What Are the Dangers of Hypertension?

Hypertension can affect the heart, kidneys, eyes and may even cause a stroke. If this condition is left uncontrolled, these dangers can happen as well as death. A normal blood pressure reading is 120/80. It becomes dangerous when your blood pressure is 140/90 or higher. At this stage, you have high blood pressure, or hypertension.

Danger To Arteries

• Hypertension causes increased flow to the arteries. When this is left untreated it can cause damage to the arteries. Two types of damage to the arteries are arteriosclerosis and aneurysms.
  During arteriosclerosis hypertension damages the cells of the artery's inner lining. This makes the walls thick and stiff causing hardening of the arteries. When this hardening happens, blood flow to major organs can be lost causing problems and even stroke.
  Over a period of time the constant pressure of blood flow through the weekend artery can cause a bulge, called an aneurysm. When an aneurysm is left untreated it can rupture causing internal bleeding.

Heart Disease

• Hypertension can cause coronary artery disease. This damages the arteries that supply blood to your heart muscle. When this occurs blood does not flow freely through the arteries, which can cause chest pain. The arteries may become blocked causing chest pain, irregular heart beat or a heart attack. Hypertension also forces your heart to work harder to pump blood to your body. This causes the left side of your heart to enlarge or stiffen, which increases your risk of having a heart attack. Also, your heart begins to fail, which is also known as heart failure.

Stroke

• A stroke can occur when there is a lack of blood flow to the brain. Hypertension damages and weakens the blood vessels in the brain. This causes the blood vessels to rupture or leak. Hypertension can also cause blood clots in the arteries leading to the brain, which can cause a stroke.

Kidney Failure

• Hypertension is one of the leading causes of kidney failure. This is called end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Hypertension makes the heart work harder which in return, damages blood vessels in the body. When the blood vessels in the kidneys are damaged, they stop removing waste and extra fluid from the body. When kidney failure occurs from hypertension, a patient must receive a kidney transplant or have blood cleansing treatments called dialysis.

Eyes

• Hypertension can lead to eye damage, causing lesions in the ocular region. Eyes are affected by the narrowing of the arteries. When this happens a blockage can form. When blockage occurs, it can lead to loss of sight.
  Hypertension can also damage the blood vessels located on the outside of the eyes. This can cause bleeding of the eye. This condition usually clears up once the hypertension has been treated. If left untreated your vision may be affected and it is highly possible you'll lose your eyesight.