What are the complications of hypertension? The seven most obvious symptoms

Surveys show that hypertension has become a common disease that is dangerous to human health, and if not treated in time it will cause other complications. Long-term high blood pressure can cause coronary heart disease or diabetes, or even diabetes, heart failure, kidney disease, peripheral artery disease, stroke and other diseases.

1. Coronary heart disease

Hypertension is one of the main risk factors for coronary heart disease. The risk of coronary heart disease in patients with hypertension is twice that of normal people. If long-term hypertension is not treated, 50% of people will die from coronary heart disease.

2. Diabetes

The incidence of hypertension in diabetic patients is twice that of normal patients. The coexistence of diabetes and hypertension is quite common, and it is an important cause of arteriosclerosis and renal failure in patients.

3. Heart failure

Heart failure is a common complication of hypertension. Epidemiological studies have shown that 40%-50% of heart failure is caused by hypertension. The higher the blood pressure is, the greater the likelihood of developing heart failure without treatment. A study followed up 5,314 hypertensive patients for 14.1 years, and 392 of them developed heart failure. Hypertension has been considered to be the main risk factor for left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial infarction, which can cause heart failure. Therefore, hypertension plays an important role in the course of heart failure.

4. Kidney disease

In humans, the kidneys are involved in the formation and maintenance of hypertension. Conversely, the kidneys are damaged by increased blood pressure. Long-term untreated hypertension can cause end-stage renal failure or accelerate the destruction of renal parenchyma, leading to primary or secondary kidney disease.

5. Peripheral Arterial Disease

Hypertension increases the risk of intermittent claudication by three times, probably because increased blood pressure accelerates hardening of certain specific parts, such as the lower limb arteries, carotid arteries, and coronary arteries, leading to ischemia, nutritional disorders, and even necrosis of the lower limb arteries.

6. Stroke

The incidence of stroke caused by hypertension is 7.76 times that of normal blood pressure. Other studies have shown that antihypertensive treatment can reduce the incidence of stroke by 40% and the risk of coronary heart disease by 15%.

7. Left ventricular hypertrophy

Among all hypertensive patients, 20%-30% can be found to have left ventricular hypertrophy. The incidence of left ventricular hypertrophy in patients with mild hypertension is 2-3 times higher than that in patients with normal blood pressure, while that in patients with severe hypertension can be as high as 10 times. Left ventricular hypertrophy is a potential risk factor for myocardial infarction and affects left ventricular systolic function. Therefore, hypertensive left ventricular hypertrophy is an important risk factor closely related to cardiovascular morbidity and mortality.