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- Excessive and uncontrolled pressure on the artery walls can damage vital organs. The higher the blood pressure and the longer it goes uncontrolled, the greater the damage.
- Damage to the arteries: This can result in hardening and thickening of the arteries (atherosclerosis), which can lead to a heart attack or other complications. An enlarged, bulging blood vessel (aneurysm) also is possible.
- Heart failure: The heart muscle can have a hard time pumping blood against the higher pressure in the vessels, leading to increasing heart muscle thickness. Eventually, the thickened muscle may have a hard time pumping enough blood to meet the body's needs, which can lead to chronic heart failure (CHF).
- Stroke: Excessive blood pressure can lead to a blocked or ruptured blood vessel in the brain, leading to a lack of blood flow and oxygen to the brain (stroke).
- Metabolic syndrome: This syndrome is a cluster of disorders of the body's metabolism, including increase waist circumference, high triglycerides, low high-density lipoprotein (HDL, or "good" cholesterol), high blood pressure, and high insulin levels. The more components an individual has, the greater the risk of developing diabetes, heart disease, or stroke.
- Hypertensive nephropathy:
Weakened and narrowed blood vessels in the kidneys can develop, leading to the inability of these organs to function normally.
- Hypertensive retinopathy: Thickened, narrowed or torn blood vessels in the eyes can develop that may result in vision loss.
- Cognitive impairment: Chronic (long term) or acute (immediate) high blood pressure can impair the ability to think, remember, and learn.
- Pre-eclampsia: Pre-eclampsia, or high blood pressure and protein in the urine during pregnancy, is diagnosed through blood pressure checks, which are routine at prenatal visits. A doctor will also order a test to determine whether protein is in the urine (albumin test). A rapid increase in blood pressure is a sign that the individual may be developing pre-eclampsia.
- Endothelial dysfunction: Endothelial dysfunction is a malfunction of the endothelium, the cells that line the inner surface of all blood vessels including arteries and veins. Normal functions of endothelial cells include helping with coagulation (blood clotting), platelet adhesion (also involved in clotting), immune function, control of fluid and electrolyte content in and out of the cells. Endothelial dysfunction can result from high blood pressure. High blood pressure causes the blood vessels to become stiff and less able to constrict (narrow) and dilate (expand). Other causes include septic shock (inability of the tissues to get blood and oxygen), hypercholesterolemia (high cholesterol), diabetes, and environmental factors such as cigarette smoking. Endothelial dysfunction is thought to be a key event in the development of atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries), leading to heart attacks.
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