High blood pressure itself
usually causes no symptoms, so it is easy to ignore. Left untreated, however,
it can quietly damage your body for years. Eventually, it can lead to serious
complications, such as heart attack, heart failure, stroke, kidney damage, and
vision loss. Fortunately, lifestyle changes and medication can usually get
blood pressure under control and reduce the risk of developing these problems.
Blood Vessel Complications
As times goes on, untreated
high blood pressure can take a toll on blood vessels.
Healthy arteries have
flexible walls that stretch like elastic. When the heart pumps blood through
the arteries, their walls stretch to let it through more easily. But high blood
pressure leads to overstretching, damaging cells in the arteries’ inner lining.
This can set off a chain of events that makes the artery walls thick and stiff,
a condition known as arteriosclerosis.
Overstretching can also cause
tiny tears in blood vessel walls. These tears and the scar tissue they leave
behind can catch debris in the blood, such as cholesterol. The result is a
buildup of fatty deposits that narrow and clog the arteries, a condition known
Trapped blood can form clots
that further narrow a blood vessel and sometimes block it. Blood clots can also
break off and travel through the bloodstream until they become lodged in a
narrow blood vessel elsewhere in the body, causing trouble there. Depending on
the site, blood clots sometimes lead to a heart attack or stroke.
Overstretching can create
weak places in the arteries that bulge outward, a condition known as an
aneurysm. If an aneurysm bursts, it can cause life-threatening internal
High blood pressure that
isn’t treated can damage the heart in several ways.
Coronary artery disease
When the arteries that supply
blood to the heart become narrowed, blood can’t flow through them freely. This
can cause chest pain (angina) or irregular heart rhythms (arrhythmias).
Eventually, it may result in a heart attack.
A heart attack occurs when
one of the arteries supplying blood to the heart becomes blocked by
atherosclerosis or a blood clot. When this happens, the part of the heart
supplied by the artery is deprived of nourishing blood, and that part of the
heart begins to die. The longer the artery stays blocked, the worse the damage.
Left ventricular hypertrophy
Narrowed arteries force the
heart to work harder to pump blood through the body. Just as lifting weights
can make your biceps bigger, this added work can cause enlargement of the heart
muscle in the left ventricle, the heart’s main pumping chamber. Enlargement and
stiffening make it even more difficult for the ventricle to do its job.
Over time, the added strain
on the heart can cause it to get weaker and work less efficiently. Eventually,
the overwhelmed heart becomes unable to pump enough blood to meet the body’s
demands, a condition known as heart failure.
Like other parts of the body,
the brain depends on a healthy blood supply for nourishment. When high blood
pressure isn’t controlled, the blood supply can be compromised.
A stroke occurs when part of
the brain is deprived of the vital oxygen and nutrients in blood. Within
minutes, brain cells begin to die. In the majority of cases, a blood clot
blocks one of the arteries leading to the brain. In other cases, a blood vessel
in the brain leaks or bursts, often due to high blood pressure or an aneurysm.
Dementia is a brain disorder
characterized by impairments in memory, thinking, speaking and other mental
skills. This form of dementia can be caused by a stroke or by reduced blood
flow to the brain due to narrowed arteries there.
The kidneys’ job is to filter
excess fluid and waste from the blood, and they depend on healthy blood vessels
to do this efficiently. High blood pressure can damage blood vessels in and
around the kidneys, causing serious problems.
Kidney failure refers to a
loss of kidney function, which allows dangerous levels of fluid and waste to
build up in the body. High blood pressure is a double threat. It can damage
both the large arteries leading to the kidneys and the tiny blood vessels
inside the kidneys.
The tiny blood vessels inside
the eyes are delicate and vulnerable. When subjected to the force from high
blood pressure, they may narrow or leak, leading to vision problems.
refers to damage of the retina—the light-sensitive tissue at the back of the
eyes—that is caused by high blood pressure. If blood pressure is not
controlled, this can lead to vision loss or even blindness.
Many women with high blood
pressure have healthy pregnancies. However, for others, uncontrolled blood
pressure can cause problems. In pregnant women, it can damage the kidneys and
other organs. In their babies, it can cause premature birth and low birth
The most serious form of high blood pressure in
pregnancy is preeclampsia. Although the exact cause is uncertain, blood vessel
damage and insufficient blood flow to the uterus may play a role. In this
condition, which typically begins after the 20th week of pregnancy, high blood
pressure is combined with increased protein in the urine due to kidney
problems. Most women with preeclampsia deliver healthy babies. However, the
condition increases the risk for slow growth of the fetus, low birth weight,
premature birth, and breathing problems as a newborn. In pregnant women, severe
preeclampsia can also cause heavy bleeding, liver and kidney problems, or
seizures—dangerous complications for both mother and child.
Men need healthy blood flow to achieve and sustain an
Blood vessel damage can reduce the amount of blood
that reaches the penis. For some men, the decreased blood flow interferes with
their ability to have an erection, causing erectile dysfunction.