What are Complications of High Blood pressure?

By Dr S. P. Pradhan

High blood pressure affects the visceral organs.

Brain

• Stroke : Stroke means focal neurological deficit due to breach in normal blood flow to brain vessels lasting for more than 24 hours. The stroke is usually hemorrhagic. It leads to rupture of major vessels of brain manifesting as stroke. Stroke simply manifests as weakness or paralysis of either or both limbs. In medical language it is called as hemiparesis or hemiplegia, quadriparesis or quadriplegia.

• Transient ischemic attacks (TIA): It manifests as transient loss of consciousness lasting for less than 24 hours. It is sometimes the prior manifestation of stroke. When persistence of problem occurs, it slowly develops into stroke.

• Vascular dementia and memory problems

Heart 

• Coronary artery disease : Gradual build up of high blood pressure causes damage to the delicate lining of arterial walls making it more prone to plaques formation or atherosclerosis. Persistent hypertension causes left ventricular hypertrophy or simply overgrowth of muscles of left lower chamber of heart. It in turn affects the contractility of heart decreasing the blood flow to major organs like heart itself manifesting as coronary artery disease.

• Heart failure – When all the factors like coronary artery disease, heart muscle thickening and weakness  occurs it results in heart failure.

• Left ventricular hypertrophy or enlarged heart

• Arrhythmias and sudden cardiac death

Kidney

• Chronic kidney disease

• Protein in urine (albuminuria)

• Kidney failure requiring dialysis

Eyes

• Hypertensive retinopathy – vision loss

• Blurred vision or blindness

Peripheral Vascular Disease

• Atherosclerosis (hardening of arteries)

• Peripheral artery disease – leg pain while walking

• Aortic aneurysm or dissection -life-threatening

Metabolic

• Erectile dysfunction

• Increased risk of metabolic syndrome

Other

• Reduced exercise tolerance

• Fatigue and reduced quality of life

• Higher risk of early death

  Prevention

  • Regular BP monitoring- Consult to your physician on an interval basis, take medications regularly to keep hypertension at bay.

  • Low-salt, heart-healthy diet (DASH)

  • Regular physical activity- Regular exercise relaxes mind and body keeping the metabolic function properly.

  • Weight control, stress management

  • Avoid tobacco and alcohol