Hypertension or high blood pressure is a primary risk factor for heart disease and stroke. The Heart and Stroke Foundation (HSF) advises that hypertension is a "silent killer" because it often does not cause symptoms until there is damage to the cardiovascular system or heart and blood vessels. Blood pressure is a measure of the force of the blood against the walls of the blood vessels. The HSF notes that hypertension is a reading that is consistently higher than 140/90 mm Hg or 130/80 mm Hg for diabetic individuals.
Common Symptoms
The University of Maryland Medical Center (UMMC) lists symptoms of hypertension such as tiredness, insomnia, breathlessness, blurred vision, confusion, dizziness, excessive sweating, ear noise or buzzing (tinnitus), and irregular heartbeat or heart palpitations. Nosebleeds or vomiting may also occur. Other symptoms include low libido and erectile dysfunction.
Pain Symptoms
The National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute notes that some individuals with hypertension may experience headache symptoms that can become very severe and recur if the high blood pressure is chronic. At later stages, hypertension may also cause chest pain, which is commonly called angina. Any symptoms of hypertension are warning signs that it may be damaging to the body and medical treatment is important to control blood pressure.
Cardiovascular Symptoms
Over time, hypertension can damage the walls of the arteries or blood vessels, causing nicks, scarring, hardening and weakened areas as well as fatty plaque buildup. Other harmful effects of chronic and prolonged high blood pressure include aneurysms or ballooning of areas in the arteries that can rupture and an enlarged or weakened heart. These can lead to a heart attack if a blood clot travels to the heart and if the heart or coronary arteries are affected. A stroke occurs if the carotid or neck arteries and other arteries leading to or in the brain are affected by a clot, narrowing or aneurysm. The UMMC notes that hypertension may also narrow the blood vessels in the kidney, leading to kidney damage and even failure. The blood vessels in the eyes may also bleed or burst, causing changes to vision or blindness.
