Effects of Hypertension to the patient

Hypertension, defined as blood pressure that is elevated and higher than normal, is one of the most common medical conditions in the world. With several resulting conditions and significant healthcare expenses, the societal impact of hypertension is tremendous. Measures to prevent and treat hypertension have one common goal: to minimize the risk of complications stemming from high blood pressure.

Atherosclerosis

Hypertension is one of the major risk factors of atherosclerosis. In combination with other factors such as high cholesterol and diabetes mellitus, hypertension accelerates the process by which plaques form in the walls of the arteries. Complications result depending on which arteries are affected and, consequently, which organs receive inadequate delivery of blood and oxygen. Of these complications, two are especially common and associated with morbidity and mortality: heart attack and stroke.

Congestive Heart Failure

Hypertension can lead to a heart attack, which can result in congestive heart failure over time because of impaired heart muscle contraction. However, hypertension can also lead to congestive heart failure in a different way. If the blood pressure is consistently high, the heart has to constantly pump against a high level of resistance. This causes the heart muscle of the left ventricle to thicken (left ventricular hypertrophy, or LVH). If it continues, the thickening can be so great that it reduces the space within the ventricle, limiting the amount of blood that gets pumped out.

Kidney Failure

Another effect of untreated high blood pressure is kidney failure. Along with diabetes mellitus, hypertension is a major risk factor for this condition because of damage to the filtering portions of the kidney (glomeruli). Additionally, such kidney disease, in turn, can increase blood pressure. Between 80% and 90% of patients with chronic kidney failure have hypertension.

Aortic Dissection

Hypertension can cause aortic dissection in which the layers of the wall of the aorta separate from each other. This generally occurs when the blood pressure remains consistently at a moderate to severe level. Inherent weakness of the aortic wall, as with Marfan's syndrome, may also play a role.