(Hypertension)
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- What is high blood pressure?
- Symptoms of high blood pressure
- Causes of high blood pressure
- Prevention of high blood pressure
- Risk factors for high blood pressure
- Complications of high blood pressure
- When to see a doctor about high blood pressure
- Diagnosis of high blood pressure
- Conventional treatment of high blood pressure
- Alternative/complementary treatment of high blood pressure
- Living with high blood pressure
- Caregiving for someone with high blood pressure
Complications of high blood pressure
There are many very serious complications of undiagnosed and untreated high blood pressure, including the very serious risk of dying at an early age. Most of the complications of untreated high blood pressure are life threatening:
- Acute myocardial infarction - this is the official term for a heart attack. If there is inadequate blood supply (including oxygen) to the heart, due to inefficient function of the heart from high blood pressure, this can result in heart attack and significant parts of the heart can be destroyed, often resulting in death of the person experiencing the heart attack
- Angina - chest pain, which is referred to as angina (or angina pectoris) is a serious heart condition in which the heart may not be working as effectively as it should as it is not receiving adequate oxygen. High blood pressure can be directly involved in causing the type of pain that angina causes, since not enough oxygen is being delivered to the heart
- Aneurysm of the aorta - an aneurysm is an abnormal widening of a blood cells and if it occurs in the aorta (the larger artery in the body) and it ruptures, this could cause a catastrophic result due to the high level of blood flowing through at high volume through the aorta
- Atherosclerosis - this condition causes hardening of the inner walls of the arteries through the deposit of cholesterol, which happens gradually over time. Atherosclerosis is a serious heart disorder which is linked to high blood pressure and in fact some researchers believe that people with high blood pressure can be at a higher risk of development of atherosclerosis
- Heart failure - high blood pressure can cause heart failure because it prevents the heart from pumping the blood (and oxygen) properly around the body. This can then lead to a build-up of fluid in the lungs, legs and abdomen that develops over a number of years
- Kidney failure - high blood pressure makes the heart work unnecessarily harder than normal to push the blood out to the body and this can ultimately damage all the blood vessels throughout the body. If the blood vessels in the kidneys are damaged (due to high blood pressure), they wont be able to function properly - remove waste and extra fluid from the body - and this can cause the fluid levels in the body to be raised even more. This can lead to further high blood pressure as the heart pushes even harder get the blood to all the damaged blood vessels. Ultimately, this can cause kidney failure when the kidneys are unable to get rid of toxins and extra fluid in the body
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- Stroke - also known as cerebrovascular accident, stroke is mainly caused by high blood pressure. If the brain cells
do not have enough blood (and oxygen) they become damaged or die and can result in permanent disability (if not death). There are three main types of stroke:
- Thrombotic stroke - is the most common type and occurs when fat (plaque) builds up in the blood vessels that supply the brain with oxygen and nutrients. This fatty blockage reduces the blood flow into the brain and ultimately a clot (or clump) forms in one of the blood vessels to the brain, which blocks the blood (and oxygen) supply and stroke ensues
- Embolic stroke - this type of stroke happens when a smaller clot (or clump), called an embolus, forms in one of the arteries in the head or neck and then the clot travels to the brain's smaller blood vessels and where it blocks the blood (and oxygen) supply and stroke ensues
- Haemorrhagic stroke - the least common, but the most severe type of stroke. In this type of stroke, a blood vessel in the brain bursts open and allows the blood to rush out of the blood vessel and into the brain, outside normal channels. This type of stroke causes internal bleeding
- Vision problems - high blood pressure can lead to a thickening of the tiny capillaries in the eyes and this causes a restriction of the blood flow into the eyes. This can lead to vision problems such as blindness or tunnel vision
If high blood pressure is not diagnosed and treated quickly, it can lead to very serious health problems and ultimately death.
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< 5:risk factors 7:when to see a doctor > Last reviewed: 10 January 2009 || Last updated: 24 February 2010
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NOTE: Mega doses of any type of vitamin, mineral, amino acid or herbal supplement cannot cure illnesses and in fact can be very dangerous and produce toxic side effects and interfere with medicine you are taking. Always ensure you consult your doctor before taking any type of complementary supplements.
Disclaimer: This guide is not intended to be used for diagnostic or prescriptive purposes. For any treatment or diagnosis of illness, please see your doctor.
