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The Risks Of Untreated Hypertension |
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Hypertension is often undiagnosed and is extremely
damaging because most people don’t have any symptoms until they are in a
crisis. Often a person only experiences a mild headache or occasional
dizziness and then suddenly the doctor is telling them that they have
hypertension and it has already caused other problems.. Getting
diagnosed and keeping your blood pressure controlled can help prevent a
crisis situation and it can decrease your risks of serious complications
such as heart attacks, congestive heart failure, damage to blood
vessels, kidney damage/failure, stroke/brain damage, and loss of vision.
Imagine that you have a water hose and you leave it outside all
the time exposed to the elements and getting stiffer. Most of the time
you just use the hose at a slow trickle to water the plants but today
you need it to clean off the driveway. You turn that hose on full blast
and suddenly
it springs a hole (or two). You quickly turn it off before
you become soaked. This is the same thing with your blood vessels. If
you do not control your hypertension it is like leaving the hose outside
in the elements, eventually it will break down and spring a leak.
Rarely,
in approximately 1% of those diagnosed with hypertensive disease the
uncontrolled hypertension can lead to what is called malignant
hypertension. This is blood pressure that is extremely high and causes
swelling of the optic nerve (behind the eye). This is considered a
medical emergency. Besides your eyes, many of your other important
organs are also in serious risk of injury including your brain, heart,
and kidneys.
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