Cardiovascular Diseases Hypertension (Hypertension)

Cardiovascular Diseases: Hypertension (Hypertension)

Many people associate the word "hypertension" with high blood pressure. It actually means "abnormally high muscle tone." High blood pressure is referred to by a similar word - "hypertension".

There are several types of high blood pressure:

1. General high arterial blood pressure.

2. Abnormally high blood pressure in the lungs.

3. High venous blood pressure in the portal vein of the liver (portal hypertension).

All of these types of high blood pressure have different causes and cause different diseases. Let's take a closer look at general high blood pressure in the body.

To understand the mechanism of its occurrence, you need to understand how blood circulates throughout the body. The human circulatory system consists of:

1. Heart (pump that moves fluid)
2. Arteries and veins (pipes through which blood moves)
3. Capillaries (very small tubes between arteries and veins)

The heart pumps blood into the arterial system, creating increased pressure in it, due to which the blood moves to the capillaries. This pressure is not enough to push blood through the capillaries themselves, since they are very narrow.

The movement of blood through the capillaries is ensured by two mechanisms:

1. Pumping work of the heart.

2. An electrical charge on red blood cells (erythrocytes) that causes them to repel each other.

In addition, the movement of blood is facilitated by various muscle contractions and vibrations in the body.

So, blood pressure may increase for the following reasons:

1. Narrowing of the arteries themselves (spasms)

2. Decreased red blood cell charge

3. Spasm of muscles or organs

4. Clogging of connective tissue with waste, which impedes gas exchange and blood movement

Understanding these mechanisms makes it possible to effectively combat hypertension.