"High blood pressure patients are especially careful." Blood vessels shrink in the strongest wave.

YTN Radio (FM 94.5) [YTN News FM Wise Radio Life]

□ Broadcast date and time: January 9, 2025 (Thursday)
□ Host: Announcer Park Gui-bin
□ Castor: Do Won-im of the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety

* The text below may differ from the actual broadcast content, so please check the broadcast for more accurate information.

◆ Announcer Park Gui-bin (hereinafter referred to as Park Gui-bin): It's a life white paper time with the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. It's very cold today. In winter, when the temperature drops a lot, blood pressure can rise, which can increase the burden on the heart. So, in winter, when the temperature goes down, high blood pressure patients should pay more attention to blood pressure. How should I manage my blood pressure? Let's call researcher Won-im, a spokesman for the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety, to talk about blood pressure management in winter. Hello, researcher.

◇ Do Won-im, a researcher at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (hereinafter referred to as Do Won): Yes, hello.

◆ When it's cold, your body shrinks. Our blood vessels shrink in the winter, right?

◇ Do Won-im: Yes, the blood vessels shrink in cold weather. Based on the heart that is pumping blood into blood vessels spread throughout the body, the blood pressure when the heart compresses is the systolic blood pressure, and the blood pressure when expanding is the diastolic blood pressure. Defined as a disease, high blood pressure refers to the current systolic blood pressure of 140 mmHg, millimeter mercury, or diastolic blood pressure of 90 mmHg or more. If the temperature drops by 1 degree, the systolic blood pressure rises by about 1.3 millimeters. This is because the skin's blood vessels contract due to the phenomenon of not losing heat to prevent body temperature from falling in the cold outside temperature. In other words, when the temperature drops, blood vessels are exported, and blood pressure rises accordingly, increasing the burden on the heart. This means that simple blood pressure is not a problem, but that the risk of cardiovascular complications increases as much.

◆ Park Gui-bin: Even if you are taking high blood pressure drugs, the risk of high blood pressure patients increases in winter, right?

◇ Dowon: That's right. High blood pressure is a common disease in which 1 in 3 adults over the age of 20 are hypertensive patients. Maybe that's why it doesn't feel serious. However, about 60% of angina, myocardial infarction, and about 90% of strokes are caused by high blood pressure. In fact, it is known that deaths from high blood pressure complications begin to increase in October and occur most frequently in February of the following year. That's why high blood pressure is sometimes called the silent killer.

◆ Park Guivin: If high blood pressure is a common condition, what about younger people? Are there many young hypertensive patients?

◇ Do Won-im: Yes, there are a lot. According to the "2024 High Blood Pressure Fact Sheet" recently released by the Korean Society of Hypertension, 890,000 people are in their 20s and 30s, but 360,000 of them use medical services and only 130,000 are continuously treated. The recognition rate of hypertensive patients is improving gradually to 36%, the treatment rate to 35%, and the control rate to 33, but it is significantly lower than that of other age groups.

◆ Park Gui-bin: Wouldn't it be because of the pressure to take high blood pressure medicine for the rest of your life and the confidence of young people who think that there will be no problem if you exercise because you don't have any symptoms?

◇ Do Won-im: I think so, too. However, if blood pressure is not controlled, big health problems may occur as I mentioned earlier. Taking blood pressure medication is the most obvious treatment, but if you want a non-pharmaceutical treatment, a steady blood pressure measurement must be premised.

◆ Park Gui-bin: Usually, blood pressure is measured a lot when you have a medical examination or visit a hospital due to another disease. At that time, I heard that there are people who are measured high in actual blood pressure only in hospitals?

◇ Do Won-im: It's a symptom called white hypertension. In general, when a doctor or nurse specifies blood pressure in a clinic, it is called the white effect that it is measured higher than the actual blood pressure due to involuntary anxiety. Usually, blood pressure is normal, but high blood pressure only appears in the clinic due to the effect of the white is called white hypertension. So these days, it is often used to measure blood pressure at home.

◆ Park Gui-bin: If you measure it at home, you can measure it comfortably without the effect of a bag, and if you measure it frequently, it will help manage your blood pressure. However, can you believe the figures measured at home?

◇ Do Won-im: A blood pressure gauge is a medical device managed by the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety. You can check whether it is a licensed medical device from the medical device safety bookstore on the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety website. You must check if it is an officially licensed product as a medical device before using it. However, no matter how good the product is, you have to follow the measurement method well. First of all, what you need to remember before measuring blood pressure is to measure it twice in the morning, before taking drugs, before eating, and twice in the evening before going to bed. Second, if you've been to the bathroom, take a five-minute break and measure it. Third, you should measure it before taking a shower or bath. Fourth, smoking and caffeine consumption should be prohibited within 30 minutes before measurement.

◆ Park Gui-bin: Even if you measure it at home, you should keep what you have to keep and measure it accurately. Is there anything else I should be careful about for a more accurate measurement?

◇ Do Won-im: Yes, it's better to measure in a comfortable position for a little more accuracy. To tell you a little more, sit with your back on the chair, rest for 5 minutes, and prepare for a blood pressure measurement, and wear the cuff at the upper arm and heart level. And please be careful because blood pressure can be measured high if you do not lean on your back, sit cross-legged, move or talk during the operation of the blood pressure gauge. Knowing the exact blood pressure level allows for proper treatment and management!

◆ Park Gui-bin: I was a researcher at the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety.