Hypertension left unattended causes problems in the target organs, such as eyes, kidneys, heart, and brain. A blood vessel in the brain ruptures or blocks, leading to a stroke or myocardial infarction, leading to a dangerous situation. The problem is that hypertension is difficult to detect in its early stages. Hypertension has no characteristic symptoms, so it is difficult to recognize in the early stages. In fact, in most cases diagnosed at an early stage, it is discovered incidentally during a physical examination or health check-up. This is the reason why you should not postpone your health check-up.
There are many people who delay health checkups because they are bothered or do not feel the need. However, in order to detect hypertension early and prevent complications, regular health check-ups are essential, not optional. The health check-up can be conducted once every two years for office workers and once a year for non-office workers in the case of employee insured. Local subscribers and employers who are over 40 years of age can receive it once every two years.
Hypertension is diagnosed through ‘blood pressure measurement’, a common test item. Hypertension is diagnosed when stage 1 hypertension is 140-159 mmHg systolic blood pressure or 90-99 mmHg diastolic blood pressure, and stage 2 hypertension is 160 mmHg systolic blood pressure or more or diastolic blood pressure 100 mmHg or more.
On the other hand, you should be careful about bad habits in your daily life while having regular health checkups. First, the cause of hypertension must be actively managed. Diseases that can cause high blood pressure include Cushing’s syndrome, kidney disease, thyroid disease, and drug addiction. One of the risk factors for hypertension is ‘sleep apnea’, which has recently been steadily increasing in the number of patients. During sleep, the parasympathetic nervous system is stimulated, so you need to get enough rest.
Some studies have found that gum disease is a risk factor for high blood pressure. A study published in the American Heart Association (AHA) journal Hypertension in March 2021 found that gum disease bacteria can trigger an ‘inflammatory response’ that damages the gums and increases the risk of systemic diseases, including high blood pressure. turned out to be Researchers found that people with gum disease are twice as likely to develop high blood pressure as healthy people.
If you have a habit of sitting for a long time, you need to break it. Sitting for long periods of time affects blood flow, causing hemodynamic problems, which can lead to an increased risk of high blood pressure. It is also a problem that the movement is small and the energy consumption is low. When energy consumption is low, ‘abdominal fat accumulation and weight gain’, which are risk factors for high blood pressure, cannot be avoided. Therefore, if you are an office worker who sits for a long time, it is good to get up every hour and move your body for 3 minutes. In addition, it is recommended to exercise for 30 to 60 minutes a day, 4 to 5 times a week. Regular exercise has the effect of lowering blood pressure.
In addition, as is well known, habits such as △ salty eating habits △ smoking △ drinking △ lack of sleep △ stress can cause high blood pressure.
For some people, lifestyle changes are particularly important. Those who have been diagnosed with ‘prehypertension’. The prehypertensive stage refers to a high-risk group of hypertension, that is, a systolic blood pressure of 130 to 139 mmHg or higher or a diastolic blood pressure of 85 to 89 mmHg. People with pre-hypertension have up to twice the risk of cardiovascular disease compared to healthy people. Therefore, pre-hypertensive patients need thorough management comparable to that of hypertensive patients.