Can we really identify hypertension just by listening to your body? It is customary to say that certain symptoms would be revealing. What should we think? True Medical questioned Dr Gérald Kierzek, to find out.
Hypertension, a silent pathology
If some discreet signs can put the chip in your ear, high blood pressure evolves most often without noise. And this silence can last for years.
“”High blood pressure (HTA) is often silent, but some symptoms may alert. However, the only reliable method to confirm it is the measurement with a blood pressure monitor“Recalls Dr Gérald Kierzek, emergency doctor.
In France, almost 30 % of adults are affected by HTA, sometimes without knowing it. This chronic pathology greatly increases the risk of cardiovascular complications, such as stroke, infarction or heart failure, if it is not taken care of in time.
What symptoms can evoke hypertension?
If certain symptoms can manifest, they are rare, not very specific and often late. They therefore do not allow a reliable diagnosis, but can justify a measurement of the tension.
Here are the main signs reported by Dr. Kierzek:
- Headache: especially in the morning, located with a neck or forehead;
- Passenger dizziness or dizziness;
- Ear buzzing (tinnitus);
- A troubled vision, linked to pressure on the retinal vessels;
- Nose bleeding, called epistaxis in medical jargon, repeated;
- Palpitations or unusual shortness of breath.
“”These signs often only appear in case of severe or prolonged hypertension. Many hypertensive people have no symptoms for years “ warns the doctor.
In other words, the absence of symptoms does not mean the lack of hypertension. This makes screening all the more essential, in particular after 40 years or in the event of a risk at risk.
How to locate a risk -free risk?
If only a tensiometer can confirm hypertension, there are indirect methods to identify a terrain at risk. The self -monitoring of certain parameters can help to find out if you have to consult.
First, the evaluation of personal risk factors. “”Self-assess your family history of hypertension, overweight (especially a high size), sedentary lifestyle, too salty diet, smoking, chronic stress or diabetes “ lists Dr. Kierzek.
Then a simple gesture: take your pulse in hand. To do this, place two fingers on the wrist, on the thumb or on the neck, at the carotid. Count the number of beats over 30 seconds and multiply by 2.
“”A high pulse at rest, more than 80 to 90 beats per minute, or very strong/hit, can be a sign of call“Specifies the doctor. But beware, these signs do not replace a tensioning measurement. Even in the presence of risk factors or symptoms, only a reliable measurement of blood pressure makes it possible to speak of hypertension.
“”Hypertension is not diagnosed by symptoms: only the measurement counts. Measure it regularly after 40 years, especially in the event of risk factors “ concludes Dr Gérald Kierzek. If in France, 15 million hypertensive is treated, it is estimated that 5 million people have an untreated HTA.