Complications of HypertensionHypertension damages all arteries – large and small. This can lead too damage and disease in the organs and tissues that are supplied by these damaged blood vessels. Arteries Atherosclerosis and Arteriosclerosis Atherosclerosis is where deposits build up inside the arteries. This causes the blockage which restricts the blood flow, which means that various organs don’t get enough nutrients and oxygen. The deposits can also break off causing various problems. Arteriosclerosis is also known as hardening of the arteries. This is where the arteries become thick and stiff which helps the formation of atherosclerosis. It also can encourage blood clots to form. Both of these conditions contribute to a number of problems such as, angina (chest pain), heart attacks, heart failure, strokes, and kidney failure. Aneurysm Constant high pressure on the artery walls can cause a weak section to bulge. This bulge is the aneurysm. As this section of the artery wall is weak it can easily burst – or rupture. Depending on where in your body the rupture occurs and how big the rupture is – this can be life threatening. Aneurysms are commonly found in your bodies largest artery – the aorta. But they can be found in any artery. Heart As your heart moves blood around it is particularly vulnerable to high blood pressure. Coronary Artery Disease This is disease in the arteries that supply blood to the heart. When those arteries are blocked or narrowed then the heart doesn’t get all the oxygen and nutrients that it needs to work properly. Coronary artery disease can cause irregular heart beats (arrhythmias), chest pain or a heart attack. If you have a heart attack and high blood pressure, then you are much more likely to die from that heart attack then you would be without the high blood pressure. Enlarged Left Heart The left ventricle of your heart is the part that pumps blood around to the rest of your body. This means that
persistently high blood pressure causes it to have to work much harder. This in turn can lead to Left ventricular
hypertrophy (when this area of the heart enlarges and/or stiffens). Which means that it is harder for your heart to
pump blood to the rest of your body. Having this condition will increase you risk of having sudden cardiac death, a
heart attack or heart failure. If you put a strain on your heart by having high blood pressure eventually it will take its toll. Your heart muscle can weaken and not work so well. Until your heart will wear out and give up. If your heart has already been damaged by a heart attack then this is even more likely. Brain Your brain uses a lot of oxygen and nutrients compared to the rest of your body. So it is very vulnerable if the supply is cut off. Your brain is also quite fragile so controlling internal bleeding in the brain can be very problematic. Transient Ischemic Attack This is also known as a mini stroke. It is a strong warning that a full stroke may be just around the corner. This happens when the blood supply is stopped for just a short time. This brief stoppage could occur from a blood clot or from atherosclerosis. Stroke There are two types of stroke. The most common (approximately 80%) occurs when the blood supply is cut off for a longer time. The brain cells are cut off from their supply of nutrients and oxygen and they die. This can happen because a blood clot gets into the brain and blocks an artery, or when deposits on the insides of blood vessels stop the blood flow. A stroke can also occur when there is internal bleeding into the brain – which causes damage to the brain cells. The usual cause of this is when an aneurysm bursts. Dementia There are a number of causes of dementia, unfortunately high blood pressure is responsible for one of them. Dementia is a type of brain disease where the brain cells don’t get enough nutrients and oxygen. Not as immediate as a stroke when lots of brain cells die at once, but where a few brain cells are impaired and a few die slowly. The results of dementia are that a number of brain processes are impaired – memory, thinking, reasoning, vision, speaking and moving. Because dementia is long term slow damage high blood pressure in middle age can result in dementia in old age.
The kidneys filter the blood, removing waste and excess fluid. To do this they need healthy blood vessels. High blood pressure can cause damage to these blood vessels. If you have diabetes in addition to hypertension then that can make damage to the kidneys worse. The most common cause of kidney failure is high blood pressure. This is because the kidneys cannot effectively filter blood if it has difficulty getting to them in the first place. Kidney Scarring There are tiny arteries inside the kidneys that do the work of filtering and cleaning the blood. If these become damaged – scarred – then they cannot work effectively. Eventually the damage becomes so great that the kidneys fail completely. Kidney artery aneurysm Just like an aneurysm elsewhere in the body – this is a bulge in the wall of an artery. Called a Kidney (or renal) artery aneurysm because that is where it is located. If an aneurysm in the renal artery forms and then bursts the internal bleeding can easily become life threatening. Eyes Your eyes are supplied with blood by delicate and tiny blood vessels. This means that they are quite vulnerable to damage caused by high blood pressure. Eye Blood vessel damage This is known as retinopathy. If these blood vessels become blocked, or have small burst aneurysms then you may get blurred vision or even complete vision loss. The risk of this complication is even greater if you have diabetes as well as high blood pressure. Nerve damage The optic nerve can be damaged if it does not receive a healthy blood flow. If nerve cells within the eye are damaged or die then vision can be impaired or even lost. Other problems Studies have shown that most men who have erection problems also have high blood pressure. Unfortunately some of the medications used to treat high blood pressure have the side effect of causing erection problems! This is excellent motivation to get high blood pressure under control using lifestyle methods and herbal supplements. Bone Loss One of the side effects of high blood pressure is that you will eliminate more calcium. This can lead to the leaching of calcium from your bones – and so loss of bone density (osteoporosis). This means that your bones are more fragile and prone to break. This risk is higher in older women. Sleep problems There is a vicious cycle with sleep apnea. High blood pressure can set off sleep apnea, and not getting enough sleep as a result of sleep apnea can cause your blood pressure to rise. |
