The diet and lifestyle of people have drastically changed over years and increased consumption of processed food has greatly affected the overall health. According to some estimation of medical industry, it has been stated that approximately one out of every three people has high blood pressure. Since there are no obvious symptoms therefore most of the people with high blood pressure don’t have an idea about it. Uncontrolled or untreated high blood pressure might turn out to be silent killer as it increases the chances of heart attack, stroke and heart or kidney failure.
What is high blood pressure?
The heart pumps the blood around the body and as the blood moves it pushes against the sides of vessels. The strength of this pushing can be defined as blood pressure. An individual can either have low, high or normal blood pressure. In case of high blood pressure, it puts extra strain on the heart and blood pressure which increases the risk of heart stroke or attack. Considering the number, if blood pressure reading is consistently 140 over 90 or higher, the person has high blood pressure problem.
What causes high blood pressure?
- Excess consumption of salt through diet is a major cause of hypertension. It has been stated that excess intake of salt tightens the blood vessels and increases the resistance to flow of blood and therefore results in high blood pressure.
- Excess intake of sugar can also contribute to hypertension. One must count the sugar intake either while drinking or eating as it can cause difficulties.
- Obese people are said to be highly chronic to hypertension. Excess fat squeezes the major blood vessels in the body thus increasing the blood pressure.
- Smoking also contributes to hypertension. According to medical experts with every puff of smoke, the color of blood turns a less red and a little blue which further deprives the brain of getting proper energy and therefore affects its functionality.
Excess of stress can contribute towards higher intensity of problem. High blood pressure if not treated well or can lead to fatal medical condition. Some of which are:
- Damages arteries
Hypertension increases the pressure of blood flowing through arteries. It can damage the inner lining of arteries and eventually the artery wall will become less elastic and will limit the flow of blood.
- Can be reason behind heart attack
Uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage the heart in multiple ways including coronary artery disease, enlarged left heart or even heart failure. High blood pressure can affect the supply of blood to heart muscle, can thicken or stiffen left ventricles or can cause heart muscles to weaken and work less efficiently.
- Effect proper functioning of brain
Just like heart, functioning of brain also depends on blood supply. However, high blood pressure can lead to multiple issues as some part of brain get deprives of oxygen and nutrients resulting in death of brain cells. Uncontrolled high blood pressure can lead to stroke by damaging and weakening brain’s blood vessels, causing them to narrow, rupture or leak. High blood pressure can also cause blood clots to form in the arteries leading to your brain, blocking blood flow and potentially causing a stroke. It might also result in problems with thinking, speaking, reasoning, memory, vision and movement.
- Lead to kidney issues
The main function of kidney is to filter out excess fluid and waste from blood. High blood pressure can affect both blood vessels and condition of kidney. Moreover, if the person is also diagnosed with diabetes, the effect can be severe. Due to persistent high blood pressure for longer period of time kidney might lose its functionality which can result in accumulation of fluid and waster and ultimately the person might require dialysis or kidney transplant.
