High Blood Pressure Symptoms.

In the previous post, we discussed Causes of High Blood Pressure, which gave us an insight into the various causes of high blood pressure.  Most of the times, a person with high blood pressure or hypertension does not have any High Blood Pressure Symptoms and he may be living with hypertension for a long time. The hypertension is noticed accidentally when his blood pressure is measured by the physician or it may be noticed when some life threatening Complications of High Blood Pressure develop. Blood Pressure above 140/90 mm Hg is to be considered as high.

Some Stats on High Blood Pressure.

• 25% of the adult American population has high blood pressure.
• In the last 25 years, more women than men have died of cardiovascular disease.
• The cause of  death in women due to heart failure in 60% of the cases  is high blood pressure.
• Coronary Heart Disease is the number one cause of death in American women, claiming half a million lives every year.
• African American women tend to develop high blood pressure at an earlier age than whites.
• The south eastern states in the U.S. show a high incidence of strokes and high blood pressure among blacks and whites than other states.

The Silent Killeris what hypertension is called, because it goes on developing in the body causing damage to the organs in the body without you knowing it. This damage can progress to the extent of being lethal. This is the reason why stress is laid on regular check ups of Blood Pressure.

Symptoms of High Blood Pressure in Men and Women.

1) Headache:

Hypertension may manifest itself by just a headache, and the patient takes pain relieversfor a few days. It is only when the headache persists, that he visits his doctor. High Blood Pressure Readings above normal of 140/90 mm of Hg will tell you that your blood pressure is high. This is a sure shot sign of high blood pressure.

2) Nausea

Nausea accompanying the headache is a symptom of high blood pressure.

3) Dizziness.

4) Blurring of vision.

5) Lack of sexual desire in women is seen.

6) Erectile dysfunction may develop in men. A strong correlation between ED and high blood pressure exists.

As mentioned above, many a time, realization of hypertension comes when the complications of hypertension arise and the symptoms of these complications manifest themselves.

Symptoms of the Complications of High Blood Pressure.

1) Heart failure: As a result of the heart continuously working against high pressure, it may fail and the associated symptoms like

a. Persistent dry cough

b. Shortness of breath

c. Swelling of legs

d. Fatigue

e. Swelling of the abdomen

2) Heart attack: High blood pressure is the most common cause of heart attack and may present with the following symptoms.

i. Shooting pain on the left side of the chest or behind the breast bone, which may radiate to the left hand, neck or the jaw or the back.

ii. Dizziness associated with pain in chest.

iii. Sense of Constriction at the throat.

iv. Difficulty in Breathing.

3).    Blood Hemorrhage or clot formation in the brain. The small arteries in the brain may rupture due to high pressure of the blood flowing through them or a clot may form causing loss of blood supply and oxygen to the affected part of the brain. Thus, depending on the controlling functions of the affected part of the brain, symptoms appear.

• Weakness or numbness or loss of function or paralysis of either the left or right side of the body affecting the hands and legs.
• Weakness of one side of the face causing the mouth to droop.
• Reduced vision.
• Difficulty in swallowing.
• Speech may be affected
• Lack of muscle coordination and balance.
• Severe headache.
• Confusion.

4) .Atherosclerosis is a condition wherein the lumen of the blood vessels is narrowed due to deposits of plaques on its walls. This reduces the blood supply to the part being supplied blood and thus symptoms arise depending on the  part which is affected.

• Heart- described above
• Kidney- described below
• Brain- described above
• Legs – Pain in the legs.

5. Kidney failure symptoms are

• Tiredness and weakness
• Loss of appetite
• Breathlessness
• Vomiting and diarrhea
• Swelling of feet.
• Reduced urination

6.  Damage to the eye resulting in reduced or loss of vision in that eye

7. Aneurysm of the main artery either in the chest or the abdomen or the brain is a localized swelling of  the  artery resulting in a balloon like appearance. The walls of the artery are weakened and  may rupture causing serious complications or even death.

Diagram of Aneurysm of aorta.

Symptoms and Signs of High Blood Pressure in Pregnancy.

High Blood Pressure developed during pregnancy is called Gestational Hypertension. Women who have or develop high blood pressure during pregnancy develop a condition called PreEclampsia which is also referred to as Toxemia of Pregnancy. Preeclamsia starts to develop after the 5th month of pregnancy and the following high blood pressure signs and symptoms are seen.

• Mild to severe hypertension is seen.
• Urine examination shows protein.
• Preeclamsia affects the liver, kidney and the brain of the mother and symptoms of involvement of these organs will be seen.
• The pregnant woman may develop seizures and this condition is called Eclamsia, which incidentally is the second most common cause of  maternal deaths.

Action Step: If you identify any of the symptoms described above in you, do see your physician right away and explain your High Blood pressure Symptom so that he can do the needful.  Complications of High Blood Pressure are too serious to ignore.

Related posts:

1. Treatment of High Blood Pressure or Hypertension.
2. High Blood Pressure or Hypertension Causes.
3. Natural Cures for High Blood Pressure (Hypertension)
4. How to Prevent High Blood Pressure
5. High Blood Pressure Complications|Hypertension Complications.
6. Low Blood Pressure Symptoms and Complications.
7. Low Blood Pressure.
8. Blood Pressure.