Uncontrolled Hypertension

As we all know, the heart does the job of pumping fresh oxygenated blood to circulate blood through the dense network of blood vessels (arteries, capillaries and veins) to different parts of the body. This pumping action generates a force against the wall of the blood vessels, which is necessary for proper flow of blood. This exerted force that pushes the blood at every moment to ensure normal circulation of blood to different organs, is referred as blood pressure.

Types of Blood Pressure
Depending upon whether the heart is relaxing or pumping, blood pressure is categorized as systolic and diastolic. When the heart pumps blood, the exerted pressure on the blood is referred as systolic and when takes rest in between beats, the blood vessels are subjected to a minimum pressure, referred as diastolic. Hence the blood pressure (systolic/diastolic) is commonly expressed in two readings such as 110/85 mm Hg.

What is Hypertension?
A person is said to suffer from hypertension, also referred to as high blood pressure (HBP), when the measurement tool shows a consistent reading higher than 140/90 mm Hg. A healthy person will have blood pressure of 120/80 mm Hg.

Causes
Even if a person has hypertension, he may not show any symptoms for months and even years. This is one of the reasons behind uncontrolled HBP, which eventually leads to cardiovascular problems. Some people even after knowing that they have hypertension, neglect treatment and do not take the prescribed medicines. Ignoring dietary medications recommended for HBP patients, such as consuming excess alcohol can also lead to uncontrolled hypertension.

Symptoms
Some of the most common symptoms associated with uncontrolled HBP are nausea, headache and drowsiness. If hypertension is not under control, it can also affect the eyesight. With time, untreated hypertension can worsen vision.

Complications

Coronary Artery Disease
Uncontrolled HBP can produce damaging effects on the walls of the arteries. As the blood travels at a tremendous pressure, the inner lining of the artery walls cannot withstand this excessive pressure of the blood and are damaged. The damaged inner lining of the arteries cause accumulation of fats along the artery wall. This in turn narrows the passage used for blood circulation. Over time, this build up of fats, may partially block the flow of blood, causing circulation problems throughout the body.

Cardiovascular Diseases
If the arteries that supply blood to/from the heart are blocked due to the fat build up, then the heart has to increase its efficiency and work harder to restore normal blood circulation. This overburden of work can affect the normal functioning of the heart. The narrowing of arteries that carry blood to the heart, will decrease the supply of blood to the heart muscles, eventually leading to chest pain (angina) or heart attack.

Stroke
Brain damage in the form of stroke, occurs when there is narrowing of the arteries that carry blood and oxygen to the brain. The narrowed arteries may eventually decrease the blood supply and oxygen to the brain, leading to stroke. In case the blood vessels in the brain are unable to bear excessive force exerted during blood flow, they may rupture causing hemorrhagic stroke.

Malfunctioning of the Kidneys
The main function of the kidneys involve filtering of the blood to get rid of waste and throw it out of the body in the form of urine. However, high blood pressure can bring kidney failure. Rupture of blood vessels in the kidneys, may hinder the process of filtering blood, leading to buildup of waste in the body. In case coronary artery disease affects the arteries that run to the kidneys, then the narrowed arteries may partially decrease the flow of blood to the kidneys. This unexpected cut down in blood supply can reduce the kidneys' ability to filter blood.

Treatment
Taking prescription medicine on time and to ensure that daily dosage is taken without fail, can help bring hypertension under control. Generally, diuretics are recommended to reduce hypertension. New sophisticated tools like ambulatory blood pressure monitoring are used to manage uncontrolled hypertension. On the whole, lifestyle modifications such as a healthy diet and light exercises such as brisk walk can play a major role to stay away from uncontrolled hypertension. Unhygienic habits like chewing tobacco or alcohol consumption, have to be stopped as well as prescription diet need to be followed to ensure that hypertension does not trigger any health problems.