Parts of the Body Damaged by High Blood Pressure (Aside From the Heart)

It’s no secret that having uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage the heart in the long run because it causes the ticker to pump harder and faster than usual just to make sure that every cell, tissue and organ in the body is supplied with oxygen-containing blood.

However, doctors say that high blood pressure is something that can damage not only the heart but so many other parts of the body. In fact, those parts may already be being damaged years even before some of the telltale signs of high blood pressure appear.

Here are several body parts aside from the heart that can end up damaged because of high blood pressure.

Arteries

Medical experts say that uncontrolled high blood pressure can damage to the inner lining of the arteries, and this can cause certain sections of the arteries to become weakened. Pairing the weakening of the arteries with high blood pressure is a complete no-no because it can lead to what’s known as aneurysm.

Put simply, aneurysm is the enlargement or bulging of a certain section of the artery due to the weakening of the arterial wall. This is something that can put your life in danger as it may rupture and cause internal bleeding. According to experts, aneurysm can strike any artery in your body, although it’s more common in the largest artery in the body, the aorta.

Brain

All sorts of problems concerning the brain can show up because of high blood pressure. One of the most dangerous of all is a stroke because it can cause a person his or her life. And even if the individual survives a stroke, it’s not unlikely for his or her life to change drastically because of things like language problems and paralysis.

Medical professionals say that uncontrolled high blood pressure may increase a person’s risk of suffering from dementia, which is a brain disease that can cause problems with memory, thinking, reasoning, speaking and even movement. Cognitive impairment that usually comes with Alzheimer’s is another problem due to high blood pressure.

Kidneys

Everyone knows that the kidneys are the ones that remove excess water and impurities from your blood. In order for these kidney-shaped organs to work efficiently, they need to have the tiny blood vessels in them referred to as glomeruli in a healthy state. Otherwise, excess fluids and toxins can accumulate in the body.

Aneurysm was mentioned earlier as something that may strike if the arteries are damaged by uncontrolled high blood pressure. Did you know that aneurysm may also happen in an artery that leads to the kidneys? Such is what doctors refer to as renal artery aneurysm, and it can threaten a person’s life if it ruptures.

Eyes

It’s not uncommon for people with high blood pressure for many years to lose their eyesight. That’s because high blood pressure can cause damage to the vessels supplying the retina with oxygenated blood. Such condition is known as retinopathy. Your risk of retinopathy can increase if you have both high blood pressure and diabetes.

Sometimes uncontrolled high blood pressure may also cause the nerves in the eyes (optic nerve) to die because of damage to the tiny blood vessels supplying them with oxygen-containing blood. When that happens, it’s either you may have bleeding in your eyeballs or you may also lose your vision.

As you can see, high blood pressure is something that should be taken very seriously. Make sure that you follow your doctor’s treatment recommendations if you are diagnosed with it to avoid serious complications.

Sourced from HealthDigezt.