Hypertension and Heart Disease
Some people mistakenly believe that hypertension means that an individual is hyperactive, nervous, tense or very stressed out. That is not what hypertension is. Hypertension is the medical or scientific term for high blood pressure.
In fact it is very possible for a person to feel very calm and relaxed but still have hypertension even though they don’t show any obvious symptoms. This is why hypertension is quite often referred to as the ’silent killer’. The only way to know for sure whether or not you have hypertension is to have your blood pressure checked by a healthcare professional.
Hypertension can be deadly and should always be taken seriously. It causes the heart to work beyond its normal capacity, which means that both the heart and the arteries are more likely to be damaged. High blood pressure raises the potential for both heart attacks and strokes to occur. It also paves the way for congestive heart failure, atherosclerosis, kidney failure, and damage to the eyes.
If hypertension is left untreated, the heart is then forced to work harder than it should to pump enough blood and oxygen to the organs and tissues of the body. A heart that is forced to work beyond its normal capacity over an extended period of time will enlarge to an abnormal size and become weaker. A heart that is only enlarged a small amount could possibly still function adequately , unlike a seriously enlarged heart that will not.