes mellitus, heart failure, cardiosclerosis;
- nifedipine for the removal of symptoms of hypertensive crisis is given in pregnancy, bronchial or kidney pathology.
Since the crisis develops mainly in hypertensive patients, appropriate drugs must be at hand. Before the arrival of an ambulance, you can put mustard plaster to the legs or on the lower back, make hot foot baths, apply a cold compress to your head. The patient needs complete rest - physical and emotional.
Reducing blood pressure should in no case be sharply, optimally - 10 mm Hg. at one o'clock.