Hypertension is one of the leading causes of death worldwide every year. That is why doctors call this condition, the ‘silent killer’. For most people, it is commonly referred to as high blood pressure, or BP of more than the normal range. When a person’s pressure is consistently measured 140/90 mmHg, it is then diagnosed as hypertension. In this article, I will discuss the causes and side effects of hypertension.
Generally, there are two kinds of hypertension, primary and secondary. The latter refers to unknown factors that cause the increase of blood pressure, while secondary, resulted from other medical conditions, like diabetes, tumors, kidney disease, disorder in the blood vessels, etc. In most case, the causes are unknown.
Initially, the symptoms of this condition are vague and often attributed to other illnesses. As a result, people are not aware that they already have hypertension syndrome. However, it is essential that you recognized the changes that your body is going through due to increasing blood pressure. On one hand, there are risk factors that can cause pressure to risen up, such as dietary factors, lifestyle, obesity, birth control pills and genetics. If the symptoms are left untreated, complications are bound to arise in the long run.
The following are some of the common signs and symptoms of elevated pressure.
blurring of vision
dizziness
nausea
drowsiness
severe headaches
irregular heart beat
fatigue
If your blood pressure is not controlled, the side effects of hypertension will be more fatal. Blood vessels and arteries are severely affected; hence, major organs of the body are affected too.
The heart
When the pressure is high, the workload of the heart also increased. Consequently, the heart muscles are thickened, and enlargement of the left ventricle occurs, and can lead to heart failure.
The Eyes
The eyes comprised of blood vessels that can rupture due to elevated blood pressure. This can result to blurring of vision or even blindness.
The Brain
The effect of hypertension on the brain is life threatening, this can cause the blockage of arteries that connect to the brain, resulting to stroke. In addition, if blood vessels are ruptures, it will cause aneurysm.
The kidneys
The filtering function of the kidneys is severely affected by the rising of blood pressure, because the renal arteries and blood vessels are damaged. If proper action is not taken, it will progress to renal failure.
Maintaining your blood pressure within the normal range requires sacrifices. Medications are not enough; it also entails lifestyle changes, and positive outlook in life.
