Hypertension, also known as high blood pressure, occurs when blood pressure rises above 140/90. Chronic uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause severe complications affecting a variety of body systems. The damage may go undetected for years before the damage becomes noticeable, but by that time it may be too late to stop or repair it.
Blood Vessel Damage
Hypertension affects the blood vessels by weakening them and making them prone to other problems. Arteriosclerosis, also known as hardening of the arteries, can come about as artery walls harden due to high blood pressure. Atherosclerosis, the process of fats collecting along damaged areas of artery walls may also occur after years of hypertension. Both of these conditions cause stress on the heart and other organs as normal blood flow is disrupted. An aneurism, the bulging of a section of artery that may burst and cause internal bleeding, is another potential complication.
Heart Complications
A heart attack can be caused by insufficient oxygen to the heart, which can be a result of hypertension. The left ventricle may also enlarge over time as the heart tries to compensate for high blood pressure by pumping harder. Chest pain and congestive heart failure are other potential complications affecting the heart that can result from high blood pressure.
Brain Damage
When high blood pressure narrows the arteries leading to the brain, this can cause them to burst, or to become blocked by a blood clot, leading to a stroke. Individuals with uncontrolled hypertension may also find that their memory degrades and they have a harder time comprehending new things. Additionally, dementia may result from the hypertensive damage to arteries supplying the brain.
Kidney Problems
The kidneys can also be affected by uncontrolled hypertension if the blood vessels surrounding and within them become damaged by high blood pressure. This can lead to complete kidney failure. Damaged kidneys can lead to a feedback loop because the kidneys normally help control blood pressure and damage can make this function more difficult.
Eye Problems
Burst blood vessels in the eye and vision loss are two consequences of high blood pressure affecting the blood vessels of the eye, a condition called retinopathy. Swelling in the optic nerve is another possible complication, which can lead to difficulty seeing.
Hypertensive Crisis
A hypertensive crisis occurs when uncontrolled blood pressure spikes to extremely high levels, typically over 180/120. This condition may cause bleeding in the lungs or brain, stroke, seizures, chest pain, heart attack or acute kidney failure. Chronic hypertension significantly raises the risk of a hypertensive crisis.
