"I have been treating high blood pressure for 10 years, but why is my heart still damaged?" Because the treatment is wrong

In the hospital, an elderly man in his 70s pulled the doctor and repeatedly asked to re-examine his son. How could his heart be damaged at such a young age? The elderly man's son was in his 40s, in the prime of life, and had a history of hypertension for more than 10 years. In the past few days, when he slept at home, he would hold his breath and cough whenever he lay down, and it would only get better when he sat up or half-lying down. After examination at the hospital, it was found that the elderly man's son suffered from severe heart failure.

The doctor told the old man that his son had heart failure due to high blood pressure, which is the terminal stage of cardiovascular disease, with a high mortality rate and is difficult to cure. The old man was anxious and told the doctor that he had spent a lot of money on his son's high blood pressure and had been treated for 10 years, so his heart should not be damaged.

1. Wrong treatment method The doctor also felt strange. Although high blood pressure is very harmful to the human body, it is a slow-progressing disease. As long as it is treated promptly after it is discovered, there will be no serious complications. With a deeper understanding, the doctor found that the treatment method used by the old man for his son was wrong.

In fact, the old man himself also has high blood pressure and has been taking antihypertensive drugs. More than 10 years ago, his son was also diagnosed with high blood pressure. He was worried that his son was too young and taking medicine would be too harmful to his health, so he spent a lot of money to buy his son various antihypertensive pillows, antihypertensive bracelets, antihypertensive insoles and other health products, and also bought a lot of health products that can treat high blood pressure for his son.

Although his son's blood pressure has always been around 190/120 mmHg, the old man believes that after spending so much money on "treatment" for his son, even if his blood pressure is a little higher, the "magic weapon" he bought can protect his son. Moreover, his son has always been in good health, able to eat and drink, and has no problems at all. He usually has a minor headache or fever, which he can get over by himself. If it weren't for this illness, he wouldn't have gone to the hospital for 10 years.

The doctor told the old man that the treatment he had adopted for his son's high blood pressure was wrong. The harm of high blood pressure to the body cannot be offset by expensive health products. The benefit of treating high blood pressure comes from lowering blood pressure itself. If blood pressure cannot be lowered, all treatments are in vain.

2. Standardized treatment of hypertension 1. Lifestyle intervention: After suffering from hypertension, standardized treatment is needed. If the initial blood pressure value does not exceed 160/100 mmHg, and there are no other complications related to hypertension, then you can temporarily stop taking medicine and try to control blood pressure through lifestyle intervention.

Lifestyle interventions include low-salt (limited to 6 grams per day), low-fat (limited to 25 grams per day) diet, smoking cessation and alcohol restriction (limited to 25 grams per day), regular exercise (moderate-intensity aerobic exercise 5 times a week, no less than 30 minutes each time), maintaining a normal weight, avoiding staying up late, ensuring sleep time, maintaining a good attitude and emotional stability.

2. Drug treatment: If lifestyle interventions for 3 months still cannot effectively control blood pressure, or if the initial blood pressure value has exceeded 160/100 mmHg, drug treatment is needed under the guidance of a doctor.

Before taking the medicine, you need to check your heart, brain, kidneys, eyes, blood vessels, etc. to determine if there is any damage. And you need to test your liver and kidney function to choose the medicine with the corresponding metabolic pathway. In the early stage of medication, most hypertensive patients will experience a "running-in period" with antihypertensive drugs. 70% of hypertensive patients need 2 or more drugs in combination for treatment, and it takes some time to find a blood pressure reduction plan that suits them.

3. Things to note when using antihypertensive drugs 1. Take medication regularly: At the current medical level, essential hypertension cannot be cured. You need to take medication regularly to control blood pressure and avoid serious complications. Blood pressure may fluctuate with the seasons, and the dosage can be appropriately increased or decreased, but it is not recommended to stop taking the medication completely.

2. Antihypertensive drugs do not need to be replaced regularly: Antihypertensive drugs will not cause drug resistance. If a certain antihypertensive drug is suitable for you, as long as your condition does not change, you can take it continuously for 20 to 30 years and it will always be effective. You do not need to worry about the long-term use of the same drug causing it to become ineffective and need to change the drug regularly.

3. Early detection and early treatment: After hypertension is discovered, the earlier the treatment is started, the greater the benefit will be. You should not wait until the blood pressure is very high before taking medication. Hypertension that can be well controlled in the early stage will not affect the body's organs and can avoid complications of hypertension.

4. Correctly understand adverse drug reactions: Although antihypertensive drugs may cause adverse reactions, the probability of occurrence is not high. Drugs with serious adverse reactions will not be allowed to be marketed. Commonly used antihypertensive drugs are safe and reliable. The adverse reactions of drugs are far less than the harm caused by high blood pressure to the body, and other drugs can be used to prevent and eliminate them.

To sum up, this case tells us that in the treatment of hypertension, lowering blood pressure is the hard truth. Any instrument or health product that cannot lower blood pressure has no effect on treating hypertension. After suffering from hypertension, the most correct treatment is to use medication under the guidance of a doctor while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. I am pharmacist Huazi, welcome to follow me and share more health knowledge.