37 years old with stage 3 hypertension, risk of stroke due to addiction to this drink

(Dan Tri) - A 37-year-old man, completely healthy, suddenly discovered that his blood pressure had spiked to dangerous levels. The cause, according to doctors, came from his habit of drinking energy drinks to fight sleepiness.

Stage 3 hypertension at age 37

MSc. Dr. Doan Du Manh, a member of the Vietnam Vascular Disease Association, said he had just received a 37-year-old male patient with severe hypertension, with a reading of 180/100 mmHg.

Through medical history, the man worked as a long-distance driver, often had to stay up late and used a lot of energy drinks to stay awake. During a routine health check, he was suddenly found to have abnormally high blood pressure despite having no medical history.

A man with stage 3 hypertension at the age of 37 (Photo: Getty).

“He himself could not believe that he was still young but already had stage 3 high blood pressure, a level that could lead to a stroke at any time,” said Dr. Manh.

To rule out the possibility of “white coat hypertension,” a temporary increase in blood pressure caused by anxiety in the hospital, the doctor had the patient wear a 24-hour blood pressure monitor. The results showed that the blood pressure index was always maintained at 160-190mmHg, sometimes even reaching 200mmHg, even during sleep.

The results of ultrasound, renal angiography, brain scan and thyroid test were all normal. The doctor diagnosed essential hypertension in young people, mainly due to unhealthy lifestyle and living habits.

Notably, the patient admitted that one night he drank a whole pack of energy drinks to fight sleepiness. During the day, he slept heavily and barely moved.

“After treatment with blood pressure lowering drugs, we recommend that patients absolutely do not stay up late, do not use energy drinks, limit coffee and alcohol, and exercise regularly. However, patients share that it is very difficult to comply because of the nature of their job as drivers,” Dr. Manh added.

People with high blood pressure should not abuse energy drinks.

According to Dr. Manh, energy drinks contain high levels of caffeine and sugar, two ingredients that can cause the heart rate to increase and blood vessels to constrict, leading to increased blood pressure, anxiety, and fatigue.

For people who already have high blood pressure, abusing energy drinks is "adding fuel to the fire", increasing the risk of stroke or heart rhythm disturbances many times over.

This expert recommends that filtered water, fruit juice or fresh vegetables are safer choices for the heart. When tired, workers should do light exercise and deep breathing to stay awake instead of depending on stimulant drinks.

Statistics at medical facilities show that the number of young people with high blood pressure is increasing rapidly. The main causes come from a high-fat diet, lack of exercise, prolonged stress, staying up late and frequent use of stimulants such as alcohol, tobacco and energy drinks.

“Unhealthy lifestyles cause diseases to progress silently without young people realizing it. Only when symptoms such as headaches, dizziness, and blurred vision appear do they go to the doctor, but the disease is already serious,” Dr. Manh warned.

According to Dr. Manh, high blood pressure in young people is not only a chronic disease but also a "trigger" for early complications such as stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure or kidney and eye damage.

“We still think that high blood pressure only occurs in the elderly, but in reality, many cases in their early 30s have to be treated for life. This is a warning for the lifestyle of today's youth,” Dr. Manh emphasized.

Source: https://dantri.com.vn/suc-khoe/37-tuoi-bi-tang-huyet-ap-muc-3-nguy-co-dot-quy-vi-nghien-thuc-uong-nay-20251016064911459.htm