One of the first things checked after our weight when we visit the doctor’s office is usually our blood pressure. Of course, we all know that it’s important, but do you know why? Blood pressure is a predictor of how our heart will continue to perform. Also known as hypertension, let’s investigate how high blood pressure affects your heart and what you can do about it.
High Blood Pressure: The Silent Killer
You normally don’t have many obvious symptoms when your blood pressure is high. That’s why it should be monitored and checked regularly. It takes many years for high blood pressure to damage your arteries leading to your heart. Healthy arteries are naturally strong, flexible, and elastic, with a smooth inner lining that supports optimal blood flow. When blood pressure is consistently high, it puts pressure on the artery walls and can harm the walls of the arteries, limiting blood flow.
Normal blood pressure is 120/80 mm. The higher your blood pressure, the more risk you have for other health problems like heart disease, heart attack, and stroke.
How Hypertension Impacts Your Heart
Direct damage to your heart takes many forms:
- Coronary artery disease leads to chest pains called angina, irregular heartbeat, and or even a heart attack.
- Heart failure strains the heart, weakening it and it begins to fail.
- Metabolic syndrome is a group of conditions including stroke, diabetes, insufficient levels of HDL or good cholesterol, increased levels of triglycerides, and excess body fat around the waist.
Talk with our cardiology experts in Phoenix, AZ about your blood pressure and how it is affecting your heart.
How Hypertension Affects Your Overall Health
Damage to the Brain
- Strokes happen when the brain doesn’t receive enough oxygen and there is bleeding in and surrounding the brain. Brain cells die, blood clots form.
- A mini stroke occurs when the blood to the brain is temporarily blocked. It is a warning sign of a full stroke.
- Vascular dementia occurs when a series of tiny strokes occur limiting blood flow to the brain.
- Cognitive Impairment involves trouble with memory and language, but not as serious as dementia.
Kidney Damage
High blood pressure harms the blood vessels that lead to the kidneys, and diabetes can exacerbate the damage. Kidney failure is a serious condition, with high blood pressure as the most frequent cause.
Vision Damage
High blood pressure also damages the blood vessels supplying blood to each eye. This causes retinopathy which can lead to complete vision loss.
Another issue is the buildup of fluid under the retina called choroidopathy causing distorted vision.
Optic neuropathy or nerve damage is another vision problem due to high blood pressure which can lead to vision loss.
What Can You Do to Prevent These Health Problems
There are several lifestyles changes you can make to control your blood pressure.
- Exercise regularly
- Don’t smoke
- Eat a healthy diet and limit salt
- Limit alcohol
- Keep weight at a healthy level
- Manage stress as best you can
Take all the medications your doctor has prescribed. Purchase a blood pressure monitor for use at home to keep a regular check.
Know all the signs of a heart attack. Call 911 for help if you think you may be experiencing a heart attack or stroke.
Contact Tri-City Cardiology at (480) 835-6100 to schedule an appointment if you need a wellness check.