Hypertension (high blood pressure) is a dangerous health condition that can be managed through personal behaviors such as eating a heart healthy diet and engaging in regular physical activity, as well as taking medications that lower blood pressure. Over a period of years, hypertension that is not controlled can cause severe health complications such as neurological problems, metabolic diseases and organ failure, which may be life-threatening. Consider this information from the Mayo Clinic about the complications of hypertension.
Artery Damage
Hypertension damages, hardens and narrows your arteries, which requires the heart to work harder to pump blood through the body. This may eventually lead to heart failure.
Blindness
Damage to the blood vessels that serve the eyes is a complication of hypertension that can lead to blindness.
Kidney Failure
Hypertension can damage or constrict the blood vessels that serve the kidneys, and cause complications such as kidney damage or failure.
Metabolic Syndrome
Hypertension increases your risk of developing a condition called metabolic syndrome, which causes problems with metabolism that can later develop into chronic diseases such as diabetes.
Memory Loss
Memory loss, confusion and lack of clarity in communicating with others are neurological complications of hypertension.
Aneurysm
An aneurysm is a ballooning or bulging of a blood vessel that can develop in organs such as the brain, heart or pancreas. This can be fatal if the aneurysm bursts.
Stroke
Hypertension can cause a blood clot to develop in the brain, which may either burst or block an artery and result in a life-threatening stroke ("brain attack").
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