The World Health Organization points to arterial hypertension as the main risk factor for cardiovascular disease. And Spain is no exception. The latest official data from the National Institute of Statistics (INE), from 2015, reported more than 12,000 deaths from hypertension and a study published in the Spanish Journal of Cardiology indicated that the disease affects 42.6% of adults. It also indicated that 37.4% of the population is unaware that they have it. And that more and more children contract this disease.
With the arrival of high temperatures, people with hypertension should take even more precautions. One of the main problems that physicians observe during the summer is adherence, that is, adherence by the patient to the treatment that has been prescribed. Many patients, seeing that their blood pressure drops due to the weather, become confident and stop taking the medication. By doing so, their blood pressure rises and this has consequences for the cardiovascular system, among others, explains Miquel Camafort, an internal medicine doctor in the arterial hypertension unit of the Hospital Clínic.
One of the most vulnerable population groups is over 70 years, where the percentage of hypertensives is very high. During the summer season, the chances of suffering dizziness due to the drop in pressure in summer or even some kind of fainting increase. "That is why we have to be very attentive when it comes to seeing if the pressure drops a lot or not, especially in very hot seasons," the doctor emphasizes.
If, due to the change in temperature, a hypertensive patient is tempted to stop taking the medication, the doctor recommends going to the consultation first. In this way, the medication will be adapted to his personal situation. “We are like the tailors of yesteryear”, says Camafort as an analogy and explains that they not only take into account blood pressure, but also other types of diseases that the patient may suffer or even his social circumstances.
When the high temperatures approach, the medical staff begins to call the most vulnerable patients to adapt the treatment for them. Camafort highlights the importance of the pedagogy carried out by the health workers from the consultations so that the medication is continued. "We can adapt it, but not leave it," he emphasizes. Hypertensives who have a drop in blood pressure with symptoms, such as dizziness, should also go to their health center.
In addition to maintaining the medication (or modifying it under medical prescription), it is also key to eat a diet low in sodium and rich in potassium. It must be taken into account that when summer arrives, the patient must avoid dehydration and loss of electrolytes. Thus, diuretics are reduced to people who have a tendency to these losses. If the patient presents additional problems, such as heart failure (in which excessive hydration can be harmful), they try to adapt the recommendations to their situation.
Although arterial hypertension is related to a genetic component, this group "does not even reach 2%" of all those affected, says Dr. Camafort. On the other hand, most hypertensive people contract the disease due to a combination of factors such as a sedentary lifestyle (not doing any exercise), smoking, excess alcohol, an inadequate diet or obesity, explains the doctor.
To avoid reaching this point, the recommendations are clear. First of all, avoid excess salt and inadequate nutrition. The ideal is a varied and balanced diet with a preponderance of vegetables and fruits as proposed by the Mediterranean diet, with little presence of red meat and fish as the preferred animal protein. So are low-fat dairy, plenty of fruit and vegetables, and whole grains. "Wholegrain bread is very beneficial," says the doctor. Physical exercise is also important: the minimum is to walk at least half an hour a day.
Another important point is that the person who is obese is aware that it would be positive to lose weight. In addition, from the age of 40 is when hypertension usually appears. Camafort recommends taking your blood pressure somewhere you trust, such as a pharmacy, an outpatient clinic, or buying a device to see if your blood pressure exceeds the figure (140/90 blood pressure).
