Beware of the “silent killer”

(DN) - High blood pressure has long been considered a "silent killer" because the disease progresses silently, has few specific symptoms but leaves serious consequences.

Doctor Ngo Thuy Hang, Hoan My Dong Nai Hospital, examines a patient with severe complications due to high blood pressure. Photo: Hanh Dung

Worryingly, this disease is showing a tendency to become younger and is no longer a concern only for the elderly.

Rejuvenation of hypertension

Two years ago, Mr. D.DHN (38 years old, living in Binh Minh commune, Dong Nai province) knew he had high blood pressure, but due to his subjective mentality and fear of having to take blood pressure medication for life, Mr. N. deliberately "forgot" about the disease. It was only when the uncomfortable symptoms continued to appear that Mr. N. went to the hospital for a check-up.

“Before, the doctor prescribed medicine but I didn’t take it. Now I’m really worried, because my blood pressure keeps going up, and I’m most afraid of having a stroke,” Mr. N. shared.

Mr. N. said: At first, he only felt his face burning hot, the back of his neck was tense, he thought it was just fatigue from stressful work, but when he measured his blood pressure, it was up to 155/106 mmHg. This is a dangerously high blood pressure level.

Another patient who is also very young but already has high blood pressure is Mr. NTB (28 years old, living in Bien Hoa ward, Dong Nai province). Weighing over 100kg, with a body mass index (BMI) of 34.6 - the level of severe obesity, Mr. B. was diagnosed with high blood pressure in mid-2024. When he was hospitalized, Mr. B.'s blood pressure was dangerously high. After many months of treatment combined with lifestyle changes, Mr. B.'s blood pressure was temporarily controlled.

Specialist Doctor I Ngo Thuy Hang, Department of Internal Medicine, Hoan My Dong Nai Hospital (Tam Hiep Ward) said: Every day the department receives more than 300 outpatients; of which up to 50% of patients have high blood pressure. If in the past, this disease was mainly found in people over 50 years old, now many people in their 20s and 30s have to take blood pressure medication every day.

Talking about the causes of hypertension in young people, Dr. Thuy Hang said: In young people, hypertension is often closely related to lifestyle and diet. Many people eat a lot of fried foods, a lot of salt, little exercise, stay up late... leading to metabolic disorders. This leads to hypertension and many other diseases.

People who have been diagnosed with high blood pressure need to take medication regularly as prescribed by their doctor. They should never stop taking medication on their own, because blood pressure can only be stabilized with medication. Stopping medication suddenly can cause blood pressure to spike, which can easily lead to stroke or heart attack.

Dangerous complications

After a week of intensive treatment at the hospital for high blood pressure, Mr. CTH (52 years old, residing in Trang Dai ward, Dong Nai province) was discharged. Mr. H. shared: “I discovered that I had prehypertension 3 years ago, and took medication regularly for a while. When my blood pressure “seemed stable”, I stopped taking the medication on my own. As a result, a few months later, I felt very tired, had a heavy head, and it greatly affected my work, so I had to be hospitalized. More than a week ago, the above symptoms continued, and I had to be hospitalized again.”

Meanwhile, Mr. NVT (64 years old, residing in Tran Bien ward) has been suffering from severe complications of poor blood pressure control. In 2024, Mr. T. suffered from a cerebral hemorrhage due to high blood pressure, leaving him paralyzed on the left side. Not only that, prolonged high blood pressure also caused him to fall into a state of chronic kidney failure, requiring treatment with a combination of many types of drugs every day. After a long period of persistent treatment, Mr. T.'s left hemiplegia has improved, but his left kidney has severe hydronephrosis with dilation of the left ureter, possibly requiring removal of the left kidney.

Specialist Doctor I Ngo Thuy Hang said: If high blood pressure is not well controlled, it can cause very dangerous complications.

Specifically, the disease causes brain complications such as: cerebral infarction, cerebral hemorrhage, stroke, leaving sequelae of paralysis, loss of language; cardiovascular complications such as: heart failure, myocardial infarction, aortic dissection - which is the cause of sudden death; kidney complications such as: glomerular damage, kidney failure, requiring periodic dialysis. In addition, the disease also causes eye complications such as: retinal damage, risk of blindness.

To prevent high blood pressure, each person needs to proactively change their lifestyle. Reduce salt in the diet, no more than 5g of salt/day (equivalent to 1 teaspoon); eat lots of green vegetables, fruits rich in potassium; limit processed foods, fried foods, fast food. Do not smoke, do not abuse alcohol. Exercise regularly at least 30 minutes/day, 5 days/week. Maintain a reasonable weight, avoid obesity. In addition, you should get enough sleep, reduce stress, avoid staying up late; have regular health check-ups, measure blood pressure regularly to detect the disease early.

Hanh Dung

Source: https://baodongnai.com.vn/xa-hoi/202509/can-trong-voi-ke-giet-nguoi-tham-lang-4ce1b34/