According to the American Heart Association, one in three U.S. adults has high blood pressure. And while doctors have more weapons in their arsenal to treat high blood pressure, or hypertension, they're still losing the fight. The American Heart Association notes that in the 10 years between 1996 and 2006, the rate of deaths caused by high blood pressure increased 19.5 percent, while the actual number of deaths rose 48.1 percent.
Hypertension makes the whole body ill, but it has particularly debilitating effects on the brain. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can cause a fatal brain condition or can subtly degrade a person's brain year after year, decreasing quality of life. There is some evidence that the harm continues even after blood pressure is medically controlled, making it more important than ever that you stay aware of your blood pressure, eat well and exercise to keep it under control.
Stroke
Hypertension can be extremely damaging. It can trigger a stroke--a loss of blood flow to brain cells--which can be fatal or leave a patient disabled for life. The American Stroke Association estimates that high blood pressure is responsible for about 60 percent of all cases of stroke and is the most significant controllable risk factor for stroke. There are two types of strokes, and hypertension increases the risk for each one. High blood pressure can both weaken and narrow blood vessels in the brain, making the vessels more likely to burst and cause a hemorrhagic stroke. It can also lead to blood clots in the arteries of the brain, which can cut off vital blood flow to the brain and result in an ischemic stroke. Controlling blood pressure reduces stroke risk more than any other single intervention.
Ministroke
Hypertension can lead to transient ischemic attacks, or ministrokes. A ministroke, according to MayoClinic.com, is a temporary disruption in the blood supply to the brain. Atherosclerosis, a hardening of the arteries caused by high blood pressure, makes ministrokes more likely to occur. Ministrokes can also be an important warning sign, since most people who suffer a ministroke go on to suffer a stroke at a later date.
Dementia
Hypertension is also associated with dementia later in life. MayoClinic.com explains that one cause of dementia, vascular dementia, can result from the narrowing and blocking of the arteries that supply blood to the brain. Hypertension causes narrowing of the arteries throughout the body, including in the brain. Doctors have even begun to experiment with treating Alzheimer's disease with drugs used for hypertension, suggesting a link.
Subtle Cognitive Decline
Even patients who don't experience full-blown dementia, however, can suffer some cognitive decline due to high blood pressure. Studies have shown that adults with long-term hypertension can have difficulty learning, suffer mild memory loss, have difficulty maintaining attention and even lose some psychomotor skills. There is some evidence that this is true even of patients who have hypertension that is being treated with medication. The journal "Behavioral Neuroscience" reports that "even controlled hypertension may be associated with deficits in brain structure and cognition," making it all the more important for people to keep their blood pressure in a healthy range through eating well and exercising.
References
- American Heart Association: High Blood Pressure Statistics
- National Stroke Association: Hemorrhagic Stroke Fact Sheet
- MayoClinic.com: High Blood Pressure Dangers: Hypertension's Effect on Your Body
- Wayne State University: "Behavioral Neuroscience": Hypertension and the Brain: Vulnerability of the Prefrontal Regions and Executive Functions
