Systemic arterial hypertension – popularly known as “high blood pressure” – is a disease that attacks blood vessels, heart, brain, eyes and can cause kidney failure, according to the Ministry of Health. The condition is characterized by frequent blood pressure above 140 by 90 mmHg (14.9) and affects around 45% of Brazilians, being one of the main causes of death in the country.
Despite affecting a large part of the national population, hypertension is difficult to notice in its initial stages, since 50% of cases do not have atypical symptoms, as highlighted by Dr. Marcelo Pinho, a Cardiology professional at AmorSaúde.
“Hypertension is very silent, rarely diagnosed by symptoms. Normally, when the patient discovers it, they have already been developing this disease for some time. Depending on the time in which the patient seeks care, hypertension may be too advanced to begin to develop. control phase — because there is no cure — and this can lead the patient to have other diseases, such as heart failure, kidney failure, worsening diabetes and other things that will hinder their coexistence in society”, explains the professional.
Although the symptoms of hypertension are silent, one of the most common signs of the disease is the high frequency of pain in the head region. In these cases, the headache usually appears when the pressure is above 180/120 mmHg. In addition to being a symptom, there are reports of cases of such acute pain in the region that they end up influencing an increase in blood pressure and worsening cases of hypertension.
In most cases, a high blood pressure headache allows the patient to feel an increase in blood pressure, causing the arteries that pass through the back of the neck to hurt, and thus causing the pain to spread throughout the head. The pain tends to affect both sides of the head, throbbing.
If the patient suspects that their headache may be related to hypertension, care must be taken with self-medication and that a professional in the area be consulted before taking any medication. The doctor may recommend blood pressure medications for the patient, if there is improvement, the suspicion is true.
It is worth noting that hypertension headache is capable of causing a series of additional problems, ranging from physical to emotional, work-related, social and economic discomfort, as highlighted in the headache collection of the Federal University of Santa Catarina (UFSC).
Considering the peaks of hypertension, pain tends to appear in moments of stress, or when taking medications or drugs. Therefore, when faced with suspected hypertension and episodes of frequent throbbing headaches, it is important to consult a doctor so that this can be investigated. and other symptoms, so that hypertension can be diagnosed and treated correctly, by changing routine and medication, if prescribed by the specialist.
In addition to having headache as the most common symptom, the following are signs of hypertension:
– Weakness;
– Headaches;
– Chest pain;
– Dizziness;
– Blurry vision;
– Ringing in the ear;
– Nosebleeds.
Attention to these signs is a decisive factor for the early diagnosis and effective treatment of hypertensive patients. Although there is no cure for the condition, high blood pressure can be controlled, as long as it is diagnosed early. According to PAHO, this is why routine exams are so important, considering that most cases of hypertension are almost asymptomatic. According to the institution, knowing and controlling the disease can save more than 420,000 lives per year in the Americas.
