High blood pressure can quietly damage your body for years before symptoms develop. Left uncontrolled, high blood pressure can severely damage important organs like heart , kidneys, brain and eyes.
Arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.
High blood pressure can damage the cells of your arteries' inner lining. That launches a cascade of events that make artery walls thick and stiff, a disease called arteriosclerosis , or hardening of the arteries.
Fats from your diet enter your bloodstream, pass through the damaged cells and collect to start atherosclerosis . These changes can affect arteries throughout your body, blocking blood flow to heart, kidneys, brain, arms and legs.
The damage can cause many problems including chest pain (angina), heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, peripheral arterial disease and aneurysms.
Coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease affects the arteries that supply blood to heart muscle. Arteries narrowed by coronary artery disease don't allow blood to flow freely through your arteries, which can cause chest pain (angina). The condition also occurs when blood flow through your arteries becomes blocked, usually because of atherosclerosis. When blood can't flow freely to your heart, you can experience chest pain, a heart attack or irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias). People with high blood pressure who have a heart attack are more likely to die of that heart attack than are people who don't have high blood pressure.
Transient ischemic attack (TIA).
Sometimes called a ministroke, a transient ischemic attack is a brief, temporary disruption of blood supply to your brain. It's often caused by atherosclerosis or a blood clot - both of which can arise from high blood pressure. A transient ischemic attack is often a warning that patient is at risk of a full-blown stroke.
Stroke
A stroke occurs when part of brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, causing brain cells to die. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke by damaging and weakening brain's blood vessels, causing them to narrow, rupture or leak. High blood pressure can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries leading to brain, blocking blood flow and potentially causing a stroke. High blood pressure can also cause an aneurysm — a bulge in the blood vessel wall that can burst, causing life-threatening bleeding in the brain.
Dementia
Dementia is a brain disease resulting in impaired thinking, speaking, reasoning, memory, vision and movement. There are a number of causes of dementia. One cause, vascular dementia, can result from narrowing and blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the brain. It can also result from strokes caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain. In either case, high blood pressure may be the culprit. High blood pressure that occurs even as early as middle age can increase the risk of dementia in later years.
Kidney failure
High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of kidney failure. That's because it can damage both the large arteries leading to kidneys and the tiny blood vessels (glomeruli) within the kidneys. Damage to either makes it so your kidneys can't effectively filter waste from blood. As a result, dangerous levels of fluid and waste can accumulate. Patient might ultimately require dialysis or kidney transplantation.
Kidney scarring (glomerulosclerosis).
Glomerulosclerosis is a type of kidney damage caused by scarring of the glomeruli . The glomeruli are tiny clusters of blood vessels within your kidneys that filter fluid and waste from your blood. Glomerulosclerosis can leave your kidneys unable to filter waste effectively, leading to kidney failure.
Aneurysm of artery supplying kidneys . An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. When it occurs in an artery leading to the kidney, it's known as a kidney (renal) artery aneurysm. One potential cause is atherosclerosis, which weakens and damages the artery wall. Over time, high blood pressure in a weakened artery can cause a section to enlarge and form a bulge - the aneurysm. Aneurysms can rupture and cause life-threatening internal bleeding.
High blood pressure damages arteries
Healthy arteries are flexible, strong and elastic. Their inner lining is smooth so that blood flows freely, supplying vital organs and tissues with adequate nutrients and oxygen. If you have high blood pressure, the increased pressure of blood flowing through your arteries gradually can cause a variety of problems, including:Arteriosclerosis and atherosclerosis.
High blood pressure can damage the cells of your arteries' inner lining. That launches a cascade of events that make artery walls thick and stiff, a disease called arteriosclerosis , or hardening of the arteries.
Fats from your diet enter your bloodstream, pass through the damaged cells and collect to start atherosclerosis . These changes can affect arteries throughout your body, blocking blood flow to heart, kidneys, brain, arms and legs.
The damage can cause many problems including chest pain (angina), heart attack, heart failure, kidney failure, stroke, peripheral arterial disease and aneurysms.
Damage to heart
Heart pumps blood to entire body. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage heart in a number of ways, such as:Coronary artery disease.
Coronary artery disease affects the arteries that supply blood to heart muscle. Arteries narrowed by coronary artery disease don't allow blood to flow freely through your arteries, which can cause chest pain (angina). The condition also occurs when blood flow through your arteries becomes blocked, usually because of atherosclerosis. When blood can't flow freely to your heart, you can experience chest pain, a heart attack or irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias). People with high blood pressure who have a heart attack are more likely to die of that heart attack than are people who don't have high blood pressure.
Heart failure
Over time, the strain on your heart caused by high blood pressure can cause heart muscle to weaken and work less efficiently. Eventually, overwhelmed heart simply begins to wear out and fail. Damage from heart attacks adds to this problem.
Damage to brain
Just like heart, brain depends on a nourishing blood supply to function properly and survive. But high blood pressure can cause several problems, including:Transient ischemic attack (TIA).
Sometimes called a ministroke, a transient ischemic attack is a brief, temporary disruption of blood supply to your brain. It's often caused by atherosclerosis or a blood clot - both of which can arise from high blood pressure. A transient ischemic attack is often a warning that patient is at risk of a full-blown stroke.
Stroke
A stroke occurs when part of brain is deprived of oxygen and nutrients, causing brain cells to die. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke by damaging and weakening brain's blood vessels, causing them to narrow, rupture or leak. High blood pressure can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries leading to brain, blocking blood flow and potentially causing a stroke. High blood pressure can also cause an aneurysm — a bulge in the blood vessel wall that can burst, causing life-threatening bleeding in the brain.
Dementia
Dementia is a brain disease resulting in impaired thinking, speaking, reasoning, memory, vision and movement. There are a number of causes of dementia. One cause, vascular dementia, can result from narrowing and blockage of the arteries that supply blood to the brain. It can also result from strokes caused by an interruption of blood flow to the brain. In either case, high blood pressure may be the culprit. High blood pressure that occurs even as early as middle age can increase the risk of dementia in later years.
Damage to kidneys
Kidneys filter excess fluid and waste from blood — a process that depends on healthy blood vessels. High blood pressure can injure both the blood vessels in and leading to your kidneys, causing several types of kidney disease (nephropathy). Having diabetes in addition to high blood pressure can worsen the damage.Kidney failure
High blood pressure is one of the most common causes of kidney failure. That's because it can damage both the large arteries leading to kidneys and the tiny blood vessels (glomeruli) within the kidneys. Damage to either makes it so your kidneys can't effectively filter waste from blood. As a result, dangerous levels of fluid and waste can accumulate. Patient might ultimately require dialysis or kidney transplantation.
Kidney scarring (glomerulosclerosis).
Glomerulosclerosis is a type of kidney damage caused by scarring of the glomeruli . The glomeruli are tiny clusters of blood vessels within your kidneys that filter fluid and waste from your blood. Glomerulosclerosis can leave your kidneys unable to filter waste effectively, leading to kidney failure.
Aneurysm of artery supplying kidneys . An aneurysm is a bulge in the wall of a blood vessel. When it occurs in an artery leading to the kidney, it's known as a kidney (renal) artery aneurysm. One potential cause is atherosclerosis, which weakens and damages the artery wall. Over time, high blood pressure in a weakened artery can cause a section to enlarge and form a bulge - the aneurysm. Aneurysms can rupture and cause life-threatening internal bleeding.
