With the improvement of social living standards, while hypertension is becoming more common among younger people, it is also becoming more common among the elderly. So, what are the causes of hypertension in elderly people?
Hypertension in the elderly refers to the condition where blood pressure levels persist or exceed the diagnostic criteria for standard blood pressure three or more times on a day that is over 65 years old. Blood pressure persists or appears more than three times on different days: systolic blood pressure ≥ 140mmHg (18.6kPa) and/or diastolic blood pressure ≥ 90mmHg (12kPa).
There are many reasons for hypertension in elderly people:
1. Due to the deterioration of taste in the elderly, they tend to consume foods high in sodium, which can overload their blood volume.
2. The accumulation of abdominal fat and centripetal obesity in elderly people leads to hypertension.
3. Insulin resistance and secondary hyperinsulinemia are important factors contributing to hypertension in elderly individuals.
4. Elderly people have high sympathetic nervous activity and high levels of adrenaline in their blood, but it is not easily excreted.
The elderly hypertension is mostly benign, but because the elderly hypertension is generally accompanied by coronary heart disease, diabetes, obesity, etc., the quality of life of elderly hypertension patients has been affected to some extent. Therefore, caution must be exercised in the treatment of hypertension in the elderly.
1. In Western medicine treatment, medication is generally used due to the presence of complications and varying degrees of kidney function damage in the elderly. When using medication, not only should the efficacy of the medication be considered, but also its safety. In addition, the initial treatment usually involves patients taking small doses of medication.
2. From the perspective of traditional Chinese medicine treatment, it is generally believed that hypertensive patients have poor dietary and sleep habits, which lead to the occurrence of hypertension. Traditional Chinese medicine treatment not only uses medication, but also utilizes dietary therapy to stabilize the patient's condition.
Hypertension in the elderly reduces their quality of life and damages their physical health. Therefore, elderly patients with hypertension should take it seriously.
