Hypertension, known by many as high blood pressure, is often referred to as the “silent killer”. Why? Because more often than not, it has no obvious symptoms, while still causing significant damage to your body.
It is estimated that almost half of adults have high blood pressure. However, the numbers get more worrying: only 1 out of 4 adults with hypertension has their condition under control. Over time, the pressure on your vessels and organs lead to complications, which is why undiagnosed hypertension is often linked to heart disease, stroke, kidney failure, and vision loss.
The good news is that these complications do not appear overnight—but that is exactly why it is so relevant to regularly get your blood pressure measured and track any abnormal results. When promptly identified, hypertension can be successfully managed.
At South Plains Rural Health Services, we strive to help you take care of your health in a comprehensive way. We do so by not only providing the best medical service, but also closely monitoring you and giving you the best guidance to improve your routines and health.
How Untreated Hypertension Affects Your Body
Having constant, untreated high blood pressure puts an excessive strain on your blood vessels and organs, and affects your normal circulation. This pressure against the walls of your arteries can lead to serious health complications, some of them not even directly related to blood circulation—at least in appearance.
Cardiovascular Issues
When your blood pressure increases, your heart has to work harder to pump the same amounts of blood to your body. When the additional effort becomes the norm, it can lead to different cardiovascular complications, such as:
- Heart failure due to weakened muscles
- Heart attack because of possible blockages in damaged blood vessels
- Enlarged heart, as the left ventricle thickens in order to manage the added workload, which leads to reduced efficiency and increased oxygen demand
- Coronary artery disease (CAD) due to damage to the arteries walls, plaque buildup, and higher risk of blood clots
- Aneurysm formation, since the weakened arterial walls can stretch, balloon, and rupture, patients are more likely to develop aneurysms and an eventual life-threatening bleeding
Increased Risk of Stroke and Brain Damage
Hypertension puts a significant strain on blood vessels all over your body—including your brain, of course. Increased weakness could cause them to rupture, leading to a hemorrhagic stroke; become blocked by clots, also known as an ischemic stroke.
High blood pressure has also been linked to significant cognitive decline and some types of dementia. Untreated hypertension reduces blood flow to the brain over time and has an impact on the quality and life of brain cells, as well as increasing the risk of vascular dementia.
Kidney Damage
The arteries around your kidneys can get damaged by high blood pressure and affect their ability to properly filter your blood. If these arteries narrow, harden, weaken, or suffer from a significant reduction in blood flow, your kidneys can not function effectively, which leads to chronic kidney disease (CKD) and a possible permanent loss of their abilities.
Vision Problems
If hypertension affects the blood vessels in your eyes, you can slowly lose your vision, as it might impact your retina, lead to fluid buildup or scarring, damaging your optic nerve, and increase your risk of other conditions such as glaucoma or macular degeneration.
Additionally to your hypertension prevention and management strategies, make sure to get regular eye exams so you’re able to detect these types of complications early on.
Metabolic Complications
Constant, untreated hypertension eventually disrupts your body’s ability to regulate certain processes like glucose or lipid metabolism. This might show up as:
- Insulin resistance: And an increased risk of type 2 diabetes
- Metabolic syndrome: A cluster of conditions such as high blood sugar, abnormal cholesterol levels, excess fat, and increased risks of stroke and diabetes
- Chronic inflammation: Linked to metabolic dysfunction
- Hormonal imbalances
Sexual Dysfunction
High blood pressure in men can reduce blood flow to the penis, making it difficult to achieve or maintain an erection. It can also interfere with ejaculation and lower testosterone levels. For women, the decreased blood flow to the vagina can lead to dryness and difficulties in arousal and orgasming.
Managing and Preventing Hypertension
Whether you want to take preventive measures to avoid hypertension or have already been diagnosed and seek to control it, there are several changes you can make to achieve a healthier version of yourself. Ask a professional about:
- Lifestyle changes in diet, exercise, stress management strategies, and sodium reduction
- Achieving and maintaining a healthy weight
- Limiting alcohol and quitting smoking
- Medication options
- Regular check-ups
Lower Your Blood Pressure with South Plains Rural Health Services
While hypertension can be very dangerous to your life and system, we are not trying to scare you. Instead, we believe that an educated community can take power over their health and enhance their routines for happier lifestyles.
At South Plains Rural Health Services, we provide comprehensive health assessments, and our check-ups include measuring your blood pressure. If you are diagnosed with hypertension, we will make a tailored plan for you.
Learn more by scheduling an appointment with our medical team at any of our Texas locations in Levelland, Lamesa, or Big Spring, and let’s decide together what’s the best path for leveraging your life.
South Plains Rural Health: Caring for your family, growing with your community.