High blood pressure (HTA) can be caused by several factors. Overview with Professor Jacques Blacher, cardiologist.
“There are risk factors on which we cannot act: age and family history”, explains Pr Jacques Blacher, cardiologist and specialist in arterial hypertension. “Besides that, there is the environment which can, from an early age, increase the risk of being hypertensive”, continues the specialist. Drinking too much alcohol and eating too much salt increases the risk of being hypertensive, just like being overweight and being sedentary.
Secondary factors
“Other secondary factors are suspected of triggering hypertension, such as stress, air or noise pollution, endocrine disruptors and pesticides”, adds Jacques Blacher. “In 5% of cases, hypertension is secondary to a disease: kidneys, arteries or thyroid and adrenal glands”, he specifies. On the other hand, the more fruits and vegetables you consume, the less risk you have of developing hypertension.
Nearly 12 million French people are treated for arterial hypertension, that is to say for systolic pressure above 140mmHg and diastolic above 90mmHg. But this figure is far from reflecting reality: hypertension is a so-called “asymptomatic” and for this reason, it is considered that about 20% of people who suffer from it do not take treatment! If left untreated, you can die from a flare-up in blood pressure. Deaths can be of two origins: strokes and dissection.
What support ?
Severe hypertension is no longer registered in the register of long-term illnesses (ALD) which gives the right to 100% reimbursement of care. It was removed from this list in 2011 by order of the Social Security and the Ministry of Health. Today, it is therefore no longer possible for a hypertensive patient who has no complications to be supported at 100%. Antihypertensive drugs are reimbursed at 65% by Social Security, the balance being covered by complementary health insurance for hypertensive patients who have taken out one.
Below, the interview of Pr Jacques Blacher:
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