Hypertension or high blood pressure is a condition of the heart that can cause many problems. Some people believe that hypertension is caused by people who are hyperactive, stressed or nervous. However, anyone can get high blood pressure. In order to deal with high blood pressure both for yourself and your loved ones, you need to understand more about this serious medical condition.
High blood pressure can work within your body for years, causing damage to your heart and symptoms that may seem hard to understand. Healthy arteries are strong flexible and elastic. With their smooth inner lining, they allow blood to flow freely so organs and tissues can receive the needed nutrients and oxygen.
The term high blood pressure is when the amount of pressure on the blood that flows is too high. This increase in pressure can cause atherosclerosis and arteriosclerosis. Arteriosclerosis is when the inner lining of the arteries is damaged, making the walls to become thick and stiff. Too much fat in the diet can then pass through these damaged arteries and begin collecting, which causes arteriosclerosis. Blood flow can now get blocked causing damage to the kidneys, heart, arms, legs and brain. This in turn can cause a heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney failure and even an aneurysm.
When a weakened artery becomes enlarged and forms a bulge, an aneurysm occurs. Should the pressure continue, the aneurysm or bulge can then erupt which can result in internal bleeding that can be life-threatening. While aneurysms can form anywhere in the body, they are most common in the aorta, which is the body’s largest artery.
Besides these life threatening illnesses, the heart can be severely damaged if high blood pressure is present for very long. For example, when atherosclerosis occurs and the blood flow becomes blocked in the arteries, it is very possible to experience chest pain, irregular heart rhythms or even a heart attack. When people with high blood pressure have a heart attack, they are more likely to die because their blood pressure is not high enough after the attack.
Sometimes, hypertension can cause the left ventricle to stiffen or enlarge due to the extra pumping required. This in turn will limit the ventricle’s ability to pump blood into the body. Again, this can result in heart failure, heart attack or sudden cardiac death. The stress from high blood pressure over time begins to strain the heart. The heart will slowly begin to weaken and not work as it should. Eventually, the heart will simply wear out and no longer be able to work as it should, even stopping, resulting in cardiac death. If the heart is damaged, this will happen even sooner.
High blood pressure can also cause damage to other parts of the body, such as the brain. Because the brain depends on the heart for a nourishing blood supply, when the supply is diminished, the brain will suffer. Many conditions can occur from this. One such problem is a transient ischemic attack (TIA) and is also called a ministroke. This happens when the brain does not receive the proper blood supply for a brief time. This is often caused by either atherosclerosis or a blood clot, both of which can be caused by hypertension. A TIA is often a warning that a regular stroke is imminent.
Another condition that can occur due to hypertension is a stroke, which is a direct result of the brain being deprived of oxygen and nutrients, causing brain cells to die. Blood clots can also form in the arteries leading to the brain, causing a stroke. An aneurysm in the brain may occur when a bulge in a blood vessel wall, resulting in bleeding in the brain, which can be life-threatening.
Dementia and mild cognitive impairment can also be a result of hypertension. The brain handles reasoning, memory, vision, thinking, and movement. When it does not receive the proper supply of blood, all of these things can be affected. When understanding and memory are affected, even Alzheimer’s disease can set in.
Besides these important conditions, damage can occur in the kidneys due to the decreasing flow of blood to the kidneys. This can result in kidney failure, kidney scarring or kidney artery aneurysm. The blood vessels to the eyes can be affected, resulting in impaired vision. Sexual dysfunction, bone loss and insomnia are other areas that can be directly linked to high blood pressure.
There are things that can be done to both prevents and stop hypertension. A healthy diet, exercise and a low salt diet can help. Blood pressure medications such as carvedilol and hydrochlorothiazide have been helpful as well.
Most importantly, get the hypertension under control as soon as possible. Keep it monitored and do whatever needs to be done to get the blood pressure down to a healthy level. Changing your lifestyle, following your doctor’s orders and taking your medication will soon eliminate hypertension and put you on the track to a long successful life.
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