What is the standard for hypertension in my country in 2020? 5 major rumors about hypertension! Debunked one by one

In 2020, the latest "Hypertension Guidelines" were released. The criteria for judging hypertension in our country have not changed, but the classification of hypertension has changed.

1. The blood pressure standards currently used in my country and Europe:

China Hypertension Guidelines

Normal blood pressure: systolic 90-120mmHg and diastolic 60-80mmHgmmHg;

Normal high value: high pressure 120 ~ 139mmHg and (or) low pressure 80 ~ 89mmHg;

Hypertension: systolic pressure ≥140mmHg and/or diastolic pressure ≥90mmHg.

That is to say, in our country and Europe, hypertension should be considered for diagnosis if the high blood pressure is ≥140mmHg and/or the low blood pressure is ≥90mmHg.

However, the blood pressure standard for Americans is lower than ours. The standard for hypertension in the United States is systolic pressure ≥130mmHg and/or diastolic pressure ≥80mmHg.

Second, the classification of hypertension has also changed

The old guidelines stipulate that hypertension is divided into 3 levels:

120-139/80-89 is considered high normal blood pressure;

140-159/90-99, grade 1 hypertension;

160-179/100-109 is considered stage 2 hypertension;

Greater than 180/110 is considered stage 3 hypertension.

The latest hypertension guidelines in May 2020 cancelled the grade 3 hypertension and referred to grade 2 and grade 3 hypertension as grade 2 hypertension. That is, hypertension will be divided into two grades, grade 1 hypertension and grade 2 hypertension. All grade 2 hypertension are more serious hypertension.

3. Misconceptions about Hypertension

1. Diagnose hypertension after measuring blood pressure once

In terms of diagnosing hypertension, high blood pressure in the clinic only once cannot be used to diagnose hypertension. Usually 2 to 3 measurements in the clinic are required every 1 to 4 weeks (depending on the blood pressure level) to confirm the diagnosis of hypertension. The previous requirement was that the blood pressure was higher than 140/90 three times on different days. Now the different days have been changed to 1-4 weeks, which means that more time is given to exclude other factors that interfere with the temporary increase in blood pressure.

Home blood pressure monitoring or 24-hour dynamic blood pressure monitoring is more recommended, which is more accurate than clinic blood pressure, that is, hospital monitoring station.

The diagnostic standard for hypertension when measuring blood pressure at home is ≥135/85mmHg, which corresponds to 140/90mmHg in the clinic. In other words, when measuring blood pressure at home, ≥135/85mmHg is considered hypertension!

The diagnostic criteria for hypertension after ambulatory blood pressure monitoring are:

Average high/low blood pressure 24h ≥ 130/80mmHg;

≥ 135/85 mmHg during the day;

≥120/70mmHg at night.

2. High blood pressure does not require treatment if you do not feel any discomfort

Many people think that high blood pressure will cause dizziness, headaches, and head swelling. In fact, most people with high blood pressure do not have these symptoms. Most people do not feel anything when they have high blood pressure. They only find out when they actively measure their blood pressure. Or when they have already had other diseases or complications of high blood pressure, they are discovered.

The absence of symptoms in high blood pressure does not mean that there is no harm. We often see patients with cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, myocardial infarction, heart failure, and renal failure. In fact, most of them are caused by long-term uncontrolled high blood pressure. Therefore, to detect high blood pressure, you must measure it frequently and cannot rely on your feelings. Secondly, if you find high blood pressure, whether you feel it or not, you must find a way to lower your blood pressure to normal levels.

3. Antihypertensive drugs are the only way to lower blood pressure

When it comes to lowering blood pressure, most people think that only antihypertensive drugs can lower blood pressure. In fact, this is not the case. There are two ways to lower blood pressure. One is to live a healthy life, which is the basis of lowering blood pressure and is suitable for all people with high blood pressure. The other is antihypertensive drugs. Whether you take antihypertensive drugs or not, you have to live a healthy life.

A low-salt diet, regular exercise, weight control, avoiding late nights, reducing stress, and staying away from alcohol and tobacco can all help lower blood pressure. For newly diagnosed stage 1 hypertension, if there are no complications, medication is not necessary. By lowering blood pressure through the above methods, many people can eventually achieve normal blood pressure.

4. Once you start taking antihypertensive drugs, you have to take them for life

Some people say that high blood pressure is addictive and once you start taking it, you can't stop. In fact, it's not that antihypertensive drugs can cause addiction, but if our blood pressure can't be controlled to normal through a healthy lifestyle, we can only take medicine. Because if we don't take medicine, the result is long-term high blood pressure, which will lead to heart, brain, kidney and other diseases. If we can lower our blood pressure to normal through a healthy lifestyle, then we don't need to take antihypertensive drugs. Even some people who are taking antihypertensive drugs have their blood pressure getting better and better through weight loss, low salt, regular work and rest, exercise, etc., and antihypertensive drugs can eventually be stopped.

5. Antihypertensive drugs are toxic and can damage the liver and kidneys

Many people with high blood pressure are disgusted by taking antihypertensive drugs, believing that they have toxic side effects and can damage the liver and kidneys. In fact, no antihypertensive drug can directly damage the liver and kidneys. On the contrary, if you do not take antihypertensive drugs and allow blood pressure to continue to rise, it will cause damage to the heart, brain and kidneys. Moreover, all drugs have side effects to a greater or lesser extent, but side effects can be controlled and only occur in a very small number of people. If blood pressure is not controlled, it will almost certainly cause damage to the heart, brain and kidneys!

In short, whether we have high blood pressure or not, we must monitor our blood pressure and not rely on our feelings. If you already have high blood pressure, you must actively control it. If you don’t have high blood pressure, you must live a healthy life and prevent high blood pressure.