Hypertension

Treatment of hypertension in Japan

Over 40 million people in Japan are suffering from hypertension or high blood pressure. This condition can be caused by multiple reasons, including family history of hypertension, excess salt in the diet, excess body weight, smoking, overuse of alcohol, kidney disorder, endocrine disorder or use of birth control pills. Currently, most of researches agree that the blood pressure is considered excessively high when it consistently outreaches 130/80 or 140/90 mmHg in adult patients (N. R. Poulter, D. Prabhakaran, M. Caulfield M "Hypertension". Lancet, 2015, 386 (9995): 801–12). Depending on the reason and severity of high blood pression, sometimes it’s enough just to change lifestyle, like take a healthy diet or regular, and sometimes it’s important to choose the right medicine for the treatment of hypertension.

Which medicines for hypertension from Japan to choose?

For mild hypertension it’s better to start with safe and effective natural remedies. Particularly, we would recommend two products extremely popular in Japan.  Blood Pressure Support tablets by Fancl contain GABA and tripeptide MKP (methionine, lysine and proline) extracted from milk casein. Those components inhibit the central norepinephrine neurotransmitter system, stabilize the heart rate, regulate the cerebral circulation insufficiency and corticoid levels and, as prevent cerebral ischemia. Nattokinase by Kobayashi Pharma is a certain enzyme fermented by natto beans. When taken orally for around 8-9 weeks, this enzyme decreases systolic and diastolic blood pressure and decreases the rate of stroke and myocardial infarction.

For patients with moderate to severe hypertension, the doctor in charge should prescribe the adequate medicine for hypertension depending on age and symptoms. Following preparation can be considered:

• Furosemide tablets and injections providing diuretic effect are one of the most used medicines for hypertension in Japan and many other countries,
• Amlodipine tablets reduce the influx of calcium into the cells and relax the smooth muscles of the coronary and peripheral blood vessels,
• Lisinopril tablets can be used even for elderly patients as they are safe, don’t provoke immune based adverse effects and have a longer period of action,
• Azelnidipine tablets provide cardioprotective effects and can be used for patients with tachycardia,
• Metoprolol tartrate tablets lower the pulse rate, control the irregular pulse, decrease the blood pressure and prevent the angina attacks.

Please always check the contraindications and precautions, be sure to discuss all unclear questions with your doctor.