What Happens When You Have High Blood Pressure?

Uncontrolled high blood pressure can have devastating effects on the body, causing everything from heart problems to vision impairment. According to the American Heart Association, an estimated one in three adults in the United States has high blood pressure, or hypertension. Controlling high blood pressure with medication, exercise and diet is crucial to avoiding serious physiological effects of the disease.

Heart Conditions

When high blood pressure is uncontrolled for a long period of time, dangerous changes to the blood vessels start to occur. Damage to the lining or arteries can cause arteriosclerosis, a thickening and stiffening of the arteries. You may also develop atherosclerosis, a condition characterized by the build up of plaque, a fatty substance that clogs the arteries. If you develop these conditions, blood flow through your heart will be impaired, and you may experience chest pain, a heart attack or arrhythmia (irregular heartbeat). Some people with uncontrolled high blood pressure may develop congestive heart failure, which occurs due to the increased strain on the heart. If you develop this condition, your heart muscle will weaken and will not function at an optimum level.

Stroke

Arteriosclerosis or atherosclerosis can also occur in the blood vessels of your brain. During a stroke, part of your brain doesn't receive oxygen, which causes brain cell death. This can occur as a result of blood vessel changes or from a blood clot caused by high blood pressure. High blood pressure also increases your risk of developing a transient ischemia attack (TIA) or mini-stroke. During a TIA, blood flow is only briefly disrupted, but having a TIA may put you at a higher risk of having a stroke.

Aneurysm

Increased pressure in your arteries may cause an aneurysm. An aneurysm is a weak spot that forms in the artery wall. With continual pressure, this weak spot starts to balloon out and may eventually rupture, causing stroke, internal bleeding, heart attack or death.

Kidney Problems

Damage to your body's blood vessels caused by high blood pressure can affect your kidneys. The kidneys filter extra waste and fluid from your blood and need healthy blood vessels to do a good job. Fluid and waste products build up when blood flow is restricted, injuring the kidneys. In some cases, glomerulosclerosis, or scarring of the kidneys, can occur. When this happens, the scarred portions of the kidneys are irreversibly damaged and are unable to filter waste. Increased pressure can also cause an aneurysm to form in an artery supplying the kidneys. Aneurysms occur most often in the aorta.

Brain Changes

Reduced blood flow can cause changes due to a decrease in oxygen. Changes may initially be mild and affect memory, ability to pay attention, language skills, writing, critical thinking and reading. In some cases, dementia can occur. Dementia results in more severe impairments, including those involving memory, speaking, thinking, movement and reasoning.

Eye Damage

Blood vessel damage in your eyes can cause retinal vessels to swell and leak as part of a condition called retinopathy. Blurred vision, blindness and other visual impairments can result from leaking or ruptured blood vessels. Nerve damage to the optic nerve, the pathway that connects the eyes to the brain, can also occur, as can choroidopathy, a condition in which a leaking blood vessel causes fluid buildup under the retina, the light-sensitive layer of the eye.

Sexual Problems

If you are a man, you may have trouble achieving and maintaining erections due to blood vessel damage. When the vessels are damaged, the blood needed to cause an erection is restricted. In some cases, uncontrolled high blood pressure may also cause problems with ejaculation.

References

• American Heart Association
• National Heart Blood and Lung Institute
• Mayo Clinic

Resources

• Centers for Disease Control and Prevention