High blood pressure can damage your arteries by making them less elastic, which decreases the flow of blood and oxygen to your heart and leads to heart disease. In addition, decreased blood flow to the heart can cause: Chest pain, also called angina.
The heart, kidney, brain, and arterial blood vessels are prime targets of hypertensive damage. Uncontrolled hypertension accelerates the damage to these organs and results in eventual organ failure and cardiovascular death and disability.
The “target organ” effects of hypertension are particularly manifest in the heart, brain, kidney, peripheral arteries, and the eye.
The heart pumps blood around the body through the blood vessels. Blood pressure is the amount of force exerted on the artery walls by the pumping blood. High blood pressure (hypertension) means that your blood is pumping with more force than normal through your arteries.
This elevated pressure and reduced blood flow can cause: chest pain, also called angina; heart attack, which occurs when the blood supply to the heart is blocked and heart muscle cells die from lack of oxygen.
In other words, once blood pressure rises above normal, subtle but harmful brain changes can occur rather quickly—perhaps within a year or two. And those changes may be hard to reverse, even if blood pressure is nudged back into the normal range with treatment.
The kidney regulates arterial blood pressure by maintaining sodium homeostasis and through afferent sympathetic signals to the central nervous system. Renal artery perfusion pressure directly regulates sodium excretion and the RAAS plays a central role in maintaining the pressure–natriuresis relationship.
Hypertension may induce end organ damage in several organs like the heart (left ventricular hypertrophy), the kidneys (microalbuminuria), the brain (stroke), the eyes (retinal damage), and the vascular system (increased vascular wall thickness and arterial stiffness).
The heart, kidney, brain, retina and arterial blood vessels are prime targets of hypertensive damage.
Differential treatment of end organ damage
Generally and irrespective of the hypertensive patient's age, a blood pressure reduction to <140/90 mm Hg is recommended. If organ damage is present, a reduction to values of about 130/80 mm Hg should be the objective.
Many health conditions can cause secondary hypertension. Several kidney diseases may cause secondary hypertension, including: Diabetes complications (diabetic nephropathy). Diabetes can damage the kidneys' filtering system, which can lead to high blood pressure.
Moderate or severe headaches, anxiety, shortness of breath, nosebleeds, palpitations, or feeling of pulsations in the neck are some signs of high blood pressure. Often, these are late signs that high blood pressure has existed for some time, therefore annual checks are recommended for all adults.
The symptoms of kidney disease include: High/worsening blood pressure. Decrease in amount of urine or difficulty urinating. Edema (fluid retention), especially in the lower legs.
When your kidneys are failing, a high concentration and accumulation of substances lead to brown, red, or purple urine. Studies suggest the urine color is due to abnormal protein or sugar as well as high numbers of cellular casts and red and white blood cells.
The good news is that most heart diseases, conditions, and disorders can be reversed. Here are some examples: Hypertension. Heart failure.
There is no cure for high blood pressure. But treatment can lower blood pressure that is too high. If it is mild, high blood pressure may sometimes be brought under control by making changes to a healthier lifestyle.
The top drinks for lowering blood pressure include water, fruit juices (pomegranate, prune, cranberry, cherry), vegetable juice (tomato, raw beet), tea (black, green), and skim milk.
Call 911 or emergency medical services if your blood pressure is 180/120 mm Hg or greater and you have chest pain, shortness of breath, or symptoms of stroke. Stroke symptoms include numbness or tingling, trouble speaking, or changes in vision.
Yes, high blood pressure can make you tired, especially if it causes one or more complications. However, not everyone who has high blood pressure will experience fatigue and extreme tiredness. If you are feeling unusually tired regularly, the best step you can take is to see your doctor.
Malignant hypertension is very high blood pressure that comes on suddenly and quickly. The kidneys filter wastes and excrete fluid when the pressure of blood in the bloodstream forces blood through the internal structures of the kidney.
Malignant hypertension is a dangerous form of very high blood pressure. Symptoms may include: Severe headache. Nausea and vomiting.