Hypertension Symptoms Similar to the signs of menopause, women need to know

KOMPAS.com – Some women may develop high blood pressure or high blood pressure in middle age.

Unfortunately, not all women take medications because the condition is often undiagnosed or misinterpreted as a sign of menopause.

Quoted by Daily healthResearch shows that many middle-aged women can live with undiagnosed hypertension.

Read also: Relationship between stress, hypertension and blood sugar levels

Hypertension symptoms that are mistaken for menopause

According to the magazine published in European Heart Journall In January 2021, there was a case of untreated hypertension in a middle-aged woman because doctors focused on the signs experienced by men.

Meanwhile, the symptoms of cardiovascular disease in women are similar to the signs of menopause.

It is known that there are several symptoms of hypertension, which are actually associated with menopause, such as:

• chest pain
• fatigue
• headache
• palpitations
• sleep disorders

Also, these symptoms appear in middle age, before menstruation stops.

Narrowing of the great arteries or renal artery stenosis is also rare in women between the ages of 40 and 50.

The absence of narrowing of the arteries has led some primary care physicians to conclude too quickly that the health problems experienced by women are not a symptom of hypertension, but a sign of menopause.

“Common symptoms of menopause include night sweats, hot flashes, rapid or irregular heartbeat, and even chest pain,” Angela Maas, MD, PhD, a cardiologist at Radboud University Medical Center in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, tells Bustle. Daily health.

“This can be difficult to distinguish from cardiovascular disease symptoms associated with coronary artery spasm (heart attack without a blockage in the artery),” he added.

Read also: 19 foods to lower high blood pressure

How to prevent hypertension

Cardiovascular diseases such as hypertension are often considered a silent killer whose symptoms are diagnosed late.

However, women can prevent hypertension before middle age by adopting a healthy lifestyle, as follows:

1. Stop smoking
2. Take care of your weight
3. Train for 150 minutes a week, start with light exercises like walking
4. Sit less and move more
5. Eat foods that can support heart health, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, poultry, fish, non-tropical vegetable oils (olive oil, corn, canola).
6. Limit your intake of red meat, processed meats, whole milk dairy products, fried foods, sodium, and sugary drinks
7. Manage stress by doing things you enjoy, such as taking a walk, doing art, listening to music, practicing yoga or the spa
8. Set a regular time to go to sleep and wake up

Read also: Cinnamon can overcome cholesterol and hypertension after eating meat

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