The Hidden Danger of High Blood Pressure: A Real-Life Stroke Case

james is 45 years old and has been diagnosed with high blood pressure for several years, which has remained at 160~180 mmHg, but he did not take it seriously and did not even take much medicine.

He felt that high blood pressure had not affected his normal life. He should still eat and drink every day, and he also went to work normally.

The accident happened last week, when Mr. james went downstairs for a walk with his neighbors after dinner in the evening, suddenly feeling dizzy and weak during the process, and then he couldn’t stand and fell to the ground.

After being sent to the hospital, he was diagnosed with a brainstem hemorrhage, and his entire body lost consciousness and his life could be in danger at any time. And the reason why he had brainstem bleeding is directly related to the long-term lack of attention to blood pressure control!

1. How high is blood pressure that can cause cerebral hemorrhage?

Cerebral hemorrhage is a disease in which blood leaks into the brain from a ruptured blood vessel in the brain, which can be disabling and lethal if it occurs. Cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction are collectively referred to as cerebral stroke, in which the incidence of cerebral hemorrhage is significantly lower than that of cerebral infarction, but the fatality rate and disability rate are much higher than those of cerebral infarction.

Hypertension is an important risk factor for the development of cerebral hemorrhage , Long-term hypertension will harden the arteries throughout the body, especially the tiny blood vessels in the brain that will gradually lose their elasticity. In this case, once the blood pressure rises, the microvessels can easily rupture, which in turn induces cerebral hemorrhage.

There is currently no clear numerical limit of blood pressure clinically to predict the occurrence of cerebral hemorrhage, but it is clear that Grade 3 severe hypertension ≥180/110mmHg is very dangerous , can induce lesions in multiple organs throughout the body and require immediate treatment. It should be reminded that blood vessels also have limits to the pressure they can withstand Reaching or exceeding 250/140 mmHg is the limit , can directly induce cardiovascular and cerebrovascular emergencies leading to sudden death.

But high blood pressure does not necessarily lead to cerebral hemorrhage, and whether blood vessels rupture is directly related to vascular elasticity, which is related to age and blood pressure. As the age increases, the inner wall of the blood vessel itself tends to deposit lipids and cause the blood vessel to gradually harden. If the blood pressure is still not well controlled, the progression of the disease will be further accelerated.

2. If you don’t want cerebral hemorrhage, patients with high blood pressure should avoid 4 kinds of food

Hypertensive cerebral hemorrhage is one of the most serious complications of hypertension, which has a sudden onset and critical condition with an extremely high rate of lethality and disability. Prior to onset, the patient may have severe headache manifestations, after which symptoms such as vomiting and limb weakness as well as disturbance of consciousness begin to appear.

If patients with hypertension want to prevent the occurrence of cerebral hemorrhage, in addition to actively taking medication as directed by their doctor, they also need to control their diet. They must eat less of these foods.

1. High sodium foods

After ingesting an excess of sodium, the body, in order to excrete sodium, will allow the body’s water to move out of the cell. And after the water spreads to the tissue spaces and blood vessels, it will cause an increase in volume, and the heart needs more force to maintain blood circulation, which in turn will allow the blood pressure to rise. And “excessive sodium intake will increase renin secretion, place a greater burden on the kidneys, and lead to an increase in blood pressure”.

2. Fried food

Fried foods contain large amounts of fat and are all a mixture of unsaturated fatty acids and saturated fats, where saturated fats increase cholesterol levels, causing vascular endothelial damage. And “food will produce a large number of free radicals during the frying process, which is extremely harmful to health after eating”.

3. High-sugar foods

A high-sugar diet can increase LDL cholesterol levels and accelerate the process of arteriosclerosis, which can induce cerebral hemorrhage and cerebral infarction.

4. Alcoholic food

When alcohol enters the body, it will increase the burden on the liver, and it can also easily lead to an increase in blood pressure and an increase in heart rate. Long-term high blood pressure will put the heart under greater pressure and increase the chance of cerebral hemorrhage to a certain extent.

3. Harvard Medical School gives suggestions to teach you to stay away from cerebral hemorrhage

In recent years, there has been an increasing number of cases of cerebral hemorrhage, with a tendency to become younger. According to data in the “China Cardiovascular Health and Disease Report 2022” , There are currently 245 million hypertensive patients in my country, and the incidence rate among people over 65 years old is close to half.

And hypertension is very closely related to cerebral hemorrhage, which occurs in about 1/3 of patients. Among patients with clinically confirmed cerebral hemorrhage, the About 95% have a history of hypertension . People with high blood pressure who want to prevent cerebral hemorrhage should do these few things.

1. Move

As long as you move, it will bring health benefits, it is recommended to keep exercising at least 5 days a week for half an hour each time. You have to choose what your body can bear and like in sports, otherwise it will be difficult to stick to it.

2. Lose weight

Obesity is directly related to a variety of diseases, including hypertension, hyperlipidemia, diabetes, etc., while these chronic diseases are also directly related to arteriosclerosis, cerebral hemorrhage, cerebral infarction, etc. Timely weight loss can help reduce the risk of multiple diseases.

3. Quit smoking and drinking

When tobacco and alcohol enter the body, they will put greater pressure on the blood vessels and increase the risk of vascular diseases, but also increase the risk of various diseases such as liver disease and lung disease. For the sake of your health, be sure to quit smoking and drinking as soon as possible.

4. Control blood pressure

Hypertension is a direct risk factor for the occurrence of stroke. Patients diagnosed with hypertension must actively take medication to coordinate with daily conditioning and control their blood pressure within a stable range.

5. Breathe deeply

People who are chronically stressed and live irregularly are prone to vasoconstriction and increase blood pressure, and also increase the risk of many diseases. Learn to release stress, take more deep breaths, and stay emotionally stable on a daily basis.

High blood pressure will have all-round effects on the body, don’t feel like you can just leave it alone without symptoms! It may well be too late to pay attention until the symptoms appear.

Disclaimer: All photos used in this blog are generated by artificial intelligence (AI). These images are original creations produced by AI technology and do not depict real people, places, or events. They are provided for illustrative purposes only and cannot be claimed or used as real photographs.