Hypertension and alcohol

Is the hypertension can drink alcohol?

Opinions are divided. Some say absolutely not, because alcohol raises blood pressure, while others see no impediment to drink a glass of wine.


And how is it really?

It turns out that the consumption of alcohol results in a temporary drop in blood pressure of approx. 4 mm Hg, but approx. 6 hours following it increases again up to 7 mm Hg, and such a state continues for a long time.

We must also remember that alcohol is a calorie, his every play as many as 7 kcal, a small beer has 300 calories, 'extra calories carry too sweet drinks, which are used for the preparation of drinks, and, very often drinking alcohol accompanied by calorie, fatty snacks and food.

And from this comes kilos. and being overweight increases the risk of hypertension.

Warning! Small amounts of alcohol not only not harmful to health, but actually are indicated, but it helps to know exactly what that means.

According to the researchers, the standard daily alcohol consumption, which should not be exceeded, is 0.5-1 units of alcohol for women and 2 units for men.

This in turn means a glass of vodka (50 mL), wine (125 ml) and beer (300 ml).

Who is responsible for the treatment of hypertension?

If you have a problem with hypertension is to start with go to the family doctor.

The family doctor can help you:

- Identify risk factors for hypertension,

- Calculate cardiovascular risk (ie, to estimate how much in danger of heart attack, stroke)

- Motivate the necessary lifestyle changes,

- Choose an appropriate pharmacotherapy.

If you suffer from essential hypertension (spontaneous), changes in lifestyle and adjusted, and regular medication should solve the problem. If the effects of this procedure are miserable or if you suspect secondary hypertension, you should go to a specialist cardiology or preferably to specialist in the treatment of hypertension. In some cases, there is a need to stay in hospital for a thorough tested or perform surgery.

Basic study

The basic test to be carried out regularly at home, and save the results of a blood pressure measurement. In addition to the pressure, it is parallel to record heart rate. Heart rate is the undulating movement of the arteries, which the heart rate and flexibility of the arteries.

Most automated devices for measuring blood pressure is also a function of the HR. If your camera does not have this feature, you can try to measure your heart rate alone. To do this, look for the three fingers of his right hand on the pulse of the radial artery on the left, which is located in the left wrist. After feeling the pulse must count the number of strokes while looking at his watch for half a minute. Then the number of strokes should be multiplied by two. The result is a pulse per minute.

Proper heart rate

- In infants: 130 / min,
- In children: 100 / min,
- Adolescents: 85 / min,
- Adults: 70 / min,
- In the elderly: 60 / min.

Further research

At the time of diagnosis of hypertension, ie when a person first learns that he has hypertension, perform the following laboratory tests:

- Complete blood count,

- Potassium

- Fasting glucose.

- Lipids: total cholesterol, HDL (good), LDL (bad), triglycerides TG)

- Uric acid, creatinine, estimate the size of the glomerular filtration rate (GFR)

- urine test.

Some of these tests may be carried out regularly to monitor drug treatment. Besides laboratory tests are very important ECG (electrocardiogram) and X-ray (roentgen) chest.

All these tests may order and interpret the family doctor. Moreover, when the family doctor suspected secondary hypertension may have performed abdominal ultrasonography, eg. In order to evaluate kidney and adrenal glands.

There are many specialized applied research by doctors.

The most important of these include:

- Overpressure holter, holter ECG
- Ultrasound of the heart,
- Stress test,
- Ultrasound of carotid arteries,
- The study of renal arteries: angiography CT angiography NMR
- Computed tomography (CT) of the abdomen (evaluation of the kidneys, adrenal glands and other organs).

Specialized tests are reserved only for difficult cases. The family doctor of the study commission can not. The exact their discussion is beyond the scope of this guide.

Four types of hypertension

There are four medical concepts associated with hypertension, the meaning of which is good to know.

White coat hypertension

This concept was introduced by a prominent American doctorT.G. Pickering in 1988. We recognize them when the measurements in the doctor's office are equal to or higher than 140/90 mm Hg, and in measuring twenty-four hour a day do not exceed 135/85 mm Hg. The phenomenon of higher blood pressure in the doctor's office than outside it is quite common and it is estimated that it may affect up to 30% of the population. A common cause is stress associated with a visit to the doctor.

Resistant hypertension

Hypertension susceptibility to the drug is variable and depends on many factors, such as diet, type and dose of drugs, cause hypertension. When the patient consistently adopted appropriately selected in the full three doses of drugs (and including diuretic) for at least four weeks, and yet maintain a pressure above 140/90 mm Hg, it is called a resistant hypertension treatment. When this occurs, you always have to look for its cause. Often the cause turns out to be secondary hypertension.

Falsely resistant hypertension

You should check whether the equipment used to measure blood pressure is credible. The cause of abnormal, high yields tend to errors when measuring blood pressure, for example. Too large arm circumference with standard cuff, shoulder arranged below the heart, unsupported back, counter measuring not at eye investigator, too slow deflation of the cuff and so on.

In the case of cameras on batteries inflated measurements can be caused by low batteries (if in doubt, measuring, replace them with new ones).

Malignant hypertension

Malignant hypertension is characterized by very high pressures, usually in excess of 180/110 mm Hg, the changes at the bottom of the eyes (visible in the study ophthalmoscopy - carried out by an ophthalmologist) in the form of bruising, floods and fires transudate. Sometimes there is a development of the swelling of the optic disc. They are developing the changes in other internal organs as impaired renal function and disorders of the central nervous system.

Malignant hypertension is now hardly found.

It occurred in the old days when there were available effective drugs that lower blood pressure.

If left untreated, hypertension can lead to transformation into malignant form. Malignant hypertension is a condition in need of treatment in a hospital.