High blood pressure standards revised down! Is poor control likely to cause serious illness and death? Doctors reveal the truth about blood pressure control
Blood pressure should be controlled below 130/80! Help reduce the risk of stroke and cardiovascular disease
Hypertension is not only a risk factor for major chronic diseases such as cardiovascular disease, stroke, diabetes, and kidney disease, but it may also increase the severity and mortality of COVID-19! May 17th is World Hypertension Day every year. The Taiwan Health Promotion Administration points out that 1 in every 4.4 deaths is caused by three diseases directly related to hypertension. It is urged that during the epidemic, people should measure their own blood pressure and pay attention to blood pressure changes, so as to avoid the occurrence of high blood pressure and complications.
Dr. Wu Yanwen, director of the Cardiovascular Medicine Center of Far Eastern Memorial Hospital, said in an interview with “healthorn” that this year’s updated version of the hypertension treatment guidelines has two major focuses. The first is to emphasize the importance of blood pressure at home and encourage the public to correctly implement “722” every week. Measure blood pressure within 7 days to ensure stable blood pressure control. Second, based on research data from Taiwan and abroad, the standard for high blood pressure is uniformly revised down to 130/80 mmHg.
Dr. Wu Yanwen pointed out that several large-scale studies, such as the 2015 “SPRINT” study and the “STEP” trial on Asian elderly in cross-strait areas in recent years, have confirmed that groups with lower blood pressure control can reduce heart and kidney disease, stroke, and stroke. Risk of myocardial infarction and nephropathy. If high blood pressure can be controlled at a lower value, better organ protection can be obtained, especially stroke and cardiovascular disease will be significantly reduced.
Can blood pressure control standards for the elderly be looser? Dr. Wu Yanwen said that elderly people do have considerations such as drug sensitivity, postural hypotension or multiple drug interactions. Consider yourself a status of “healthy old age” or “unhealthy old age”. If the elderly use 130/80 mmHg as the standard and there is no discomfort or side effects, they should try to control their blood pressure below the standard as much as possible, which will help reduce mid- and long-term complications and better protect organs.
Will high blood pressure increase serious illness and mortality? Be sure to measure 3 values at home
Has the epidemic led to poor control of hypertension among Taiwanese people? Dr. Wu Yanwen said that when the epidemic broke out last year, the return consultation rate dropped by nearly 50%. Although the number of Omicron diagnoses increased this year, the return consultation rate only dropped slightly by 5%-10%, which shows that Taiwanese people are gradually understanding the impact of chronic diseases such as hypertension during the epidemic. The importance of control. In addition, some people have ignored blood pressure numbers for a long time and did not start paying attention to blood pressure issues until they were vaccinated.
Omicron virus is highly contagious and the infection rate in the community is expected to continue to rise. Dr. Wu Yanwen pointed out that the probability that each person is exposed to the virus and develops severe disease varies greatly. A combination of multiple observational studies found that if hypertension is only one risk factor, the risk of severe disease or death increases by about one to two times. However, if high blood pressure is combined with other cardiovascular diseases, diabetes, kidney disease, and other risk factors such as older age, smoking, etc., the risk of severe illness and death will increase significantly. This cannot be justified and great caution must be taken.
Dr. Wu Yanwen reminded that in addition to administering vaccines and taking preventive measures such as washing hands frequently and wearing masks, patients with chronic diseases should pay attention to their physical condition during the epidemic prevention period, including measuring blood pressure, blood oxygen, and heartbeat, and taking medication regularly to control chronic diseases. , are all important factors affecting the body’s protective power and should not be ignored.
Do high blood pressure drugs interact with antiviral drugs? Prepare your own medication list
Many people are concerned about the safety of cardiovascular disease drugs and oral antiviral drugs. Dr. Wu Yanwen pointed out that Pfizer’s oral antiviral drug Paxlovid is metabolized by liver enzymes, so it may interact with calcium ion blockers in blood pressure drugs, causing the body’s drug concentration to increase, but the impact is not significant.
On the contrary, other drugs for cardiovascular diseases, such as anticoagulants, antiplatelet drugs, hypolipidemic drugs, and antiarrhythmic drugs, have complex interaction mechanisms. It is recommended that patients prepare their usual medication list and double-check it when the doctor consults and writes a prescription. , to ensure the safety of your own medication.
The 722 rule for correctly measuring blood pressure. If the difference between high and low blood pressure is more than 60%, you should seek medical treatment.
Dr. Wu Yanwen reminded that the “722” rule for measuring blood pressure at home is to first maintain a correct posture when measuring blood pressure and avoid incorrect actions such as crossing your feet, not leaning on the back of the chair, or not placing your feet flat on the ground. The first “2” refers to the measurement one hour after getting up and before going to bed every day; the second “2” refers to the average of 2 measurements each time. If you have arrhythmia or atrial fibrillation and other diseases, you must The average of 3 measurements is more accurate.
Special attention should be paid if the blood pressure difference is too large. Dr. Wu Yanwen said that if the blood pressure difference between the two measurements is too large, it is recommended to rest for a period of time before measuring again. When the difference in systolic blood pressure between the two hands is greater than 15 millimeters of mercury (mmHg), the arm with lower blood pressure may have problems such as subclavian artery stenosis. If the difference between systolic blood pressure and diastolic blood pressure is greater than 60, it may be related to aortic atresia and other diseases. You should seek medical advice and consult a cardiologist in a timely manner.
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