Why You Should Never Ignore High Blood Pressure

When a disease is labeled, “The Silent Killer,” and it affects nearly half of adults in the United States, we consider this a clear and present danger and one well worth addressing. Called hypertension, or high blood pressure, this condition puts an enormous strain on your cardiovascular system and places you at much higher risk for some serious health consequences, which we outline here.

While we don’t want to scare you unnecessarily, Dr. Rajesh Dave and the team here at Gulf West Medical Associates believe that awareness is key when it comes to hypertension. This awareness can help motivate you to take critical steps toward lowering your blood pressure, and we want to underscore the point that hypertension can be reversed.

Heart disease and stroke

When you have high blood pressure, you’re at a much higher risk for developing heart disease or stroke, which are the two leading causes of death in the US.

High blood pressure usually means that narrowing or stiffening in your blood vessels makes it harder for your heart to pump your blood efficiently. As a result, your heart works harder, and there’s added pressure against the walls of your arteries, which can weaken them.

When we reference heart disease, we’re referring to conditions like heart attack, heart failure, and peripheral artery disease.

Sexual dysfunction

If your blood isn’t flowing properly, it can lead to sexual dysfunction in both men and women. With men, insufficient blood flow can lead to erectile dysfunction, which means you’re unable to achieve and/or maintain an erection. For women, sluggish blood flow can lead to a decrease in libido, as well as desensitization.

Vision loss

With hypertension, the pressure on the walls of your blood vessels is heightened, which is particularly perilous for the delicate blood vessels in your eyes. If these blood vessels become damaged, it can lead to vision loss.

Kidney disease or failure

The relationship between your kidneys and hypertension is complex. First, your kidneys rely on surrounding arteries to function well, and if these arteries are narrowed or hardened as a result of hypertension, your kidneys can suffer. 

When your kidneys don’t have access to the resources they need in your blood, they can weaken, preventing them from doing their job, which is filtering your blood.

This double-edged effect of high blood pressure can lead to kidney disease and kidney failure.

There is good news

If you have hypertension, there is good news in that we can treat the problem to help you avoid its serious and life-threatening complications. In most cases, changes in your diet and your lifestyle (exercising more), as well as medications, can help substantially lower your blood pressure numbers to a healthier range.

If we find that you have hypertension, rest assured, we will design a comprehensive treatment plan to support your lifestyle and your cardiovascular health. To get started, contact our office in Port Richey, Florida, to set up an appointment.