High Blood Pressure Symptoms
Roughly half of the population in the United States has hypertension (high blood pressure), with an a large percentage not even realizing they have it.The American Heart Association estimates that between 30-40% of people with hypertension do not realize it. This is because most of the time there are no symptoms of high blood pressure. This is why high blood pressure is often referred to as the “silent killer.”
In fact, the American Heart Association believes that most high blood pressure symptoms are actually just myths. For example, take headaches – a common symptom associated with high blood pressure. The AMA points out that studies have actually reported that people with high blood pressure are less likely to develop headaches. The study was released in Neurology, a popular journal that releases information about the nervous system.
Another commonly believed myth is that nosebleeds are associated with high blood pressure. Once again, as the AMA points out, there is no conclusive evidence that supports this belief. In fact, researchers found that 83% of hypertensive individuals did not frequently develop nosebleeds and even those that did had very few.
Severe High Blood Pressure Symptoms
The good news – well not so good news, is that those who have dangerously high blood pressure will experience symptoms. These high blood pressure symptoms include:
- Frequent Migraines
- Extreme Fatigue
- Chest Pain
- Difficulty Breathing
- Blood in Urine
- Irregular Heartbeat
As the AMA points out, these symptoms of high blood pressure only really affect those with the highest level of blood pressure. The AMA describes this as a systolic rate of 180 or higher OR diastolic rate of 110 or higher. If your blood pressure reaches this level, you are considered to be in a hypertensive crisis, which means you need to seek immediate medical attention.
To prevent high blood pressure from affecting you, you should carefully monitor your blood pressure. At worst, you should go to the doctor twice a year. If you want to be proactive, you can buy a blood pressure monitor
Effects of High Blood Pressure
Unfortunately, since many people do not know they have high blood pressure, they do not get treated for it. Failure to treat high blood pressure can cause some serious health effects including:
- Stroke
- Heart Attack
- Memory Loss
- Loss of Kidney Function
- Damaging of Kidneys
- Pulmonary Edema (fluid buildup in lungs)
As you can see the effects of high blood pressure are very serious and can be deadly. In fact, heart disease is one of the leading causes of death in the United States each year. Most could be prevented if only people would be more active in monitoring their diet, exercise routines, and blood pressure.