Hello, my problem is this: a month ago at night I had a rapid heartbeat - 120 beats, and my blood pressure was 170-100
I visited my GP, they did an EKG, thyroid hormone test, ultrasound and other blood tests. All results were good and did not indicate any problem. Some days I had 150-100 blood and my heart rate was 80-90
Currently I normalized it around 140-90, but since 5-6 days I have discomfort in the heart area and heaviness. I am 59 years old and have never had problems of this nature. So I don't know if I should go to the doctor again, or if this is some kind of temporary ailment that will go away with time
I read that the characteristic of a hypertensive crisis is that the heart pain comes on, and for me it is a constant heaviness on the left and from time to time it stabs me, I also have slight difficulty in deep breathing, as well as a slight headache. Everyone tells me it's on a nerve so I'd appreciate any advice on my problem
Tsvetanka Nedyalkova, city of Plovdiv
He is the head of the First Internal Department with an intensive cardiology and gastro sector in the IV MBAL - Sofia.
Dr. Pencheva, what characterizes a hypertensive crisis?
- Hypertensive crisis is characterized by a sudden, rapidly developing and usually significantly increased blood pressure, which is accompanied by typical clinical symptoms. It is one of the most common complications of hypertensive disease. It usually starts with a spasm that involves all the blood vessels. But at certain times, depending on the individuality of the organism, the crisis manifests itself with the constriction of the vessels of the brain, and at other times - of the coronary vessels of the heart.
What symptoms indicate the beginning of a hypertensive crisis?
- Hypertensive crisis can be of the first and second type. In the first case, it starts in the early stage of hypertension. It is usually found in relatively young and physically he althy people. The development of this disease is associated with experiences that lead to an increase in adrenaline. Such a crisis can last from a few minutes to a few hours. It begins with an increase in systolic blood pressure, which can reach 200-220 mm.
Then the palpitations appear, the headache begins to throb painfully in the temples. If urgent measures are not taken, vision is also impaired. In many cases, it leads to nausea and vomiting, the skin becomes moist and covered with red spots, the patient is drenched in cold sweat. If this happens to a person suffering from coronary atherosclerosis, he will feel the crisis with a sharp, cutting pain in the area of the heart.
Hypertensive crisis of the second type is characteristic of people who have already developed hypertension. In these patients, the diastolic pressure (lower limit) rises sharply - from 140 to 160. The reason - the sudden increase in the resistance of the peripheral blood vessels, known as spasm of the small peripheral arteries.
In this type of crisis, the clinical manifestations develop gradually, usually over several hours. The patient begins to complain of headache, lethargy, drowsiness, nausea, vomiting, deterioration of vision and hearing. A violation of skin sensitivity, burning in the area of the face, tongue and lips is often observed. Acute heart pain and shortness of breath may also occur.
The crisis of the second type is more dangerous, especially for the elderly, where the blood vessels have thinned. High blood pressure can tear the wall of one of them, leading to impaired cerebral circulation or myocardial infarction. With age-related changes in the heart and blood vessels, crises in old people are more severe than in young people, and are often prolonged and recurrent.
