-What is Hypertension?- Facts and Symptoms

Hypertension - The Silent Killer

Hypertension - we have all heard of it, but how many of us realize that it can be a deadly condition. It sneaks up on an unsuspecting person and can damage their heart, kidneys, arteries, liver, eyes, and brain. High blood pressure, or hypertension, is known as the silent killer because it can be years before the condition is discovered. Often during that time, irreversible damage can occur, many times followed by death.

When high blood pressure causes damage and complications to our other organs, it is referred to as end-organ damage. This is because the blood pressure has been elevated for a long period of time, and is considered to be chronic. The constant elevation of the blood pressure has a direct end result on the organs that become damaged. Hypertension is the most common of all the risk factors in people that suffer from heart disease or stroke.

As your blood pressure becomes elevated it makes it much harder for your heart to pump the blood through your arteries. As your heart works harder and harder to pump the blood, the damage caused over time can result in the thickening of the heart muscle. The left ventricle also becomes enlarged, and the cardiac output, which is the amount of blood pumped over the time span of a minute, decreases. Untreated high blood pressure can also result in congestive heart failure, a heart attack, hypertensive heart disease, coronary artery disease, or ischemic heart disease.

High blood pressure is also a contributing factor in the walls of the blood vessels becoming thickened. The thickened blood vessel walls combined with atherosclerosis, which is a build up of cholesterol in the blood vessels, makes the chance of a heart attack or stroke even more likely.

The damage hypertension can cause to your brain can also be life threatening. Your brain needs a constant supply of blood to nourish it and keep it functioning properly. High blood pressure can cause a stroke because it weakens and damages the blood vessels in your brain, which can result in the blood vessels becoming narrow, leaking, or rupturing. High blood pressure can also cause a transient ischemic attack, known as a TIA. A TIA is a ministroke and oftern a warning that a full blown stroke can occur.

High blood pressure can do irreversible damage to your kidneys, and in some instances death can occur because of the damage. If hypertension causes damage to the blood vessels in your kidneys, your kidneys may not be able to remove the extra fluid and wastes from your body. In turn, the extra fluid in your body may cause your blood pressure to increase even further. It becomes a vicious and dangerous cycle.

End stage renal disease, also known as kidney failure, can be caused by high blood pressure. In fact, it is one of the main causes of this illness. In the United States alone, every year there are more then 25,000 new cases of end stage renal disease. Kidney dialysis or a kidney transplant are the only way to treat kidney failure.

The damage that hypertension can do is deadly. It is very important that you know the levels of your blood pressure and take the necessary measures to bring your blood pressure into a safe range if they are elevated.