Severe Cold Wave, Beware of Hypertension the 'Silent Killer'

No Clear Awareness Symptoms, Consistent Medication and Lifestyle Improvement Needed

Hypertension is a condition that requires extra caution during the winter months when cold waves hit. [Image source=Clipart Korea]

[Asia Economy Yeongnam Reporting Headquarters Reporter Kim Yong-woo] The cold "silent killer." This is a phrase that comes to mind in the medical field when the harsh cold of midwinter arrives.

We often hear news of deaths from heart attacks due to winter cold. During midwinter, when temperatures drop below freezing, the number of patients visiting emergency rooms for heart diseases surges.

In particular, hypertensive patients in winter need to pay close attention to heart diseases such as angina and myocardial infarction, as well as cerebrovascular diseases like cerebral hemorrhage.

Deaths from cardiovascular diseases caused by hypertension increase from October as the weather gets colder, peaking between January and February. It is known that the mortality rate in winter is on average 33% higher than in summer.

The correlation between temperature and mortality generally shows a 'U' shape. Cardiovascular mortality is lowest at temperatures between 15 and 20℃, and for every 1℃ drop or rise from this range, the mortality rate increases by 1%.

The sharp increase in cardiovascular deaths due to hypertension in winter is because our bodies are suddenly exposed to cold air, activating the sympathetic nervous system, causing peripheral arteries to constrict, which raises blood pressure and increases the burden on the heart.

As the heart rate also rises and blood pressure increases, the incidence of cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases goes up.

Generally, adults aged 18 and over are diagnosed with hypertension when blood pressure is 140mmHg/90mmHg or higher. Hypertension is the most common circulatory disease, including the heart and blood vessels.

In South Korea, it is known that 20-30% of adults aged 45 and older have hypertension.

More than 90% of hypertensive patients do not know the cause of their condition. This is called essential hypertension. Common risk factors for hypertension include old age, obesity, salty food intake, smoking, stress, and family history.

Especially, if both parents have hypertension, more than 46% of their children develop hypertension, and the incidence is relatively high if there is a family history of hypertension.

The reason hypertension must be watched carefully is that it has no clear symptoms. Therefore, hypertension is often called the "silent killer." The most useful way to detect hypertension is to regularly measure blood pressure and check your blood pressure status.

Most hypertensive patients require lifelong blood pressure treatment and management. In particular, once hypertension develops, it is essential to improve daily lifestyle habits. Managing weight to maintain an appropriate body weight, eating food as blandly as possible, quitting smoking and alcohol, exercising regularly, and reducing stress all help control blood pressure.

If blood pressure cannot be controlled through lifestyle changes or if blood pressure is very high, medication is used to control it, and sometimes multiple medications must be taken together to manage blood pressure.

If hypertension is left untreated, it damages vital organs such as the heart, brain, and kidneys. Hypertension worsens arteriosclerosis, causing cholesterol to accumulate inside blood vessels, which can severely block the vessels.

When blood vessels are blocked, ischemic heart disease occurs in the heart, and the heart has to work harder to pump blood throughout the body. This eventually leads to decreased heart function. Moreover, if blood vessels leading to the brain are blocked, a stroke occurs, and in cases of very high blood pressure, cerebral hemorrhage caused by ruptured brain vessels can also happen.

Kim Soo-hyung, head of the Cardiovascular Center at Daedong Hospital (specialist in cardiology), said, "Hypertension requires continuous management by a specialist who can regularly check the patient's blood pressure status and follow the doctor's treatment and instructions," emphasizing, "Some patients stop medication because their blood pressure is well controlled or for other reasons, but this is very dangerous."

Hypertensive patients should avoid going out as much as possible during the cold winter winds. If they must go out, they should wear warm clothes and try to keep their body and face warm.

Exercise or hiking in cold weather is prohibited, and if symptoms such as chest tightness, pain, or difficulty breathing occur while going out or exercising, they should immediately visit the nearest hospital.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.