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High Blood Pressure or hypertension is a dangerous disease because it causes your heart to work much harder. If your heart is required to work harder for extended periods, it will become enlarged. If your heart is slightly enlarged, it can and should still work ok, but if it becomes significantly enlarged it won't. You will also find high blood pressure also causes damage to your arteries which can then cause arterial disease. Low blood pressure is a potentially serious health condition where a person's blood pressure is much lower than usual or healthy. When the blood pressure is low, it usually causes symptoms such as dizziness lightheadedness and collapse. When the blood pressure is too low, it means there isn't enough blood flowing to the heart, brain, and other vital organs of the body. Extended periods of either hypertension or low blood pressure are conditions for concern and you should seek competent medical advice. You can learn more about these conditions on these pages. Hypertension and StrokeFor anyone suffering from prolonged high blood pressure, the risk of suffering a stroke is very real. A stroke consists of damage to an area of the brain as a result of pressure from either escaped blood or interference with the blood circulation. This then causes a shortage of oxygen and glucose to the brain cells. As the brain heavily depends on a constant supply of these two components, and is unable to store any for emergencies, any shortages can have catastrophic consequences. Hypertension increases the risk of a person suffering a stroke in two ways. Firstly it encourages the growth of atherosclerosis which is the development of fatty lumps or plaques in the walls of the arteries. These then impedes the flow of blood within the circulatory system. This then narrows the arteries of the brain which heightens the risk of a blot clot from the heart or the lungs or a flake of tissue blocking the arteries. Secondly hypertension places a severe strain upon the walls of the brains blood vessels. As they are somewhat of a very delicate nature, they can eventually rip open. Blood then seeps into the brain tissue causing further damage and a condition called cerebral haemorrhage. If a person suffering a stroke is "lucky", it will only be a minor one. Symptoms of this can include the loss of a hand arm or leg, and/or loss of speech. Usually a complete recovery can be expected within a week or a fortnight, but if the blood pressure is not lowered immediately (and kept low), then more severe strokes are highly likely. The symptoms of a major stroke can be very severe, and include weakness r paralysis down one or both sides of the body, speech difficulties, and sometimes loss of consciousness which can be irreversible. It is much more difficult to recover from a major stroke (Though many do), and many people are left with residual problems. Again, treating the patient's high blood pressure is mandatory. A transient ischemic attack is another type of stroke which can be suffered by people with high blood pressure. These are comparable to minor strokes and can be characterised by body tingles, visual disturbance, speech impediment, a loss of spatial awareness and/or identity. They are thought to result from a momentary spasm of the blood vessels transporting blood to specific areas of the brain, or from pressure upon arteries in the neck from the neck being in a twisted position. Transient ischemic attacks (or TIA's), only last for a few minutes, but can be very frightening for the person suffering. One third of people who suffer a transient ischemic attack have no further problems, another third continue to experience them over a period of time without suffering any further serious problems, and unfortunately another third go on to have a major stroke. The above is only a snippet to read the full article, click here!
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Site MenuMore ArticlesIt's quite difficult sometimes to judge a "normal" blood pressure for a person because something normal for one person may well be "abnormal" for another. So it is important that if there is a suspicion someone's blood pressure may be causing them a problem it is investigated very carefully as even small changes in their blood pressure may cause them adverse medical problems. While the articles on this Website were written with great care, errors or omissions may occur. The information is provided "as-is", without any warranty whether expressed or implied. All readers agree to use the information provided on this site entirely at their own risk. The information provided here is for educational purposes only and should not be used as a basis for any form of diagnosis or treatment for any medical condition whatsoever - including high or low blood pressure. Always seek the advice of a professional medical doctor. |
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