Is your blood pressure constantly higher than the recommended range by your doctor? Well, you need to take precautionary measures on an immediate basis to bring your numbers down. This is so because high blood pressure can make you susceptible to a plethora of life-threatening health problems.
Currently, a sedentary lifestyle, being overweight and obese, stress, lack of exercise, smoking, sodium-rich diet, and a family history can make one prone to high blood pressure.Unfortunately, unmanaged hypertension or high blood pressure is known to cause a wide range of health issues that lead to higher mortality and morbidity rates in patients.
Problems caused by unmanaged blood pressure
· Heart attack and stroke: A large number of people are suffering from a heart attack or stroke and one of the culprits is high blood pressure that damages the walls of your arteries. Hence, the arteries tend to develop deposits of plaque that harden, narrow, or block them. These deposits further cause blood clots which pass via the bloodstream and block blood flow to your heart or brain, resulting in a heart attack or stroke.
· Heart failure: When the arteries become thick or narrow, your heart struggles to circulate your blood. This increased workload will make your heart larger and it will be unable to supply your organs with blood. Hence, one can encounter heart failure that will require timely attention.
· Sexual dysfunction: Men, if your numbers are constantly high then you may encounter erectile dysfunction and low libido will be commonly seen in women.
· Chest pain or anginahappens when the heart does not get a sufficient amount of blood as per its requirement. So, when people with high blood pressure carry out activities such as walking uphill, climbing, or exercising, angina can cause pressure, squeezing, pain, or fullness in the chest and one will need immediate treatment.
· Kidney damage: Kidneys filter toxins from, the body. High blood pressure can cause damage to the arteries near the kidneys leading to kidney failure and one may require dialysis or transplantation to survive.
· Vision problems: Shockingly, the small blood vessels in the eyes can get damaged owing to unmanaged high blood pressure. One can even have permanent vision loss. It is the need of the hour to manage blood pressure and stay healthy.
The last word: To control blood pressure, eat a well-balanced diet, exercise daily, stay stress-free by opting for relaxation techniques like yoga and meditation, take medication to lower blood pressure, maintain optimum weight, and monitor your blood pressure at home.
Authored by: Dr Bipeenchandra Bhamre, Consultant Cardiac Surgeon at Sir H. N. Reliance Foundation Hospital and Research Centre in Mumbai