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7 Complications of High Blood Pressure

Published on: Oct 09, 2024
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Did you know, 1 in 4 adults in India suffers from high blood pressure? Alarming, isn’t it? What’s more concerning is that about 46% of adults with hypertension are unaware that they have it, leading to a much higher risk of high blood pressure complications.

High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is often called the “silent killer” because it can quietly damage your body without visible symptoms. If left untreated, it can lead to a variety of severe complications, ranging from heart attacks to strokes, kidney failure, and more.

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Read on to know the complications of high blood pressure in detail and how they affect your body.

1. Heart Disease

One of the most common complications of high blood pressure is heart disease. Constant pressure on the arteries can cause tiny tears in the blood vessels.

To fix these damaged areas, the body sends special cells that stick to the site. Over time, substances like cholesterol and fats may also build up at these damaged spots, forming plaque.

As plaque slowly builds, a process called atherosclerosis can make the inside arteries narrower and block the flow of blood to the heart. This process can take years and often goes unnoticed until the arteries are blocked significantly.

Heart disease high blood pressure complication.

Blood flow can also become blocked if the plaque ruptures or breaks off and forms a clot. When blood flow is blocked (by either plaque buildup or a clot), that part of the heart doesn’t get the oxygen and nutrients it needs. When this happens, it’s called a heart attack.

The signs of a heart attack include chest pain, shortness of breath, cold sweats, dizziness, fatigue, nausea or vomiting. The severity of the damage depends on how long the heart is deprived of blood, potentially causing permanent harm or even being fatal.

2. Stroke

High blood pressure can weaken or narrow the arteries in the brain, preventing brain tissues from getting oxygen. This increases the risk of a stroke, a condition where the blood supply to the brain is cut off. It is a severe complication of hypertension.

Even a minor rise in blood pressure can double your risk of stroke. There are two main types of strokes associated with hypertension:

  • Ischemic stroke: This occurs when a blood clot blocks a vessel in the brain.
  • Hemorrhagic stroke: This happens when a blood vessel in the brain bursts, causing bleeding.

Stroke high blood pressure complication.

In both cases, immediate medical attention is critical. Without proper blood flow, brain cells start to die within minutes, leading to long-term damage or can even be fatal.

The signs of a stroke include sudden numbness, difficulty speaking, confusion, or vision problems. Prompt treatment can minimise the damage, but prevention is key.

It is a popular myth that stroke is only an issue for older individuals. However, high blood pressure can significantly increase this risk for younger adults as well.

3. Kidney Damage

Your kidneys play a crucial role in filtering waste from the blood, but high blood pressure can damage the delicate blood vessels in the kidneys. Over time, this damage reduces the kidneys’ ability to function properly, leading to chronic kidney disease. In severe cases, this may result in kidney failure, requiring dialysis or a transplant.

The noticeable symptoms include swelling in the legs, ankles, or feet due to fluid retention, fatigue, changes in urination patterns, blood in the urine (hematuria), foamy urine, difficulty concentrating, and loss of appetite. Symptoms may not appear until the kidneys are severely impaired, highlighting the importance of regular blood pressure monitoring.

4. Eye Damage

High blood pressure can also affect your eyesight. The blood vessels in your eyes are delicate, and when subjected to high pressure, they can become damaged or burst, leading to conditions like:

  • Hypertensive retinopathy: Damage to the retina due to restricted blood flow, causing blurred vision or even blindness in severe cases.
  • Choroidopathy: Fluid build-up under the retina, leading to distorted vision.
  • Optic neuropathy: Damage to the optic nerve due to poor blood supply, resulting in vision loss.

Eye damage high blood pressure complication.

While often overlooked, regular eye check-ups are critical, especially for people with hypertension, to detect any early signs of damage.

5. Aneurysm

An aneurysm is a bulging or ballooning of a weakened blood vessel, often caused by high blood pressure. These commonly occur in the arteries, particularly in the aorta, the body’s largest blood vessel.

Aneurysm complication of high blood pressure.

Aneurysm symptoms can be subtle and often unnoticed until they grow or rupture. Critical signs of this complication of high blood pressure are sudden severe pain in the chest, abdomen, or back, depending on the aneurysm’s location, pulsating feeling near the navel (for abdominal aneurysms), vision problems or severe headaches (for brain aneurysms), shortness of breath, lightheadedness, and difficulty swallowing.

If an aneurysm grows too large, it can rupture, leading to life-threatening internal bleeding. Ruptured aneurysms, especially in the brain or aorta, require immediate medical attention as they are often fatal without treatment. This risk increases as your blood pressure stays elevated for extended periods.

6. Cognitive Decline

Emerging research shows that uncontrolled high blood pressure can affect your cognitive abilities, particularly in older adults. Hypertension can cause the blood vessels in the brain to narrow and harden, reducing blood flow to critical areas involved in memory, thinking, and learning.

Over time, this lack of oxygen and nutrients can damage brain cells, leading to mild cognitive impairment or even vascular dementia.

Symptoms of cognitive decline may include

  • Memory problems: Forgetting names, dates, or recent events.
  • Difficulty concentrating or solving problems.
  • Confusion and slowed thinking.

Uncontrolled high blood pressure increases the risk of cognitive decline and dementia, emphasising the importance of managing it through lifestyle changes, medication, and regular monitoring.

7. Sexual Dysfunction

Although it’s a less talked about complication, high blood pressure can lead to sexual dysfunction in both men and women. The reduced blood flow can make it difficult to achieve or maintain an erection (erectile dysfunction) in men and reduce arousal in women.

Hypertension may also affect hormone levels, such as testosterone, which can contribute to decreased libido and sexual dysfunction in both men and women.

Maintaining a healthy blood pressure not only improves your overall well-being but also enhances your relationships.

How to Prevent These Complications?

With increasing stress and unhealthy lifestyles, it is essential to take proactive measures to keep your blood pressure in check and avoid the risk of related complications. With the right lifestyle adjustments and support, you can drastically reduce your risk of high blood pressure complications.

At Fitterfly, our FitHeart programme has helped more than 30,000 individuals achieve healthy blood pressure and reduced the risk associated with high blood pressure. This programme is designed to help you keep your blood pressure in check with personalised health plans, nutrition advice, exercise plans, stress management tools, and expert consultations tailored to your needs.

For more information on how our FitHeart programme can help, click here.

Whether you are managing high blood pressure or looking to prevent its complications, our team is here to help!

To know your heart age, click here.

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This blog provides general information for educational and informational purposes only and shouldn't be seen as professional advice.

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