Lesson 6 - Dangers and Complications

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We've discussed that hypertension doesn't tend to have very many symptoms. High blood pressure patients just don't tend to feel sick — until the elevated pressure leads to more serious health complications. This is why it can be challenging, and yet so very important to detect high blood pressure early on, and to stick to your treatment program with extreme diligence.

We're just going to cut to the chase here — below are some of the serious medical problems that high blood pressure can lead to if left untreated. Educate yourself and others on these dangers and complications.

Hypertensive arteriosclerosis ("hardening of the arteries"): This is the progressive increase in muscle and elastic tissue in the arterial walls. The effect of this is that your arteries become both thick and stiff, and the arteries' pathway for blood is restrictively narrowed. What does this mean to you and your heart? Since your arteries are now narrower due to the thickened arterial wall, your heart has to work harder to get adequate blood supply to where it needs to go. Furthermore, due to the loss of elasticity, your arteries cannot respond properly to the blood that is being pumped through them, which means that blood may not be sufficiently distributed throughout your body.

Artherosclerosis: We've told you that hypertension damages the arteries by making them thick and stiff. This damage speeds the buildup of cholesterol and fats in the blood vessels just like rust starts filling up a drainpipe. These lipid deposits can then harden. Subsequently, your heart has to work a lot harder to get your blood to and from all of the different parts of your body that need it. Furthermore, because the vessels are narrowed, oxygen supply is decreased to the body's organs. This can lead to many serious events, such as heart attack and stroke.

Angina: Blood carries oxygen to the body. When the arteries that bring blood to the heart muscle become blocked, the heart, itself, cannot get enough oxygen. Reduced blood flow can cause angina, which is characterized by chest pain, and can be a precursor to a heart attack.

Blindness: High blood pressure can affect all of your blood vessels — including those in the eyes. If the eye's blood vessels become narrower or begin bleeding, vision damage can occur. If the damage is severe enough, high blood pressure can potentially cause blindness.

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