Hypertension Symptoms and Complications

Published on January 2017 | Categories: Documents | Downloads: 39 | Comments: 0 | Views: 203
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Symptoms and Complications: One reason why hypertension is so dangerous is because many times, there are no symptoms, until a vital organ has already been damaged. In fact, one third of people with high-blood pressure are unaware of their condition. Some common and seemingly innocuous symptoms include headache, vertigo, fatigue, blurred vision, chest pain, difficulty breathing, irregular heartbeat, hematuria, and pounding in the chest, neck, or ears. If not diagnosed and treated properly, hypertension can pose a big threat to one’s health. The most common and well-known of these complications are myocardial infarctions, commonly known as heart attacks. Heart attacks are often caused by atherosclerosis, which is when the high blood pressure causes plaques (cellular waste material) to build up inside blood vessels, making them much narrower. Narrow blood vessels in turn allow less blood and therefore oxygen to reach the heart, causing a stroke or heart attack. When plaques break off and rupture, a blood clot forms and blocks blood from getting to the heart, which leads to a stroke. Hypertension also can develop aneurisms, which is when the blood vessel is weakened to the point that it bulges out, increasing the chance of hemorrhage. Another common complication is kidney disease. Hypertension causes the blood vessels in the kidney to malfunction in terms of processing of waste material, which in turn can result in many other symptoms, such as fatigue, swelling, an increased urge to urinate, or itchy skin. Vascular dementia and eye disease are two other very prevalent conditions acquired if hypertension is not diagnosed or treated. Vascular dementia is a condition when high blood pressure causes insufficient amounts of oxygen and blood sent to the brain, damaging brain cells, leading to loss in memory and adverse effects on one’s thinking and communication skills. Similarly, eye diseases are caused when high blood pressure damages the capillaries in the eye, resulting in serious vision impairment. Graphs/Pictures:

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