In the current scenario, the stress of daily living, workload, and pressure of meeting deadlines and targets are the most common causes of hypertension. People prone to hypertension should regularly get their blood pressure checked, as high blood pressure is responsible for more than just heart disease.

Hypertension can quietly damage your body for years before any actual symptoms develop. Hence, it is of utmost importance to keep it controlled; else, one can suffer from a disability, poor quality of life, and in some cases, even a heart attack.

Some of the fatal outcomes of high blood pressure are listed below:-

1. Damage to your arteries

Hypertension can increase the pressure of blood flowing through your arteries. Therefore, when fats from your diet enter the bloodstream, they can damage your arteries. Moreover, the constant flow of blood through a damaged artery can cause a bulge to form. This is known as an aneurysm. An aneurysm can cause internal bleeding and can be life-threatening as it is most common in your body’s largest artery, the aorta.

2. Damage to your heart

High blood pressure forces your heart to work faster to ensure blood flow to the rest of your body. This causes the left ventricle to thicken or stiffen, which can increase the risks of cardiac arrest, heart attack, or sudden death due to heart failure. You are also at potential risk of coronary heart disease, which affects the arteries supplying blood to the heart muscle. As such, you can experience mild chest pain, a heart attack, or irregular heart rhythms.

3. Damage to your brain

High blood pressure can cause problems like transient ischemic attack, stroke, dementia, and mild cognitive impairment. Most of these problems are associated with the deprivation of oxygen and other nutrients to the brain. This can cause the brain cells to die over time. Hypertension can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries leading to the brain. This can restrict the flow of blood to the brain, leading to temporary or permanent impairment of the brain sometimes.

4. Damage to your kidneys

The kidneys are responsible for flushing out excess fluids and waste from our blood. High blood pressure can damage the arteries leading to our kidneys. Having said that, our kidneys may malfunction and can lead to excessive fluids and waste being accumulated. Having diabetes can worsen the damage caused. This can lead to kidney artery aneurysm or kidney failure even. Hence, it is important to control hypertension in order to maintain healthy blood vessels.

5. Damage to your eyes

High blood pressure can damage the vessels that supply blood to the retina, causing retinopathy. Blocked blood flow can kill the optic nerve, which can cause bleeding in the eyes or vision loss.

Besides the above stated points, high blood pressure can lead to sexual dysfunction, osteoporosis and obstructive sleep apnea. Many of these conditions can be fatal to physical well being in the elderly.

Timely treatment and some lifestyle changes can help in preventing such life-threatening complications. If you notice any symptoms like sudden memory loss, personality changes, restlessness or unexplained mood swings, loss of consciousness, chest pain, etc., treat it as a medical emergency as it can be fatal if not effectively controlled. Lastly, eat healthy, exercise regularly and keep high blood pressure at bay.

We, at TriBeCa Care, care about you, and your family. Our Elder Care is categorically structured to provide the elderly with the support that they deserve. If you have any further queries then feel free to reach us. Call us at + 913366064208 or request a callback. Email us at enquiry@tribecacare.com