Hypertension - scientific holistic diagnostics & therapy
High blood pressure is widespread: 32.4 percent of all people over the age of 20 in this country have it - and many don't know it. However, in around 95 percent of all people with high blood pressure, there is more than one clear physical cause - this is known as primary hypertension. Getting to the bottom of the cause therefore requires very precise diagnostics. At Cardiopraxis , we can fall back on this.
You have high blood pressure if your resting blood pressure exceeds 140/90 mmHg when measured at Praxis or 135/85 mmHg at home. High blood pressure can manifest itself in many ways in the body:
In the short term, for example, by shortness of breath, reduced performance, headache and chest pressure, and in the long term even by organ damage in the heart, brain, eye and kidney. Not without reason is high blood pressure also called the "silent killer.
What is the problem with conventional hypertension diagnostics?
Conventional hypertension diagnostics, which only measures blood pressure, is too inaccurate. It does not sufficiently take into account that your cardiovascular system is a hydraulic system consisting of blood pressure and blood flow. For a better understanding, compare it to a bellows: blood pressure is the tension in the bellows, blood flow is the air escaping at the front. Both quantities result in the so-called vascular resistance, which is opposed to your blood flow. And this vascular resistance in turn regulates the so-called pressure control circuit, which distributes the blood in your body in a balanced manner, as well as the temperature control circuit, which ensures a stable body temperature, which is also essential for your emotional state.
So if only blood pressure is measured - without the equally important parameter of blood flow - and the underlying regulatory circuits are not understood, the resulting drug therapy is often not effective and associated with side effects. We can avoid this at Cardiopraxis .
What is the solution offered by the holistic circuit measurement of the Cardiopraxis?
With the help of various modern measuring methods, we can determine the processes in your cardiovascular system very precisely:
- Blood pressure measurement (blood pressure cuff, photoplethysmographic with Finapres®️ system)
- Blood flow measurement (Finapres®️ system)
- Temperature measurement (ear temperature)
- Echocardiography (during stress, with tissue Doppler with suction force measurement)
- Arteriography (pressure waves in your aorta)
- Baroreflex sensitivity (Finapres®️ system: state of your pressure control loop).
- Heart rate variability (activation state of the autonomic nervous system)
The complex results from this holistic and dynamic circulation measurement give us an exact picture of how high blood pressure develops in you. We can treat these causes specifically with a therapy tailored to your individual needs. The goal must be: less medication - preferably none at all! In the spirit of a partnership-based medicine, we come a lot closer to our common goal: your long-term health!
Arteriography
An arteriography is a special blood pressure measurement. Among other things, the measuring device calculates the central blood pressure of your aorta, which is in direct contact with the organs. Often the blood pressure here is lower than in the upper arms. Therefore, if the blood pressure in the arms was used as the basis for treatment, this could possibly lead to overtreatment.
Arteriography provides information about this and can prevent overtherapy. It also records other parameters: the speed of the pressure wave, the peripheral blood pressure in the arm, the slope of the pressure curve and the so-called systolic augmentation index.
The latter value indicates the proportion of reflected pressure waves during blood ejection (systole). The greater the reflection, the higher the risk of hypertension.
What is the procedure for an arteriography?
The arteriography examination takes about five minutes. During this time, the assistant places a special pneumatic blood pressure monitor on your arm. The device is able to derive the blood pressure in the aorta from this position. Comfortable and gentle, then - an invasive procedure is not necessary for this.
When do we perform arteriography?
We use arteriography at Cardiopraxis mainly for differential diagnosis. Especially in people suffering from a disease of the aortic valves (for example, a stenosis) or basically from hypertension.
An elevated systolic augmentation index may be present, for example, in:
- Bradycardia (e.g. beta blocker therapy)
- Increased peripheral vascular resistance
- increased filling volume of the arteries
- low height
- increased vascular stiffness