This is an automatically translated article.
The article was professionally consulted with Doctor Cardiologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital.
In young people, hypertension is often discovered incidentally during routine physical examination. The cause of high blood pressure in young people can be due to a medical condition or their lifestyle. Therefore, the treatment of hypertension in young people by lifestyle changes and comorbidities is often preferred.
1. What are the causes of high blood pressure in young people?
In the elderly, up to 95% of patients with hypertension have no known cause and only about 5% have a cause. However, the rate of high blood pressure in young people with a cause is higher than in the elderly, and hypertension in young people is not accompanied by symptoms, the disease is discovered by chance during routine physical examination. .
Causes of high blood pressure in young people can come from:
Kidney diseases: adrenal myeloma, chronic kidney disease, renal artery stenosis, acute and chronic glomerulonephritis, kidney stones, .. .; Endocrine diseases: Cushing's syndrome, hyperthyroidism, hyperaldosteronism, hormonal imbalance,...; Due to the use of drugs: oral contraceptives, licorice,...; Pregnancy toxicity. Or physical, mental, lifestyle, and dietary factors such as:
Excessive alcohol consumption; Stress, chronic mental stress; Eat a lot of sodium; Excessive weight; Using stimulants: cocaine, tobacco,...; Lazy exercise.
2. How to treat high blood pressure in young people?
If there are no diseases that cause hypertension, the treatment of hypertension in young people is often preferred to use non-pharmacological measures because the ability to recover from damage is better than that of the elderly, so the treatment prognosis is better. quite tall.
In addition, early detection and treatment of high blood pressure in young people will reduce the risk of heart damage, sexual dysfunction and some other organs or life-threatening diseases such as heart disease. , stroke and kidney disease,...
2.1. Treatment of hypertension in young adults by maintaining an appropriate weight
Weight loss is one of the most effective ways to treat high blood pressure in young people. In general, for every kilogram of weight you lose, you can reduce your blood pressure by about 1 mmHg.
There are many methods to lose weight and sometimes you need to combine them to achieve the ideal weight. Here are some quick weight loss tips you can try:
Cut down on sugar and starches or carbohydrates; Combine meals with protein sources, healthy fats, complex carbs, and vegetables; Add low-calorie vegetables; Practice endurance exercises. 2.2. Treat young hypertension with the DASH diet If you have high blood pressure, a diet rich in whole grains, vegetables, fruits, and low-fat dairy products, eliminates saturated fat and cholesterol. can lower your blood pressure by up to 11 mmHg. This eating plan is called the DASH diet.
However, changing eating habits is not an easy thing to do. You can apply these tips to have a healthy diet:
Food diary: Record what you eat, even for just a week. Keep track of what you eat, when and how much you eat, and why you eat it; Consider getting more potassium: Potassium can reduce the impact of sodium on your blood pressure. You can best get more potassium through foods like: Fruits and vegetables, rather than supplements. You can ask your doctor about the best level of potassium you need to supplement; Shop smart: Get in the habit of looking at food labels when shopping, and even if you're eating out, try to stick to a healthy eating plan.
2.3. Eating less sodium helps lower blood pressure
Even with a small reduction in dietary sodium, you can expect to lose about 5 to 6 mmHg if you have high blood pressure. The recommended daily salt intake for young people is 2400mg or less.
To treat blood pressure in young people through reducing sodium in the diet, consider the following tips:
Limit foods with high sodium concentrations such as pickled foods, seasonings, etc. .; Eat less processed foods: Only small amounts of sodium occur naturally in foods. Most of the sodium is added to food during processing; Don't add salt: each teaspoon of salt contains 2,300 mg of sodium; Reduce gradually: Reducing sodium in your diet suddenly can be overwhelming, so reduce it gradually to let your taste change over time. 2.4. Exercise regularly Exercising regularly - about 150 minutes a week or about 30 minutes on most days of the week can lower your blood pressure by about 5 to 8 mmHg if you have high blood pressure. However, your blood pressure can rise again if you don't exercise consistently and regularly.
You can try activities by cycling, walking, jogging, dancing, swimming. Or try high-intensity interval training, which involves alternating short bursts of intense activity with subsequent recovery periods of lighter activity. Strength training can also help lower blood pressure. Try to do strength training exercises at least two days per week.
2.5. Limit alcohol consumption to treat high blood pressure in young people Alcohol can be healthy if consumed in moderation, but if you consume too much alcohol that effect will wear off. Blood pressure can rise by several mmHg if you drink more than a moderate amount of alcohol, and it can also decrease the effectiveness of blood pressure medications.
2.6. Reduce your stress Chronic stress can contribute directly to high blood pressure or through your response to stress by eating unhealthy foods, drinking alcohol, or smoking. So implementing methods to reduce stress, although not the recommended treatment for high blood pressure in young people like the above, will also make an important contribution to your high blood pressure.
Take a moment to think about the causes of your stress and see if there are ways you can address these causes to reduce or eliminate stress. If not, you can at least deal with them in a healthier way. Try to:
Change your expectations: For example, plan your day and focus on prioritizing things first, avoiding trying to do too much. Learn to say no when necessary. Not all problems can be changed or controlled, sometimes accept them and learn to respond appropriately to them; Prioritize the resolution you control; Stay away from stressors if possible; Relax fit, do the activities you love. Or practice breathing meditation; Practice Gratitude: Expressing your gratitude to others and the things you own can help relieve stress. => Advice from Doctor Cardiologist - Department of Medical Examination & Internal Medicine - Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital: Detecting and treating high blood pressure in young people early to reduce the risk of heart damage, sexual and other organ dysfunction, or life-threatening conditions such as heart disease, stroke, and kidney disease.
Vinmec Hai Phong International General Hospital is a high-quality medical address with a team of doctors with many years of experience in the profession. In addition, the hospital also has a system of modern equipment to serve the treatment process better. Therefore, when there is a health problem, the patient can completely go to Vinmec Hai Phong for examination and treatment
Above are a few ways to treat high blood pressure in young people without using drugs, but if you think the cause Your high blood pressure comes from a medical condition, in addition to being able to apply the above methods, contact your doctor to find out the real cause of your high blood pressure and the most appropriate treatment. .
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