Hypertension has always been regarded by everyone as an "elderly disease". But in recent years, we have found that many young and middle-aged people around us have also suffered from hypertension. Why does the "elderly disease" attack the youth? Hypertension targets the young and middle-aged people.
Generally speaking, older people are more likely to get high blood pressure. Because their body organs all show degenerative changes, especially the cardiovascular system is gradually aging. But in recent years, there has been a tendency for younger people to develop hypertension, which is a fact. Hospital statistics show that among the daily outpatient patients, 40-50-year-old patients account for about 30%-40%, and hypertensive patients under 35 years old account for approximately 15% of the patients. Therefore, it can be seen that the onset of hypertension indeed shows a trend of becoming younger.
The main inducements for young and middle-aged people to develop hypertension are as follows:
First, the influence of the overall social environment. Modern people have more public relations and social engagements, smoking, drinking, overeating, leading to nutritional imbalance and irregular sleep patterns.
Second, genetic factors. A large amount of clinical data indicates that hypertension is related to genetic factors. If one parent suffers from hypertension, the incidence rate of hypertension in children is 28%; if both parents suffer from hypertension, the incidence rate of hypertension in children can be as high as more than 40%.
Third, unhealthy lifestyle. Young and middle-aged people like to eat high-salt, high-fat, high-cholesterol foods; they prefer driving or taking a car rather than walking; they sit in the office at work and on the sofa at home, with extremely little exercise.
Fourth, psychological factors. Work tension and great pressure are one of the important reasons for young white-collar workers to develop hypertension. It is known that an important cause of hypertension is psychogenic, meaning that when overly tense, the central nervous system will release some neurotransmitters and hormones to increase blood pressure. Therefore, white-collar workers who are striving for their careers bear great life and work pressures, often troubled by insomnia, and are prone to psychogenic hypertension.
Half of young and middle-aged people with hypertension have no symptoms. Among young and middle-aged hypertensive patients, 50% are asymptomatic. Even if some symptoms appear early, they are only occasional dizziness or headaches, and many people actually do not know they are already sick. Due to the absence of symptoms or mild symptoms, plus being busy with work and family all day, they neglect their health. "Therefore, the sudden death rate of young and middle-aged people due to hypertension is often higher than that of elderly people." Most elderly people are retired at home, with ample time to arrange regular diets and rest. They also focus on nurturing their physical and mental well-being, take medication properly, and the social security system for the elderly is relatively comprehensive. In addition, the media's extensive publicity about this elderly disease enables many elderly patients to conduct timely examinations, receive treatment, take medicine regularly, and maintain long-term health care.
However, young and middle-aged people with hypertension, because of ignorance and lack of attention, often seek medical help only when the condition worsens. By then, kidney function, heart function failure, and even stroke, cerebral infarction, myocardial infarction may have occurred, leading to disability or death. Therefore, young people should be more vigilant against hypertension, this 'silent killer,' compared to the elderly.
For young and middle-aged people, those with a family history of hypertension should have a physical examination once a year; those with high cholesterol should have their blood pressure checked regularly; those participating in unit-organized physical examinations should actively and seriously participate, not relying on feelings to see a doctor; those who indeed have hypertension should regularly check their blood pressure, which is very important. The key is to combine relevant tests and scientific judgments from doctors to assess whether one's hypertension belongs to high-risk or medium-risk, and then combine lifestyle interventions to start treatment as soon as possible. For young and middle-aged people with hypertension, adjusting dietary structure and achieving stable blood pressure reduction through hypertension food therapy is the most ideal.
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