Donkey times I have been asked innocently by those whose blood pressures were found to be high. “Doc what does high blood pressure do to the body? Doc I don’t feel anything and you said my blood pressure is high? “Doc I have no headache how can my blood pressure be high? Doc, I have not checked my blood pressure in 2 years and I feel okay?
If you are above 50 and you ask those questions frequently, just know you are a likely candidate for stroke. No let me paraphrase that, if you are above 50 and you ask most of those questions repeatedly instead of checking your blood pressure regularly then you are inviting cerebrovascular accident (CVA), that is stroke or sudden death. Without apologies, your death will be self induced and preventable.
I stumbled onto WebMD’s discussion on what high blood pressure could do to our bodies. I was impressed with the angle they took because if delved into the questions my patients have been asking me over the years. It was simply captioned “effects of high blood pressure on your body” it was discussed by Prof. James Beckman and written by Michelle Seaton.
Again, I ask, why is high blood pressure a big deal? Let me answer that, because it is putting stress on your heart and your arteries, even if you don’t feel any different. That added stress can raise your chances for a heart attack or stroke.
Overtime problems in your arteries could cut back on blood flow. And since all of the tissues and organs in your body need blood to work well, that means like your brain your kidneys your eyesight and your sex life can be affected too.
By living with healthy habits and taking medication to get or keep your blood pressure down you may prevent long term problems.
It all starts with your arteries. Normally the vessels that carry blood have a smooth inner lining. They are strong and flexible enough to push blood through your body.
High blood pressure changes that. The extra force of the blood can damage the cells on the inside walls of your arteries. If the pressure does not let up, it can cause tears in the lining so it is not smooth anymore. That is when fatty bits called plague get caught and build up. Blood cannot move as well around these clogs, which can even block arteries. These deposits can also make the walls stiff so it is harder to move the blood.
This damage can make the artery wall stretch and bulge out like a balloon. The bump is called an aneurysm.. It can break open and bleed.
Your heart is a muscle and it needs blood too. When its supply lines cannot deliver enough you could have; irregular heartbeat, arrhythmic chest pain (angina) heart attack.
To push blood through stiff or clogged arteries, your heart has to work harder. An overworked heart can become larger than normal. Then the walls of the heart muscle lose strength and cannot pump blood well. This could lead to a heart attack or heart failure. The chances are greater if you already have heart problems.
High blood pressure is a leading cause of stroke. When an artery in your brain tears, leaks or gets clogged, it can stop blood from getting to brain cells. Depending on what part of your brain loses blood and what it does, you could have problems with language, vision, movement, or anything else your brain controls. It could be temporary if the blood flow is restored, or the damage may be permanent if the cells die.
A lessened blood supply to the brain can also keep you from thinking clearly and remembering it can cause a condition called vascular dementia.
About I in 5 people with high blood pressure also have kidney disease. Your kidneys rely on a network of tiny blood vessels to bring them oxygen and nutrients and to filter waste from your body. When the vessels get clogged your kidneys cannot do their job.
Healthy kidneys play a role in keeping your blood pressure in check, too, so when they are damaged, your blood pressure could go up, which then causes more kidney trouble in an ongoing loop. This could lead to kidney failure.
Long term high blood pressure can squeeze off blood flow and damage the small blood vessels in your eyes. Fluid may build up under your retina, the part of your eye where images focus. These things can lead to problems including blurry, distorted and lost vision.
You could also lose your sight when your optic nerve does not get enough blood.
Less blood getting to your sexual organs can cause erectile dysfunction in men and lower sex drive for women.
Narrow and blocked arteries in the lower part of your body- especially your legs can cause pain and cramping. Because it is affecting blood vessels that are not near your heart, your doctor may call this peripheral artery disease (PAD). It can make muscles in your legs and hips sore and tired when you walk or climb stairs
High blood pressure may make you pee out too much calcium. If your body pulls calcium from your bones to make up for that, you could get osteoporosis. Older women with high blood pressure are more likely to have trouble with weak bones that break easily.
About a third to half of people with high blood pressure also has sleep apnea. A kind of interrupted breathing while you sleep. High blood pressure can trigger it or make it worse. Your odds are higher if you have a hard time controlling your blood pressure. Unfortunately the poor rest that comes from sleep apnea can in turn, raise your blood pressure.
Blood pressure varies naturally over a person’s life. Infants and children normally have much lower blood pressure than adults. Activity also affects blood pressure which is higher when a person is active and lower when a person rests. Blood pressure varies with the time of the day, too; it is higher in the morning and lowest at night during sleep.
Blood pressure is measured after the person sits or lies for 5 minutes. A reading of 140/90mm Hg or more is considered high but, a diagnosis cannot be based on a single reading. Sometimes even several high readings are not enough to make the diagnosis.
If a person has an initial high reading, the blood pressure is measured again and then measured twice on at least two other days to make sure that the high blood pressure persists. The readings not only determine the presence of high blood pressure but also are used to classify it’s severity.
Essential hypertension cannot be cured, but it can be treated to prevent complications. Because high blood pressure itself has no symptoms, doctors try to avoid treatments that make people feel bad or interfere with their lifestyle. Before any drugs are prescribed, alternative measures like losing weight are usually tried.
Always be medically guided.
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