Hypertensive heart disease describes a group of heart problems that occur due to high blood pressure. High blood pressure, as defined by the American Heart Association, occurs when the systolic pressure--the top number on a blood pressure reading--reads 140 mmHg or higher and the diastolic pressure reads 90 mmHg or higher. Chronic high blood pressure contributes to coronary artery disease, heart failure and thickening of the heart, a condition known as hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, resulting in a variety of symptoms.
Chest Pain
Patients describe chest pain, also known as angina, as discomfort in the chest that feels like a squeezing pain. The chest pain may radiate to the shoulders, arms, neck, jaw or back, as described by the National Heart Lung and Blood Institute. Chest pain usually worsens during physical activity and subsides with rest.
High blood pressure damages the walls of the blood vessels. This damage attracts platelets and other substances in the blood, including fats, cholesterol and calcium, to aggregate. The buildup of this material known as plaque, which can form hard deposits in the arteries. Coronary artery disease restricts the flow of blood to the heart, causing chest pain.
High blood pressure forces the heart to work harder in order to pump blood through the body. This added pressure on the heart, especially during physical exertion, causes chest pain.
Shortness of Breath
Shortness of breath, the feeling of not getting enough air, occurs when a condition upsets the normal balance between the body's oxygen supply and the oxygen needs, according to the Merck Manual. Conditions caused by high blood pressure, including coronary artery disease and heart failure, cause a decrease in the amount of blood the heart pumps to the body.
In addition, high blood pressure causes the heart to pump harder resulting in the wall between the ventricles, known as the septum, becoming thick, a characteristic sign of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy. The thickened septum inhibits the ability of the left ventricle to pump blood into the aorta--the large artery that carries blood throughout the body. Pressure backs up into the left atrium and lungs, resulting in shortness of breath, as described by the Cleveland Clinic.
Fatigue
All cells need oxygen in order to function efficiently. Without enough oxygen the cells, and therefore the whole body, feels fatigue--an extreme feeling of tiredness that fails to resolve with rest. Because the heart pumps oxygenated blood throughout the body, malfunctions of the heart that result in a decreased blood flow cause fatigue.
High blood pressure can lead to heart failure, a condition that occurs when the heart fails to pump enough blood to meet the needs of the body. The lack of oxygenated blood flowing to the body causes fatigue.
Heart Palpitations
Heart palpitations, the feeling of a fluttering, pounding or racing heartbeat, occur when conditions caused by high blood pressure disturb normal heart rhythms. Coronary artery disease can cause atrial fibrillation, atrial flutter and ventricular tachycardia, according to the Merck Manual. The Cleveland Clinic reports that approximately 25 percent of patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy experience atrial fibrillation.
