Hypertension: The damage you do to yourself

Most cases of high blood pressure (hypertension) are linked to lifestyle factors. By smoking, stressing, eating too much salt, and not exercising enough, or skipping prescribed medication for hypertension, you are creating the ideal conditions for your blood pressure to go up, and your health to deteriorate. Only a few cases are genetic or linked to other causes. High blood pressure is a leading cause of heart attacks, strokes, kidney failure and premature death.

High blood pressure damages your veins and arteries so it affects how much blood organs get, how flexible the arteries are, and it can even lead to narrowing of the arteries, especially if you also have high cholesterol. It’s dangerous because you often have no symptoms until the damage is done, so have your blood pressure taken as part of a Bankmed Personal Health Assessment.

You already know heart attacks and strokes are killers that can strike unexpectedly. Sudden death is traumatic for all involved, but so is living with some of the other complications of high blood pressure:

Losing vision for a less brighter world

You’ve noticed that you need new glasses every few years, and that the world is blurrier. If you have high blood pressure, your vision can get worse because of the pressure in the small veins of your eyes. Your vision loss can be permanent, and the worst-case scenario is becoming blind.

Mild memory problems and trouble understanding

You like to think of yourself as a scatter-brained professor. Your memory isn’t always what it used to be and now and then you just don’t understand something, no matter how often your colleague explains it. Your brain needs good blood flow to function properly.

Am I at risk of getting the flu?

Anyone can get the flu, so everyone needs protection. Some people, like people older than 60 years, pregnant women and people who have certain heart, lung and immune system conditions, are more likely to get flu and develop complications of flu. Flu can worsen chronic conditions and is more likely to cause pneumonia in this group of people.

Dementia and a loss of self-sufficiency

The damage could go further than confusion and trouble with memory. Dementia is a brain disease that causes problems with thinking, speaking, reasoning, memory, vision and movement.

Becoming toxic without functioning kidneys

You constantly feel bloated and your legs are swollen. You huff and puff when you walk, and you feel weak. You don’t think about your kidneys until they start failing.

Not breathing in your sleep

As long as you wake up after a loud snore, you probably won’t notice that you have sleep apnoea. Wonder why you’re tired all the time even though you get to bed early? More than half of the people who have high blood pressure have obstructive sleep apnoea.

Let’s talk about sex

Blood flow is important for sex, so it should come as no surprise that high blood pressure can also interfere with sex. For men, hypertension can contribute to erectile dysfunction, while in women this can lead to a low libido.

More about hypertension

American Heart Association. Health threats from high blood pressure accessed 4 April 2019
Mayo Clinic. High blood pressure dangers: Hypertension's effects on your body accessed 4 April 2019

South African Hypertension Society. General information about hypertension accessed 4 April 2019

UPMC Pinnacle. 8 negative effects of uncontrolled high blood pressure accessed 4 April 2019