The incidence of high blood pressure increases as people age and blood vessels become less elastic. ...

1. Hypertension (High Blood Pressure) Side Effects and Organ
Damage
The incidence of high blood pressure increases as people age and blood vessels become less elastic.
Untreated hypertension has long lasting negative effects on every major organ and body system that
can be fatal.
Heart Problems Caused by High Blood Pressure
Damage to blood vessels can cause atherosclerosis, a buildup of plaque that narrows blood vessels.
Even among people receiving treatment for hypertension, coronary artery Stage 2 Kidney Disease
disease, blockage in the blood vessels that supply the heart muscle, is the most common cause of
death, according to theMerck Manual.
Blood vessels can also weaken in certain areas and bulge outward, a condition called aneurysm. If an
aneurysm ruptures, life-threatening bleeding can occur, the Mayo Clinic states. Merck states that
nearly all abdominal aneurysms occur in people with hypertension. Narrowed blood vessels in the
brain can slow blood flow and result in cognitive problems. Blocked vessels leading to the brain can
cause stroke.
Coronary artery disease from untreated hypertension can cause myocardial infarction, or heart
attack. Congestive heart failure may also accompany hypertension. Congestive heart failure
develops when:
The heart has to pump harder to force blood through narrow blood vessels.
The muscle in the heart wall thickens in an attempt to
http://www.webmd.com/a-to-z-guides/chronic-kidney-disease-topic-overview increase the pumping
force, but may not be able to keep up with the body's demands, according to the Mayo Clinic.
Fluid backs up because blood flow through the heart is slowed.

2. Kidney Disease and Hypertension Symptoms
Hypertension causes 25,000 new cases of kidney failure in the United States each year, the National
Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases states. Untreated hypertension damages the
blood vessels that lead to the kidney http://www.kidney-cares.org/stage-ckd-3-prognosis/919.html
and can cause kidney failure. Damaged blood vessels don't remove waste products and excess fluid
from the body effectively, so they build up in the body. Excess fluid further raises blood pressure,
which leads to further kidney damage in a vicious cycle.
Avoiding Retinal Damage From High blood Pressure: Common Symptoms
The blood vessels in the retina, the back layer of the eye that contains photoreceptors responsible
for vision, can be damaged by untreated hypertension. Four classes of damage define hypertensive
damage to the retina:
Grade 1, with constrictions of the small arteries called arterioles
Grade 2, constriction and sclerosis, which means hardening or thickening, of arterioles
Grade 3, hemorrhages of the blood vessels
Grade 4, papilledema, or swelling of the optic disc
Treating Hypertension Side Effects Decreases the Risk of Serious Complications
Recognition and early treatment of hypertension is essential to prevent serious health consequences.
Ignoring hypertension can damage nearly every organ in the human body, while causing few
noticeable symptoms.
Sources:
National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases online: Hypertension (accessed
April 8, 2010)