Hypertension Symptoms and Effects

Hypertension or high blood pressure is known as the silent killer because in the majority of cases, there are very few or no symptoms during the initial stages of disease. Symptoms may appear when there is organ damage or the pressure has reached a very high level, of around 180/110 mm of Hg.

Some of the symptoms of hypertension or high blood pressure include:

  • Headache - Some people with high blood pressure may experience headaches, but headaches often don't occur unless the pressure is significantly raised.
  • Pain in the back of the neck
  • Flushing and feeling hot
  • Nausea and sometimes vomiting
  • Dizziness
  • Drowsiness
  • Severe hypertension may cause sudden and severe nosebleeds
  • Irregular heartbeat
  • Shortness of breath
  • Long term high blood pressure can lead to eye damage and blurred or double vision.

Effects of high blood pressure

Long term high pressure against arterial walls eventually damages and strains them. This may lead to several complications, the most well known complication being atherosclerosis which describes a build up of fatty deposits or plaques in the walls lining the arteries. As the walls thicken with the deposits, they calcify and become brittle with a narrow lumen which restricts the flow of blood.

Atherosclerosis is responsible for a host of other disease conditions such as stroke and heart attacks. The formation of a blood clot at the site of the plaque may block the artery completely and this leads to ischemia or a lack of blood supply to the heart, a common cause of heart attack.

 

Sources

  1. www.nhs.uk/conditions/Blood-pressure-(high)/Pages/Introduction.aspx
  2. http://www.nice.org.uk/nicemedia/live/13561/56015/56015.pdf
  3. apps.who.int/iris/bitstream/10665/79059/1/WHO_DCO_WHD_2013.2_eng.pdf
  4. https://www.icsi.org/
  5. http://www.acponline.org/
  6. https://healthy.kaiserpermanente.org/washington

Further Reading

Last Updated: Jul 17, 2023

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Written by

Dr. Ananya Mandal

Dr. Ananya Mandal is a doctor by profession, lecturer by vocation and a medical writer by passion. She specialized in Clinical Pharmacology after her bachelor's (MBBS). For her, health communication is not just writing complicated reviews for professionals but making medical knowledge understandable and available to the general public as well.

Citations

Please use one of the following formats to cite this article in your essay, paper or report:

Newsletters you may be interested in

See all Newsletters »

Terms

While we only use edited and approved content for Azthena answers, it may on occasions provide incorrect responses. Please confirm any data provided with the related suppliers or authors. We do not provide medical advice, if you search for medical information you must always consult a medical professional before acting on any information provided.

Your questions, but not your email details will be shared with OpenAI and retained for 30 days in accordance with their privacy principles.

Please do not ask questions that use sensitive or confidential information.

Read the full Terms & Conditions.

Provide Feedback

You might also like...
Looking for a natural way to lower blood pressure? Whole grains might be the answer