High blood pressure in women is often dangerously underestimated

Hypertension: women with higher age at greater risk than men
About 20 to 30 million Germans have hypertension. However, although women are more vulnerable to aging than men, hypertension is still often underestimated. According to experts, the previous educational work has so far been geared primarily to men.

Many high blood pressure patients are not treated
In Germany, around 20 to 30 million suffer from hypertension. If left untreated, severe sequelae such as heart attack and stroke are at risk. But: "Meanwhile, the proportion of hypertensive patients who are treated to lower blood pressure has risen to two-thirds, controlled treatment is still 50 percent," explains Professor. med. Bernhard Krämer, Chairman of the German High Pressure League e. V. (DHL) in a communication on World Hypertension Day 2017 on May 17. But this also means that around a quarter of people with hypertension are not treated at all and the other half are not enough. Especially in women, hypertension is often underestimated.

High blood pressure in women is still often underestimated. And that although women are more at risk than men as they age. Those affected often have to be treated for a lifetime.
(Image: one / fotolia.com)

Typical male ailments
Hypertension and myocardial infarction were formerly considered to be typically male sufferings: the patient - so the popular picture - has "worked" his high pressure through professional stress quasi and then fueled by alcohol and nicotine, writes DHL in a recent report.

For women, hypertension was often not considered or recognized too late. Women are even more at risk than men as they age.

Especially menopausal women are often more susceptible to hypertension.

Women with higher age at greater risk than men
"From the age of 65, high blood pressure is more commonly diagnosed in women than in men," explains Dr. med. Ute Seeland from the Institute for Gender Research in Medicine at the Berlin Charité.

Meanwhile, even some risk factors are known that must be considered as typical female. Thus, the risk of hypertension increases to two to three times when women take the pill and, for example, are overweight.

Hypertension during pregnancy also increases the risk of developing overt hypertension within ten years.

"The affected women must urgently be perceived as a risk group. With education campaigns, these should be specifically addressed and participate in studies on cardiovascular risk assessment, "Dr. zealand.

The previous education work - for example smoking - was especially geared towards men.

Do not overestimate hormonal protection
One reason women have long been neglected as a target group is female estrogen-mediated vascular protection. In middle age, therefore, women are actually less likely to develop high blood pressure than men.

But the hormonal protective effect should not be overestimated. Zealand. "If 77 percent of hypertensive patients have already passed the menopause, that means that 23 percent are affected before the menopause," said the Charité doctor.

The expert also points out another reason why high blood pressure in women must be given special consideration: "Women live longer on average than men on average, which is why the phase of the sequelae seen for life is usually longer in women than in men."

Hypertension sometimes needs to be treated for life
The diagnosis of "high blood pressure" is a condition that must be treated consistently and long-term - sometimes for a lifetime.

In order to lower the blood pressure, one does not have to fall back on medicines in all cases. Often, a healthier lifestyle and home remedies for hypertension also help.

Basically recommended are smoking cessation, adequate exercise, a low-salt diet and the avoidance of obesity.

In addition, relaxation exercises such as yoga or autogenic training for stress relief can be very effective and positively influence high blood pressure values.

Some home remedies such as Kneipp's treatments can provide good support. But in some patients, neither natural measures nor remedies help. (Ad)